This Smokin' Spanish Shrimp makes for one garlicky, smokey shrimp dish. You will want lots of bread to daub up any remaining sauce!
5 ingredients and about 5 minutes and you have an amazing Spanish tapas dish! I served this as part of a Rioja winetasting and Tapas evening, along with a simple but amazing Pan con Tomate, Marinated Olives, Spanish Tortilla, Manchego Cheese and Pimentón Pork Skewers. Check out the full spread here, along with the basics of Spanish Rioja wines and everthing you need to know to host a Rioja winetasting and Tapas evening.
If you get the large shrimp peeled and deveined it only takes minutes for this dish to come together. I like the 21/25 size or 26/30. This means, for example, there will be between 21 and 25 shrimp in one pound of shrimp. Technically 26/30 is considered Extra Large and 21/25 are considered Jumbo. I wouldn't go any smaller because they are not as easy to handle. You could go up into the Extra Jumbo or Colossal but the price and the cooking time will go up! At extra jumbo, colossal and up you are also talking a knife and fork to eat. So... that is why I like the 21/25 best - price is in the middle and you can grab 'em by the tail and snack on 'em in a bite or two. You can also decide how many shrimp per person you would like to allow for. If you are serving several other tapas then 3 or 4 shrimp per person would be lots.
The smoked Spanish paprika or pimenton as it may be labelled is the signature flavour of this dish... oh.. and the garlic!! Smoked paprika is different from the sweet Hungarian paprika so make sure you are using the smoked paprika or you will end up with a totally different dish!
If you use an oven-proof skillet, such as a cast iron skillet, for this dish you can make it and serve it one dish. Doesn't get any easier than that!
Buen apetito!
Wine Pairing
A white Rioja would be ideal with this dish. A white Grenache blend from the Rhone or a lightly oaked Chardonnay would work as well. Look for a medium to full-bodied wine.
On the red spectrum you don't want anything with too much tannin so a young fruity Rioja or Tempranillo wine could work. A Merlot or red Grenache blend would be an excellent choice.
Smokin' Spanish Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb large shrimp (21/25) peeled and deveined
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Rinse shrimp.
- Add oil and garlic to your cast iron skillet and over medium heat until the garlic just starts to turn colour. Add the smoked paprika (pimenton) to the oil and stir.
- Add the shrimp to the skillet in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and transfer the pan to the oven. Cook until the shrimp is pink and opaque. This should take about 3 minutes but will depend on the size of your shrimp and how crowded they are. Check after 3 minutes and stir them up if they need more time. Be careful not to overcook or they will become tough and rubbery.
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