Gambas al Ajillo — Spanish Garlic Shrimp over GF Pasta

Name: Gambas al Ajillo — Spanish Garlic Shrimp over GF Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 1.5 lb large shrimp, 16-20 count, peeled and deveined; 8 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced; ⅓ cup good olive oil; 1 tsp smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera if available); 2 dried árbol chilis, crumbled (or ½ tsp chili flakes); ¼ cup dry sherry (Fino or Manzanilla) or dry white wine; — salt; 12 oz gluten-free pasta — Banza chickpea or Jovial brown rice (see note); 1 cup reserved pasta water; large handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped; — lemon wedges for serving

Large shrimp cooked in olive oil with thin-sliced garlic, smoked paprika, and árbol chili. Tossed with GF pasta and emulsified with pasta water into a light sauce. Five core ingredients — restraint is the technique.

SpanishServes 430mentree

Servings4

Ingredients

Shrimp

1.5 lb large shrimp, 16-20 count, peeled and deveined

8 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced

⅓ cup good olive oil

1 tsp smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera if available)

2 dried árbol chilis, crumbled (or ½ tsp chili flakes)

¼ cup dry sherry (Fino or Manzanilla) or dry white wine

— salt

Pasta

12 oz gluten-free pasta — Banza chickpea or Jovial brown rice (see note)

1 cup reserved pasta water

Finish

large handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

— lemon wedges for serving

Method

1 — Cook Pasta

1
Cook pasta in well-salted water until just al dente. Reserve 1 full cup of pasta water before draining. Set pasta aside.
2
Heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-low. Add sliced garlic and crumbled chilis. Cook slowly 3-4 minutes, stirring, until garlic is golden at the edges but not brown. This is the flavor base of the dish — watch it carefully, garlic burns fast and becomes bitter.

2 — Build the Garlic Oil

1
Increase heat to medium-high. Add smoked paprika, stir 30 seconds until fragrant.
2
Add shrimp in a single layer. Season with salt. Cook 90 seconds per side — just until pink and barely opaque. Add sherry, let it sizzle and reduce 30 seconds.

3 — Cook Shrimp

1
Add drained pasta to the pan. Add 0.5 cup pasta water. Toss vigorously over medium heat 1-2 minutes until oil and water emulsify into a light coating sauce. Add more pasta water tablespoon by tablespoon if it looks dry or clumpy.
2
Off heat, add parsley. Taste and adjust salt. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

4 — Emulsify & Finish

Nutritionper serving · 1/4 of recipe with Banza pasta

520kcal

45gProtein

48gCarbs

16gFat

2gSat Fat

580mgSodium

Nutrition estimate based on USDA FoodData Central data for large shrimp (cooked) and Banza chickpea pasta label data (13g protein per 2oz dry serving). Banza adds approximately 14g protein per serving over conventional pasta, which is why it's specifically recommended here — the total 45g protein per serving is partly dependent on it. With Jovial brown rice pasta, protein drops to approximately 36g and carbs remain similar. Fat is entirely from olive oil — ⅓ cup divided across 4 servings is approximately 20g oil per serving, of which most remains in the pan rather than coating the pasta; actual consumed fat is estimated at 16g. Saturated fat is negligible — olive oil is predominantly monounsaturated.