Spain (Andalusia & Madrid) · Spanish
Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish Garlic Shrimp)
The fastest great tapa there is: plump prawns sizzled in olive oil with sliced garlic, a pinch of dried chilli and a splash of sherry, served bubbling hot with bread to soak up the golden, garlicky oil.
Published June 24, 2026
Cultural context
Gambas al ajillo is a cornerstone of the tapas table, traditionally cooked and served in a small earthenware cazuela that arrives at the table still spitting. It's a southern and central Spanish classic, built on just a handful of ingredients — prawns, garlic, olive oil, dried guindilla chilli — where the real prize is the infused oil that's mopped up with bread.
Gambas al ajillo might be the best return on effort in this entire collection — plump prawns sizzled in olive oil with sliced garlic and a little dried chilli, ready in well under twenty minutes, and reliably the first plate emptied at any tapas table. Traditionally it arrives in a small earthenware cazuela still spitting from the heat, with bread to soak up the golden, garlic-soaked oil that is the real treasure.
Infuse the oil, don’t fry the garlic
The technique is all in the first step. Warm a generous amount of good olive oil gently with the sliced garlic and chilli, and let it go no further than pale gold. This slowly perfumes every drop of the oil. The moment the garlic browns it turns bitter and takes the whole dish with it, so keep the heat moderate and your eye on the pan.
Prawns cook in a flash
Pat the prawns bone-dry so they sear instead of steam, then give them just a minute or two a side over high heat — pull them the instant they curl and turn opaque, because a few seconds too long makes them rubbery. A splash of dry sherry, a shower of parsley and a squeeze of lemon finish it. Then serve it hot, in the pan, with more bread than you think you need.
Round out the tapas with patatas bravas and a tortilla española, or browse the full recipe collection.
Ingredients
For the gambas
- 400 g raw peeled prawns / shrimp Medium-large, tails on or off. Pat thoroughly dry. Keep the shells to make a quick stock if you like.
- 120 ml extra-virgin olive oil Generous — the oil is half the dish.
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1-2 dried guindilla or other dried red chilli Or 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes. Adjust to taste.
- 1 tbsp dry sherry (fino) or dry white wine Optional but traditional — it lifts the whole dish.
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika (optional)
To finish
- small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- salt and lemon wedges; crusty bread to serve
Method
Tap a step’s number to check it off as you go.
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Pat the prawns completely dry and season lightly with salt.
Why: Wet prawns drop the oil's temperature and steam rather than sizzle; dry ones sear and stay sweet and snappy.
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Warm the olive oil in a wide pan or cazuela over medium heat with the sliced garlic and chilli. Cook gently until the garlic is pale gold and fragrant — do not let it brown.
Why: Slow-infusing the oil is the whole technique. Browned garlic turns bitter; pale gold is sweet and nutty and perfumes all the oil.
-
Turn the heat to high, add the prawns, and cook 1-2 minutes per side until just pink and opaque.
Why: Prawns cook in moments and turn rubbery if overdone — pull them the instant they curl and turn opaque.
-
Add the sherry (and paprika, if using) and let it bubble for 30 seconds.
Why: A quick hit of sherry deglazes and adds depth without watering down the oil; the alcohol cooks off fast.
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Off the heat, stir through the parsley and a squeeze of lemon. Serve immediately, sizzling, with bread.
Why: Parsley and lemon brighten the rich garlic oil; serving it hot, in the pan, is the point — the bubbling oil is the best part.
A quick, anonymous tap — no review needed.
Variations
- Extra-rich (with shells)
Fry the reserved prawn shells in the oil first, strain them out, and use that shellfish-infused oil to cook the dish — a deeper, more savoury result.
- Sizzling cazuela
Cook and serve in a small earthenware cazuela heated until very hot, so it arrives at the table still spitting in the traditional way.
- Add white beans
Fold a drained can of butter beans into the garlic oil with the prawns for a more substantial plate.
Serving & Storage
Serve bubbling hot, straight from the pan, with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the garlic oil — the bread is non-negotiable. Part of any tapas spread.
Pairs with: Crusty bread, Patatas bravas, Chilled fino sherry or a crisp white.
Storage: Best eaten immediately. The prawns turn rubbery on reheating, so cook only what you'll serve.
Nutrition
Per serving (1/4 plate)
- Calories
- 290
- Protein
- 19 g
- Carbs
- 1 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
- Sugar
- 0 g
- Sodium
- 390 mg
Notable micronutrients: Selenium, Vitamin B12, Iodine, Vitamin E
Estimated using standard ingredient data. Values vary with brands and substitutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fresh or frozen prawns?
Good frozen raw prawns are perfect here — just thaw and dry them very well. Whatever you use, raw (not pre-cooked) is essential so they take on the garlic oil as they cook.
Why did my garlic turn bitter?
It browned. Keep the heat gentle while you infuse the oil and pull the garlic back from anything past pale gold — burnt garlic will taint the whole dish.
What bread should I serve?
Any good crusty white loaf or baguette. The entire reason gambas al ajillo exists, arguably, is to deliver garlicky olive oil to bread.
What to drink with this
All drinks →Hand-picked pours to match this dish. Alcoholic pairings are for adults of legal drinking age (21+ in the US) — please drink responsibly.
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