Gambas al Ajillo Mamá Pepa
I received an e-mail from María Jesús Davis, who resides in Washington, D.C., but is inordinately proud to be a native of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalucía. Writing in charming Andalusian colloquial Spanish, she says, "I am Jerezana to the bone, and I hope you like my mother's recipe, which is very simple to understand — because I get bored when cooking gets complicated."
Gambas al ajillo, a staple in most tapas bars, takes on a new twist and a haunting flavor with the addition of medium-dry amontillado sherry, which also comes from María Jesús's hometown. She advises, "Be sure to provide plenty of bread to sop of the sauce. It's to die for!"
Ingredients
Makes 5 to 6 servings
Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and let sit for 10 minutes. In a shallow casserole, preferably earthenware, heat the oil with the garlic and parsley until the garlic begins to sizzle. Add the shrimp and stir until they are opaque. Add the sherry, salt to taste, and cook over medium heat for a minute or two until the sherry evaporates and the sauce thickens slightly. Serve immediately, in the casserole.
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Reviews (22)
Back to TopI made this once before for a tapas party. It was easy and delicious. Tonight I sent my husband to the store for parsley but he accidentally came home with cilantro. I decided to use it anyway since I love cilantro, and it was fantastic! I will make it this way from now on. I also used dry Sherry instead of Amontillado bc thats what I had and served it over angel hair. A great weeknight meal.
lwagner
New York, NY
8/1/2016
Excellent! I believe that the sherry is key (as opposed to white wine). Also, add some red pepper flakes for a bit more depth. I call this shrimp scampi and it is by far the best scampi recipe I've made.
Anonymous
San Francisco, CA
12/22/2015
I used dry Sherry instead of Amontillado because that's what I had, and I served over angel hair as someone had recommended. Super simple and delicious. Definitely have some bread to sop up the remaining sauce. Everyone's plates were wiped clean.
tabpp
Alexandria, VA
2/22/2014
Soooo gooood! Just the recipe I have been seeking. I didn't have sherry so used dry white wine with a bit of vanilla extract added to it. My new go-to shrimp recipe.
Heatheroo
Suffield, CT
12/29/2012
Oh good grief, this is good.
Loey
East Grand Rapids, mi
7/15/2012
This is a great dish to make for a tapas night!
Anonymous
Princeton, NJ
2/16/2011
Just finished this and YUM! I hate to admit it, but I used 1/2 butter and 1/2 EVO. Once the shrimp were cooked, transferred them to a warm bowl then sauteed fresh spinach in some of the remaining liquid. Regarding too much garlic?... will have to see what if I get any comments in the morning!
SuzieHB
Huntington Beach
1/11/2011
This is an easy, yet delicious recipe. I used 2 tbsp of garlic only because my husband doesn't like alot of garlic. I thought it was perfect. The amontillado sherry makes the recipe. Next time I might take another cooks' advice and add a dash of crushed red pepper. Try this one, it's a keeper.
Anonymous
Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
7/18/2010
This was fantastic and so easy! Based on earlier reviews I was concerned about the garlic level, but it ended up not being too much for me. Granted, I used a little less garlic (I was just cooking for myself, so probably half a tablespoon less) and added dried red pepper flakes, so that may have made the difference. After cooking the shrimp I spooned the remaining sauce over pasta, then sauteed some thinly sliced carrots, zucchini, and tomatoes in whatever was left in the pan and topped the pasta with that. A perfect meal!
jaycee773
Chicago
2/1/2010
wow this was great. i just got back from spain, and i had to cook for my stepdad's spanish class, and they loved it -- and more importantly i loved it. garlic and parsley -- such simple flavors, but so good. extremely garlicky... maybe next time a little less garlic, but who's to say that garlic is a bad thing.
mishaali
NY, NY
6/13/2008
Pretty easy to make, but it was missing something. We love this dish at restaurants, but it wasn't quite the same. Maybe we needed more garlic? Would butter have done it? Better olive oil? Garlic infused olive oil? It's always easy for me to overcook shrimp...so be careful!
Anonymous
NYC
4/9/2008
Quick and delish. Added more garlic, sherry and olive oil. Served it with Mexican rice and beans.
Anonymous
San Jose, CA
11/13/2006
This was super easy. I used fresh basil instead of parsley. And I couldn't find the sherry, so I used pale, dry sherry instead. I'd probably use more basil, I just grabbed a handful from the garden. It's perfect for a quick midweek dinner, but it's not super yummy enough for company.
brame
10/31/2006
Fantastic... but you better like garlic (alot!) Make extra sauce (just double the liquids & 50% more of the garlic) and with Angel Hair pasta it was terrific!
pschaub
Denver
9/15/2006
I've not yet made this recipe but I don't think I'm mistaken by saying if dried red chilli flakes are added with the oil / garlic etc, it wouold make Gambas Pil Pil which is lovely if you like a bit of heat....
Anonymous
the UK
8/25/2006
