Spanish Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Prawns)
Gambas al ajillo is prawns cooked in plenty of olive oil with sliced garlic and chilli. Spain's best-known tapa, and it takes eight minutes. The trick is infusing the oil with garlic over low heat first, then giving the prawns two minutes on high.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 8 min
- Total
- 13 min
- Calories
- 290
This dish is the definition of simplicity: four ingredients and eight minutes. It arrives at the table in a hot earthenware dish with bread for dipping — and the oil is half the pleasure, so do not skimp on it.
Method
-
1
Dry the prawns
Pat the prawns thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. Wet prawns release water into the pan and steam instead of searing.
⏱ 3 min -
2
Infuse the oil
Warm the olive oil in a pan over low heat, add the sliced garlic and chilli, and stir for two to three minutes until the garlic just turns pale gold — without letting it brown.
⏱ 3 min -
3
Add the paprika
Lift the pan off the heat and stir in the paprika for a few seconds. Paprika scorches instantly over high heat and turns the whole dish bitter.
⏱ 1 min -
4
Cook the prawns
Return to high heat, add the prawns and salt, and cook for one minute per side until they turn pink and curl. Any longer and they go rubbery.
⏱ 2 min -
5
Finish off the heat
Take the pan off the stove and stir through the parsley and lemon juice. The lemon goes in after the heat so it keeps its fragrance.
⏱ 1 min -
6
Serve in the pan
Serve immediately in the same dish with baguette — the remaining oil is half the dish, and it is there to be mopped up.
⏱ 2 min
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Tips that actually matter
- Prawns cook in two minutes. Beyond that they turn rubbery and there is no recovering them.
- Slice the garlic rather than chopping it: chopped garlic burns fast, while slices perfume the oil and are good to eat.
- The generous olive oil is deliberate — it is the sauce itself, not a frying medium.
- Shell-on prawns give deeper flavour but are messier to eat, because the shells season the oil strongly.
People also ask
Why did my prawns turn rubbery?
They were overcooked. A minute a side is enough — when they turn pink and curl into a C shape, they are done.
Why is the paprika added off the heat?
Because it burns within seconds over high heat and leaves a bitterness that ruins the dish. Residual heat is enough to bloom it.
Can I use ordinary oil instead of olive oil?
You can, but the flavour drops sharply — the oil here is a main ingredient, not a frying medium, and you taste it in every dip.
Do frozen prawns work?
Yes, but thaw them completely and dry them extremely well. Frozen prawns release a lot of water and it wrecks the sear.
Cook mode
Spanish Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Prawns)
-
1
Dry the prawns
Pat the prawns thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. Wet prawns release water into the pan and steam instead of searing.
-
2
Infuse the oil
Warm the olive oil in a pan over low heat, add the sliced garlic and chilli, and stir for two to three minutes until the garlic just turns pale gold — without letting it brown.
-
3
Add the paprika
Lift the pan off the heat and stir in the paprika for a few seconds. Paprika scorches instantly over high heat and turns the whole dish bitter.
-
4
Cook the prawns
Return to high heat, add the prawns and salt, and cook for one minute per side until they turn pink and curl. Any longer and they go rubbery.
-
5
Finish off the heat
Take the pan off the stove and stir through the parsley and lemon juice. The lemon goes in after the heat so it keeps its fragrance.
-
6
Serve in the pan
Serve immediately in the same dish with baguette — the remaining oil is half the dish, and it is there to be mopped up.
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