15-Minute Garlic Shrimp Tapas

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The classic Spanish tapa done right in one skillet: sliced garlic slowly turned golden in a generous pool of olive oil, sweet pimentón bloomed off the heat, and shrimp cooked in barely two minutes. The garlicky, paprika-stained oil is the real prize — have plenty of crusty bread ready to mop it up.

Ingredients

• 1 lb large shrimp (26/30), peeled and deveined, tails on
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt

• 1/2 cup good extra-virgin olive oil (Spanish if possible)
• 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 dried guindilla or árbol chile, broken in half (or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes)
• 1 tsp sweet pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika)
• 1/4 tsp hot pimentón or cayenne, optional

• 3 tbsp dry sherry (fino or manzanilla), or dry white wine
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• flaky sea salt, for serving
• 1 loaf crusty baguette or rustic bread, sliced and toasted

Instructions

1. Pat the shrimp thoroughly dry with paper towels — wet shrimp will steam instead of sizzle and will water down the oil. Toss them in a bowl with the 3/4 tsp kosher salt and let sit at room temperature while you prep the garlic.
2. Slice the garlic thin and even, about 1/16 inch (a paring knife works better than a mandoline for control). Discard the papery bits and any tough germ. Measure out the pimentón, sherry and lemon juice and set them right next to the stove — once the garlic goes in, this moves fast.
3. Pour the 1/2 cup olive oil into a 10-inch skillet or cazuela and add the sliced garlic and broken chile while the oil is still cold. Set over medium-low heat. Starting cold lets the garlic infuse the oil slowly instead of scorching.
4. Cook 4 to 6 minutes, swirling the pan often, until the garlic is pale gold at the edges and smells sweet and nutty. Pull it the moment the first slices turn light golden — garlic goes from gold to bitter in about 30 seconds. If it's browning fast, slide the pan off the burner for 20 seconds.
5. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the sweet pimentón (and hot pimentón, if using). Off-heat blooming turns the oil brick-red and keeps the paprika from turning bitter. Let it sit 15 seconds.
6. Return the pan to medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the shrimp in a single layer, spacing them out. Cook undisturbed for 1 minute, until the undersides are pink and opaque.
7. Flip the shrimp and add the sherry and lemon juice; it will sizzle hard. Cook 1 to 1 1/2 minutes more, spooning oil over the shrimp, just until they curl into loose C-shapes and are opaque at the thickest point. Tight O-shapes mean overcooked, so err early — they finish in the hot oil.
8. Kill the heat, scatter the parsley over the top, and swirl the pan once to emulsify the oil and juices. Taste the oil and add a pinch more salt if needed.
9. Serve immediately in the skillet or a warm shallow dish, finished with flaky salt, with toasted bread alongside for dragging through the oil.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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