Gambas al ajillo

Gambas al ajillo, or shrimp with garlic sauce, is a traditional Spanish tapas dish. Tapas are just small plates, or small portions of different foods. Some are severed cold, for instance mixed olives and cheese and even a Spanish omelet, and others are served hot, like albondigas and Gambas al ajillo, the dish I prepared at home. Shrimp with garlic sauce is one dish my father makes frequently, and in spite of not being the biggest seafood fan, I love to eat.

The preparation is fairly simple but we do have one wrinkle that makes it different from the traditional recipe. If you roast garlic it gets soft, isn’t as strong, and becomes spreadable. So, I roast the garlic in olive oil or if we are in a hurry, put it in the microwave in 30 second intervals until it get soft. I then mash up the garlic and mix it with olive oil to make a paste and use this for the sauce. We take a couple tablespoons of paprika, some salt and pepper to taste, and sauté that with the garlic paste in some more olive oil, about ½ cup. After a few minutes we add 2 pounds of medium sized shrimp and sauté them until they curl a bit, and then finish cooking them while adding ¼ of brandy (which I couldn’t get at school unless I went to a fraternity party and I’m trying to stay out of trouble). You serve the shrimp with crusty bread and some lemon wedges.