This one is for the person who once told me that, "if garlic extends your life, you're going to live forever!" Ha…….
It seems that it's very American to love big things, but sometimes that's just doesn't work right, like the guy who walks up to the raw bar and tells the oyster dude, "gimme your biggest oysters", which we've actually seen. Ranks up there with ""Marie, now just stay calm. Stay calm. Don't look down, don't look down! Look up! Just keep your eyes up and keep them that way, o.k.! Waiter there are snails on her plate. Now get them out of here before she sees them! Look away, just look away, keep your eyes that way! You would think that in a fancy restaurant at these prices you could keep the snails off the food! There are so many snails there you can't even see the food! Now take those away and bring us those melted cheese sandwich appetizers you talked me out of!"
"Can you believe this? First, they didn't have the bamboo umbrellas for the wine, and now snails on the food!"
Anyway, I saw some pretty good looking 41/50 shrimp, pre-frozen of course…what did you expect for $5.99 a pound. But quickly decided to try and make some Spanish inspired garlic shrimp….which came out pretty good. I deveined, but left the shell on, whew, that was something I won't do all the time…… Anyway, the small shrimp cooked to a wonderful opaque in about 3-4 minutes. For even a bit more, I marinated the shrimp in garlic, pepper, oregano, red onion, and olive oil to bring it to room temp for about 20 minutes. Remember to have your shrimp bone dry before marinating. Nice meal….or snack with some bread. Cut the amount of garlic in half if you like….This dish is NSFW…..DON'T take the leftovers to work, unless you're a vampire slayer. You don't want the pan raging hot on this one, the shrimp will end up being tough and overcooked, the olive oil bitter, and the wine flavor raw. Not much else…..just another easy recipe. Have fun!
Gambas Al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp):
3/4 lb 41/50 shrimp deveined with the shell on
Marinade:
1 bulb of garlic minced
1/2 medium red onion minced
1/2 tsp dry oregano crushed
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
dash of crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup crisp white wine
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
sea salt to taste
– Marinate shrimp for about 20-30 minutes
– Place a saute pan over high heat and add 1/4 cup olive oil and crushed red pepper 
– When red pepper starts to sizzle add shrimp mixing well
– As shrimp starts to turn color add paprika and white wine and let foam away
– Add lemon juice and salt to taste before removing from heat
I also let the dish cool just a tad before serving….it seems to help the flavors fuse together a bit more. Of course, it could just be my imagination….or all that garlic at work!