Shrimp Al Ajillo!
Shrimp “Al Ajillo”
When asked, 9 out of 10 shrimp said they’d prefer to be done “al ajillo!”
“Al ajillo” is Spanish for ‘with garlic’. This is one of the simplest, yet most delicious ways to cook tiger shrimp. The secret is to use a pinch of West Indian curry (like Badia brand curry) at the end to add a complimentary layer of aroma to the dish.
Also, you want to use nice, big, shrimp (11/15 per pound), and make sure to read the ingredients on the package (or ask your fishmonger), there should not be any tripolyphosphate or any other preservatives added. Shrimp should be firm and sweet, not mushy, limp and salty.
The other important factor to this dish is to use good quality ingredients: fresh garlic, fresh parsley, Irish butter, and your favorite white wine.
NOTE: The juice left over from this dish is something you definitely should dip bread in!
Ingredients:
- 2 Lbs of Tiger Shrimp (11/15 per pound)
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup Irish butter, salted
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup white wine
- Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Melt the butter and combine with olive oil in a hot pan.
- Once butter is melted, add the garlic and parsley. Stir and fry for a couple of minutes to get the aroma of the garlic going. The garlic should brown very slightly. BUT DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC!
- Add the shrimp, the wine and cover with a lid. Cook until steam is coming out of the sides of the lid and the shrimp have changed color and are fully cooked. In this recipe, this took 5 minutes at medium high heat.
- Remove lid, stir, simmer for 4 minutes, season with salt and pepper and serve right away. Enjoy!