In the Philippines, where fresh seafood is abundant and you can never have enough garlic, Spain’s gambas al ajillo feels right at home.
Meaning “garlic shrimp”, the dish is a classic Spanish small plate of juicy shrimp sautéed in plenty of garlic, olive oil, and a dash of chili. You’ll want to mop up any excess garlic oil with crusty bread, or, if you’re Filipino, drizzle it over some hot steamed rice.
Why use shrimp instead of prawns?
When making gambas, Filipinos often make use of shrimp (or suahe) over prawns (sugpo) for several reasons:
- Shrimp are easier to find, and often come out less expensive than prawns.
- Shrimp cook a lot faster than prawns. Fast, as in 2–3 minutes fast!
- Shrimp have a smaller size and a milder flavor. This makes them a great medium for soaking up that garlicky, spicy gambas oil.
By using shrimp, your gambas becomes a true low-effort, high-reward dish that you can bang out in under 10 minutes!
How to cook shrimp gambas
Start with your olive oil and aromatics—lots of garlic, chili flakes, and lemon peel—in a cold pan. Most of this recipe’s cooking time goes to gently warming up the oil, steeping those aromatics long and slow.
Garlic, our ajillo, is the key ingredient. We add chili flakes for a bit of heat, so use as little or as much as you like. If you don’t have a fresh lemon peel, some lemon juice (or calamansi!) will add that needed brightness.
Then, the shrimp. Perfectly cooked shrimp takes just a few minutes—typically 2–3 minutes per side. Even a minute longer can make them rubbery. As they cook, their color turns from translucent gray to an opaque orange-pink.
Not a lot of people know this, but once your shrimp start curling into a C, they’re probably done. If they curl further into an O, they’re likely overcooked! Keep a close eye on your gambas. Remove your pan from heat once you suspect your shrimp is just done—they’ll continue to cook slightly from the residual heat.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1–3 tsp chili flakes, to taste
- 1 strip lemon peel
- 300g shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1–2 tsp liquid seasoning
- ¼ tsp salt
Start oil & aromatics: Add olive oil, garlic, chili flakes, and lemon peel to a large pan. Heat pan over medium-low. As the oil gently warms up, allow the aromatics to slowly infuse into the oil. Continue cooking until the garlic starts getting color, about 5–6 minutes.
Cook shrimp: Add suahe or shrimp to the pan. Toss and mix everything together, allowing the heat to gently cook the shrimp, about 2–3 minutes. We’re not aiming for browning—you want to avoid overcooking the shrimp, which happens faster than you think. Season with liquid seasoning and salt. Serve immediately with toasted bread or steamed rice.
