Gambas al Ajillo or Spanish garlic shrimp is popular for good reason! Big juicy shrimp, swimming in tasty olive oil and garlic sauce. It is bright, garlicy, spicy and rich in the best way possible. Perfect with some crusty bread!

This garlic shrimp recipe comes together in just 10 minutes. Be sure to read through my tips.

Spanish garlic shrimp with a side of bread and hot red pepper flakes

This gambas al ajillo recipe is one of the more popular tapas and the easiest Spanish recipes you’ll make!

Gambas al ajillo, pronounced gahm- bahs-ahl-ah- hee-yoh, simply translates to “shrimp with garlic shrimp” or “garlic shrimp.” And it totally lives up to it’s name: Big, juicy shrimp, swimming in a tasty, garlicy olive oil sauce. It’s the perfect little dish to share along with a good loaf of crusty bread to dunk in the sauce!

This spanish shrimp recipe comes together in about 10 minutes and takes two simple components: the shrimp and the sauce.

What kind of shrimp to use for this garlic shrimp recipe?

Larger jumbo shrimp or prawns are better for gambas al ajillo. You can use smaller shrimp, but keep in mind that the shrimp will shrink a bit as it cooks. The result is defintely more impressive and far tastier using larger, more meaty and juicy shrimp.

Should you peel the shrimp? I use peeled and deveined shrimp in this recipe just because it is easier to eat, and I guess I don’t want to waste the flavorful sauce on the shell. But, I learned that some Barcelona restaurants serve them with the shell on. Either way.

Cooking tip for the shrimp: In this recipe the shrimp will cook very briefly in the sauce. Even large shrimp will cook quickly, so watch for the flesh to become opaque and the shrimp pink. Remember that even when you turn the heat off, the shrimp will continue to cook in the warm sauce.

Spanish shrimp in the pan with garlic and olive oil sauce

The Sauce: Ingredients and Tips

To me, the sauce is what makes this dish! It’s bright, garlicy, slightly spicy, and rich in the best way possible! Quality of the sauce ingredients and how you prepare them makes a difference. Here’s what you need and a few prep tips:

  • Extra virgin olive oil. This shrimp is typically made with lots of olive oil so that you have enough extra sauce for dipping. For this recipe, you’ll need 1/2 cup of quality extra virign olive oil. Flavor really matters here, and you should only warm up the olive oil over medium heat; you’re not looking to cook it too much. (I used Private Reserve EVOO).
  • Garlic. Loads of garlic (about 10 to 12 good size cloves). I don’t recommend using a garlic press here, it will pulverize the garlic too much and overwhlem the sauce and it can easily burn. Instead, give the garlic a good chop with your knife. And when you cook it, use only medium heat and watch for the garlic to change color just enough but be careful not to burn it (you don’t want the sauce to taste bitter).
  • Curshed red peppers or dry chilli peppers, torn. I used 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. You can start with less if you’re worried about the spice level.
  • Sweet Spanish Paprika. Some don’t use it, but I think it adds good color and depth of flavor.
  • Dry sherry (or white wine) and lemon juice. Together, the citrus from the alcohol and lemon juice adds flavor and brightens the sauce. Spanish brandy is also an option
  • Fresh parsley for garnish
ingredients for gambas al ajillo

How to make this Spanish shrimp

This recipe could not be easier to make. Here’s the step-by-step with photos (print-friendly recipe with ingredient measurements below)

  • Pat shrimp dry and season with kosher salt. Set the peeled and deviened shrimp aside to marinate a little in the salt, while you work on the sauce. Note: If the shrimp had been frozen, run it under cool water to thaw before using in this recipe.
  • Warm up the Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic, and Red Pepper Flakes. Start by warming up the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds, tossing the garlic with your wooden spoon. Watch for the garlic to gain a little color but do not let it brown (this is very important or the sauce will taste bitter). warmed olive oil with garlic and red pepper flakes
  • Cook the shrimp. Add the shrimp and 1 teaspoon paprika in. Toss in the warm oil until the flesh is opaque and the shrimp is pink (about 3 minutes or so). Do not overcook the shrimp; remember, it will continue to cook in the warm oil sauce after you remove it from heat. Remove the pan from the heat. cooked shrimp in the oil
  • Add the sherry (or white wine), lemon juice, and parsley. You’ll do this off heat, you do not need to cook down the liquid here.
  • Serve! Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with your favorite crusty bread.
Spanish gambas al ajillo with a side of toasted bread and red pepper flakes

How to serve Gambas al Ajillo?

This dish is meant for sharing as a tapa (or small dish). All you need is a loaf of good crusty bread to dunk in the tasty olive oil sauce and perhaps an easy cocktail, like Agua De València or Tinto De Verano.

You can slice and lightly toast the bread if you like, but I recently discovered that tearing up a loaf of bread into big chunks is the way to go. Those rough edges of the bread hold on to the sauce so much better!

This recipe will serve up to 6 people as an appetizer (and you can other little mezze or apptizers like caponata or lobster tail next to it).

And if you want to turn it into a small dinner, why not! Serve the saucy garlic shrimp over a bed of rice, or even next to a side of Spanish rice and beans! For dessert, go for a Spanish treat like Crema Catalana or Churros con Chocolate.

Hungry for more? Browse more Mediterranean shrimp recipes. Shrimp Kabobs and Grilled Shrimp with roasted garlic cilantro sauce are also favorites!

More shrimp recipes

Visit our collection of Mediterranean recipes and our top Mediterranean diet recipes.

4.85 from 176 votes

Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish Garlic Shrimp Recipe)

Suzy Karadsheh of The Mediterranean Dish. In the kitchenSuzy Karadsheh
Gambas al Ajillo Spanish Garlic Shrimp
In just 10 minutes, you can make this easy gambas al ajillo recipe with extra juicy shrimp swimming in a garlicy olive oil sauce. Just add your favorite crusty bread to dunk in the sauce!
Prep – 5 minutes
Cook – 5 minutes
Cuisine:
Spanish
Serves – 6 people
Course:
Appetizer

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb large shrimp peeled and deveined
  • Kosher salt
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 10 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (start with less if you don't want it too spicy)
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 tablespoons dry sherry or dry white wine
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions
 

  • Pat the shrimp dry and season with kosher salt. Set aside for now.
  • Heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat up to 60 seconds or until the garlic gains some color (be careful not to burn it).
  • Add the shrimp and paprika. Cook briefly, tossing regularly, and watching that the flesh turns opaque with a pearly pink color (about 3 minutes or so; this will depend on the size of the shrimp). Remove the pan from the heat.
  • Stir in sherry, lemon juice and parsley.
  • Transfer the shrimp and sauce to a serving bowl. Serve with your favorite crusty bread.

Video

Notes

  • This recipe will serve 4 to 6 people as a tapas or appetizer with a side of crusty bread to dip in the sauce. 
  • Cook’s tip for the sauce. Use quality extra virgin olive oil as the flavor is important to the sauce. Do not cook the oil too much and be careful not to burn the garlic or it will make the sauce bitter. 
  • Cook’s tip for the shrimp. Even the largest of shrimp will cook fast, so watch the shrimp carefully. The flesh should turn opaque and pearly pink in color. And remember, even when you take the pan off the heat, the warm sauce will continue to cook the shrimp. 
  • Visit Our Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including extra virgin olive oils and spices. 

Nutrition

Calories: 249.5kcalCarbohydrates: 2.4gProtein: 16gFat: 19.2gSaturated Fat: 2.6gCholesterol: 190.5mgSodium: 982.2mgPotassium: 115.8mgFiber: 0.4gVitamin A: 634.8IUVitamin C: 11.3mgCalcium: 125.6mgIron: 2.2mg
Tried this recipe?

Share it with the world

I’m Suzy; born and bred right on the shores of the Mediterranean. I’m all about easy, healthy recipes with big Mediterranean flavors. Three values guide my cooking: eat with the seasons; use whole foods; and above all, share! So happy you’re here…
Learn More

Get our best recipes and all Things Mediterranean delivered to your inbox.
4.85 from 176 votes (133 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

How many stars would you give this recipe?




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. BJ says:

    I have a friend who cannot tolerate much fat at all so could this recipe be made using little oil?

    1. TMD Team says:

      Hi, BJ. The olive oil sauce is a big part of this recipe, so I feel like reducing the oil would really take away from that. If you’re looking for a great shrimp appetizer with less oil, I highly recommend our 10-Minuted Garlic Parmesan Shrimp.

  2. Sherry says:

    Made this recipe with the Easy Stuffed Dates for variety and something different for Thansgiving appetizers. The entire family loved the shrimp and appreciated a change from a vegetable or cheese Platter.

  3. Maureen P Marsh says:

    I could give this 10 stars, delish!

    1. TMD Team says:

      Awww! Thank you so much, Maureen!

  4. Liz Hardy says:

    5 stars
    I lived in Spain for many years, and absolutely loved these, most of the recipes for garlic prawns have them in a cream sauce. This recipe is the real deal and I can’t wait to try it!
    Just a query, I wonder if rhe alcohol could be left out, or is there some alternative?

    1. TMD Team says:

      Hi, Liz. You could just omit it and use a bit more lemon juice. You’ll get a slightly different flavor profile. but still delicious!

  5. John V says:

    Damn, that was good. The only adjustment I made was using a good dry vermouth as it was all I had on hand. The heat level was very much to my liking and this recipe will be in my regular rotation. Thanks a lot for a great recipe.

  6. Ben says:

    After reviewing several recipes, they don’t clearly say how much a serving will equal the nutritional facts. I want to portion my meals to equal the nutritional facts. This recipe is so delicious!

    1. TMD Team says:

      Hi, Ben. Our recipes can be divided by the number of servings listed to get the “serving size” that goes with the nutritional facts. The nutrition info here is our best effort and we use a program that calculates that for us based on the ingredient list. Unfortunately, the exact serving size measurement (by cups, etc) is another layer that’s harder for us to precisely calculate at the moment. We appreciate the feedback, though, and hope to improve this in the future!

  7. joss says:

    5 stars
    This is an incredibly tasty and easy recipe – turned out perfectly! Brought a dish of this to a small dinner party and folks are asking for it again. Score! Thanks for a low-stress, high-taste dish.

    1. Summer Miller says:

      Hi, Joss! I’m Summer and I work here at The Mediterranean Dish. So glad you and your friends loved the recipe. We have loads of shrimp and seafood recipes on the site. This Cioppino is a favorite of mine.

  8. Lisa says:

    This is sooo good! Easy and delicious. Thank you, Suzy.

  9. Janelle says:

    I want to make this for 8-10 people as main course. How would you adjust the recipe? Thanks.

    1. TMD Team says:

      Hi, Janelle. I would just double or triple the ingredient amounts, depending on how much you think your guest may eat, and how many sides you serve to go with it. Hope y’all enjoy the recipe!

  10. Andi says:

    5 stars
    This recipe is 100 out of 10. Fast and incredibly flavorful. We ate every morsel.

  11. Carla says:

    5 stars
    This is unbelievably good! I followed the recipe as is, using white wine. I will absolutely make this again!

  12. ange says:

    4 stars
    I think my lemon was a bit too big. I wound put more than 1tbs of lemon juice. I would recommend stating the actual quantity.
    I didn’t have sherry, I used white wine, and a pinch of brown sugar. 1tbs of chili pepper wasn’t enough either. Pretry good for a first attempt.

  13. Joshua Voss says:

    Can you use Mahi Mahi instead of shrimp? I have some on hand.

    1. TMD Team says:

      Hi, Joshua. You may be able to do this with cubes of mahi mahi, it’s just not something we tried before, so it’s hard to be 100% sure how it would work. If you give it a go, we’d love for you to stop back and share your thoughts!

  14. Gail Fletcher says:

    5 stars
    This is delicious! Love the flavor combinations. I used less pepper flakes to lower the spice and sweet paprika.

    1. TMD Team says:

      Thanks for sharing, Gail!

  15. Karen Oakley says:

    Sounds delicious. Love to try. Unfortunately the only cooking surface I have is an air fryer and a microwave. Do you have any recipes for me?

    1. Suzy Karadsheh says:

      Hi, Karen. We don’t have any recipes specifically adapted for the microwave, and only one we’ve tested in air fryer (Air Fryer Falafel). However, I suspect that there are many recipes on this site that can probably work in either or both!

  16. Minman says:

    3 stars
    I so wanted to leave a higher rating. However, making this recipe exactly as written it seemed an oily mess lacking flavor. I thought I was on track based on your photos. However, your final photo can’t have been this same recipe because you can’t go from oily to perfect photo. Thank you for the general idea but it needs tweaking.