Shortly after we were married, my husband and I went to Spain for two weeks. After mornings filled with walking the oldest streets I’d ever seen, we would go to lunch, split a bottle of Rioja wine and eat olives, cheese, Tortilla Española and Gambas Al Ajillo, shrimp in garlic sauce. After every last juicy, spicy shrimp had been devoured, we would attack the golden oil with plenty of bread. Serve this dish with a simple green salad, plenty of crusty bread, and a good bottle of red.
Combine the oil and garlic in a skillet over medium heat, stirring just until the garlic begins to sizzle, about 1 minute.
Add the cumin, paprika and red pepper flakes and stir.
Raise the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp and a pinch of salt.
Toss the shrimp in the oil until they are just pink, 2 to 3 minutes, and remove from heat.
4 to 5 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. smoked Spanish paprika
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 lbs. shrimp, 15 to 20 per pound
Salt to taste
This article appears in January 2011.