Saturday, June 5, 2010

Camarones al Ajillo: Garlic Shrimp


This didn't fit into my diet, so I'm not writing it as a diet post, but I did eat a little of it (2 shrimp and a little pasta). I mostly had salad.

1 lb shrimp deveined, tail on
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of your pan and then some)
1 tsp paprika
sprinking of cilantro
salt and pepper to taste


This is so simple, it's almost silly to post it. Heat your olive oil in a skillet with your pressed garlic until it becomes fragrant. Add your paprika and shrimp. Add your cilantro (I was going to originally use parsley which would have been the more "obvious" choice, but I only had cilantro and it was marvelous), salt and pepper. Toss back and forth. The shrimp cook rather quickly.


Serve on a layer of rice or as in my case fettucini. Accompany with a salad.

11 comments:

  1. Woooffff!!! Delish!!! And I know that you are on a diet, but when you feel like being really sinful, do a variation of this recipe by substituting the sauteing olive oil for rendered bacon fat (don't panic, you only use about 2 tablespoonfuls of it!). What you do is cut about 6-8 ounces of bacon (I like mine thick-cut, with as little fat as bacon will allow in the package) and slice it to produce about 1 inch slices. Fry it to render most of the fat (until it' s a beautiful dark pink and firm, but not burned or too crisp). Remove or discard all but 2 tablespoonfuls of the bacon fat (bacon bits remaining on the frying pan), add the garlic-marinated shrimp and cook over a high flame for approximately 6-8 minutes (or about 3-4 minutes per side). Watch not to overcook the shrimp! Enjoy!

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  2. This is exactly how my mother makes them :) except more garlic, and we use sweet smoked spanish Paprika from "La Vera" A squeeze of lemon or lime juice over this is heavenly. I don't see anything "not diet" friendly about the shrimp.

    If you had a good portion of shrimp with a little bit of rice or pasta (just 1 cup serving) and tons of salad maybe a fruit for dessert you'd be really full and it's healthy.

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  3. This sounds like such a good quick and simple dish! My family will love it. I like the idea of the smoked paprika, and some lime....yum! You all have such good ideas!

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  4. I love shrimp. I prefer seafood over meat any time.

    Pedro I know what you mean about the bacon, but I can't be that sinful!!! Ha Ha!

    Nathan, I have no idea what kind of paprika I'm using (my bad) I buy it in little pouches and then transfer it to my spice holder. I guess I should wear my reading glasses at the grocery store!

    Lyndsey, my husband won't eat shrimp. I had to make him a pork chop. He's so spoiled!

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  5. Yvonne, Nathan is right: if you can find it and afford it, find some Pimentón (paprika) de La Vera. It's the absolute best! You can get it dulce (sweet, non-spicy, non-smoked; milder flavor than the smoked version) or ahumado (smoked). If you cannot get it locally, google it on the internet and have it sent to you. It's worth every penny and effort. Hugs

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  6. I.M.

    If you have a Costco where you live they carry "Sweet Smoked Spanish Paprika" from McCormick it taste like the real thing taste the same as "La Chinata" brand. I've been lucky in recent years and have friends from Spain send me 1/2 kilo bags of it. It's the condiment that makes spanish chorizo so special :)

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  7. Me encantan los camarones! Que rica ensalada con aguacate.

    This looks like a well balanced diet: Good luck on it and congrats on the weight loss. Hubby and I started a 'liquid diet' it's gruesome..8 more days..

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  8. Pedro, Nathan, we have a world market here that carries many foods and spices. I'll check it out and let know know what I find.

    Elisa, welcome. I've never done a liquid diet, I'm sure I would pass out from hunger. Good luck.

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  9. Ivone,
    I was checking for Enchilado de Camarones cubano and came accross your Camarones al Ajillo, I notice the different comments and where Pedro mencioned the Pimenton de la Vera you may find it online at LaTienda.com I ordered from there (it last for ever) and when is on sale you get pretty good deals,there you find delicious products from Spain, my family loves all their chorizos and spanish style hams. Last week I used your Tamal en Cazuela as my basic recipe (make it with bite size pork chunks that i seasoned as what i remember my mom did) and it turned out DELICIOUS!! I will keep coming back to your site for ideas and follow your great recipes (I never cook, I'm a "DISASTER" in the kitchen and always burn or over cook everything)sometimes i get a craving for some of the great dishes my grandma & mom used to make and I never learned how to make... Thanks for your great blog... I'll be back!
    Inculta cocinera cubana in TX.

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  10. Inculta Cocinera, thanks for stopping by. I'm sorry I'm getting back to you almost 3 months after you posted your comment. I have been told about Pimenton de la Vera by many readers. I will check out latienda.com. Thanks for the tip.

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