Seed Oil Free Spanish Garlic Shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo)
Few dishes capture the spirit of a Spanish tapas bar quite like this sizzling garlic shrimp — fragrant, a little spicy, and impossibly satisfying to pull straight from the pan. The entire recipe is built on extra-virgin olive oil, which does double duty as both the cooking fat and the silky, garlicky sauce that coats every shrimp. That matters a lot if you're avoiding industrially processed seed oils, because so many restaurant versions and jarred shortcuts sneak in canola or soybean oil without a second thought. Here, you know exactly what's going in the pan. Thinly sliced garlic blooms in the warm olive oil alongside red pepper flakes, building a deeply aromatic base before the shrimp ever hit the heat. A quick flip, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and a shower of flat-leaf parsley is all it takes to finish the dish — no fillers, no shortcuts, no mystery fats. Serve it straight from the skillet with extra lemon wedges and something crusty to soak up every last drop of that golden oil.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 1 ½ lb large shrimp (21–25 count), peeled and deveined, tails on
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
For serving
- lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Pat the shrimp thoroughly dry with paper towels, then season evenly with the salt and black pepper.
- 2
Pour the olive oil into a large (10–12-inch) skillet or cazuela and set over medium heat until the oil shimmers and a garlic slice dropped in sizzles immediately, about 2 minutes.
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