Gambas al ajillo, garlic prawns, is a delicious classic Spanish tapas served throughout tapas bars in Spain.
During spot prawn season, we love making gambas al ajillo, or garlic prawns tapas. Vu and I fell in love with this dish after trying it at Costa Brava many years ago. It’s the dish that we never fail to order when we go to a Spanish restaurant. Flavored with plenty of garlic, a touch of cayenne and paprika, and a splash of wine, our version of gambas al ajillo will make you fall head over heels for this popular Spanish tapas.
Ingredient Notes
- Prawns: we like using fresh spot prawns for their sweet and juicy meat. Gambas al ajillo is also known as camarones al ajillo or garlic shrimp. Feel free to substitute the spot prawns for extra large or large head-on prawns or shrimp. Use head on shell on (HOSO) prawns or shrimp size 26/30.
- Olive oil: use the best quality olive you can find. You’ll need plenty for this dish.
- Garlic: garlic is one of the key ingredients for this dish. There’s no substitution. Use as much as you like. Both Vu and I love garlic so we put around 6-8 cloves of garlic depending on how big they are. Crush the garlic lightly with the back of your knife to release the oil then slice them thinly.
- Cayenne: I love to add a bit of cayenne for some heat but feel free to skip it if you don’t like it spicy.
- Paprika: I love the smokiness that paprika lends to gambas al ajillo. Use smoked paprika for this recipe. You could substitute with sweet paprika if you don't have smoked paprika.
- Alcohol: a splash of sherry, white wine, or Spanish brandy gives it a wonderful flavor.
Do I Need to Shell the Prawns Before Cooking
In Spain, gambas al ajillo is served both shelled on and without. It’s entirely up to you. If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, leave the shells on. I like to keep the shells and heads on so they don’t shrink during the cooking process.
Tips for Keeping Spot Prawns Fresh
When you buy live spot prawns you have to work fast or they will spoil. Immediately get them into a cooler or on ice after you purchase them. Avoid putting them in tap water or the chlorine in the water will hasten their death. If you’re not cooking them right away, remove their heads and leave the tail on ice.
Spot prawns have an enzyme in their brain that starts spreading as soon as they die and turns the flesh soft and mushy. If you see prawns with black spots, that means the enzymes have started spreading. You can fry the heads tempura style or make a prawn stock out of them. Put the tails on ice, cover them with a cloth and keep them in the fridge for up to two days until you’re ready to cook. Before cooking, simply give them a quick rinse in water and let them dry on a few sheets of paper towel.
How to Make Gambas al Ajillo
Traditionally this dish would be cooked in a flameproof terracotta dish and served directly in the dish. If you don’t have one, you can use a regular frying pan like I did. If your pan is not large enough to hold all the prawns, divide the ingredients in half and cook them in two batches.
To make the gambas al ajillo, add olive oil, garlic, and cayenne to the pan and let the garlic cook until fragrant. Add the prawns in a single layer, season with paprika and salt. Add a splash of white wine, then flip the prawns, and let them cook until pink. Even after you turn off the heat, the prawns will continue to cook in the sauce so avoid overcooking or the meat will become rubbery.
You don't need much with gambas al ajillo. Serve it with freshly chopped parsley, a squeeze of lemon, and extra sea salt. We love peeling off the shells and enjoying the rich juice from the heads and the garlicky, sweet prawn meat with a splash of lemon juice. My husband prefers to dunk the meat in alioli (garlic mayo) that we buy in large tubs from Costa Brava. Make sure to have some crusty bread to mop up all the juices and a nice glass of white wine to wash it all down. You can enjoy this famous tapas in the comfort of your home without a flight to Spain.
For more seafood inspiration, you might like these recipes: squid ink paella, Spanish grilled prawn tapas, charred octopus salad with tomatoes and mint.
Gambas al ajillo
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 6-8 garlic cloves, lightly crushed with the back of your knife, then thinly sliced
- 2 dried dried Cayenne chillies (or other dried chillies) (optional if you don't like spicy)
- 1 pound raw spot prawns (with heads and shells on)
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- A pinch of sea salt
- 2 tablespoons white wine (or sherry)
- 2 tablespoons small handful of fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
- Lemon wedges for serving
- Crusty bread for serving
Instructions
- In a wide frying pan over medium heat, add the garlic, chillies, and gently fry for 1 minute until the garlic is softened but not browned.
- Turn up the heat to high, add the prawns in a single layer, paprika, and salt and fry for 1 minute. Add the wine, flip the prawns, and cook for two minute until the prawns turn pink.
- Serve the prawns immediately with a chopped parsley, extra salt, and lemon wedges. Be careful not to burn yourself as the oil and pan will stay hot for several minutes.
Marta Lugo
Perfect!!!
Vy Tran
Marta I'm so happy you liked it!
Jess
How do I reheat it and is it recommended?
If i reheat it, I am thinking of making it about 2-3 hours prior and undercook it to gently pan fry it and then serve it. Let the cool down in room temperature.
Otherwise I will just make it there but it's hard because it will be at a friend's house and I will need to bring the ingredients.
sgadmin
Hi Jess! Reheating is a bit tricky since it might dry out the prawns. They're meant to be eaten right after cooking to capture the flavor and freshness. I also don't recommend uncooking them to avoid food poisoning. Making them there will give you the best flavor. You could try preheating a pan at 325 degrees, add the prawns, and bake it for 2-3 minutes on the middle rack.
Pamela
I made it twice already. I added in extra garlic and it turned out so good.
Ana
So good! Thank you for the recipe.
Cassie
The flavor was spot on! and so easy to make.
Lauren
So easy and delicious!
Diana
I love how simple yet delicious this always turns out. It saves me a lot of money from the tapas bars.
Hayley
So garlicky good!
Emma
This is easy to make! Turned out delicious!
Philip
Tasty. Could have more ‘hit’ from the garlic. I’d add more next time. Also addition of tomato might work well to make it more substantial.
Vy Tran
I'm glad you enjoyed it! And a big yes to more garlic!
Sara
So good! I would love more garlic as well. It took me back to my Spain vacation.
Ashley
I've made this a few times and had it with aioli and bread. So good!
Sarah
We make this frequently for family celebration and it's a hit everytime!
Dani
Hands down my favorite tapas! I did use a bit more garlic than the recipe.
Mari
So garlicky delicious!
Emily
So good! The amount of garlic was perfect. I skipped the chili since I don't like spicy food. It took me back to my Spain trip.
Megan
Hands down one of my favorite recipes. The amount of garlic was just right along with the smokiness from the paprika.
Kimberly
Easy and delicious!
Emily
I couldn't find the spot prawns. Regular prawns still tasted pretty good!
Lauren
This is prob my favorite tapas! I made a garlic aioli and it went really well together!
Suzanne
Delicious 😋 the best recipe for gumbas make it twice my thing is after they are done I put slices of fresh baguettes in the pan on high and toast them with all the left overs in the pan 😋 😀 😜 😉
Vy Tran
Suzanne I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Great idea with the baguette. And I didn't even know you could leave emojis in comment =)
Eric
Fantastic. I should have pulled at 2 minutes after the flip…bad on me. The flavor and technique were spot on and I’ll definitely steal it for fish. Save the bodies and all leftovers and boil and reduce for a stock or sauce. Nomnomnom
Vy Tran
Hi Eric! My apologies for the late reply. Been out of the country for a bit. So happy to hear you enjoyed the prawns! It's the most popular Spanish dish we make at home.
Jaclyn
Hi there! Does the recipe call for smoked paprika or sweet paprika? The recipe card says smoked paprika, but above the recipe card it says sweet paprika. Does it matter?
sgadmin
Hi Jaclyn! Preferably smoked paprika but you can substitute with sweet if you don't have it.