MY FAVORITE TAPA? SIZZLING SHRIMP WITH GARLIC

 

A classic tapa: Gambas al ajillo--shrimp and garlic sizzled in olive oil.

I wrote a whole book about Spanish tapas, choosing recipes for the most loved dishes from around the country. Of them, I think my favorite is gambas al ajillo, shrimp sizzled in olive oil with lots of chopped garlic. In tapa bars it is usually served in small cazuelitas, eight to twelve small shrimp in bubbling olive oil with slivers of garlic. Bread is the classic accompaniment. 

But, sizzle the shrimp in a skillet and serve with rice or pasta and the shrimp become more than a tapa, a fine main dish for family or guests. 

Two important points: one, the shrimp should be completely peeled, including the tail, and two, extra virgin olive oil is essential. Butter is not a substitute! Variations, however, are acceptable: in this version, I added spinach greens.

REINVENTING A CLASSIC TAPA

January 26, 2019

From the tascas of Madrid to the tapa bars of Málaga, gambas al ajillo—sizzling, garlicky shrimp—is a favorite tapa (known as gambas al pil pil in Málaga). That’s because it’s a real sensory experience: first you catch a tantalizing whiff of garlic. As the lid is lifted from the little clay dish, the oil spits and splutters. Small pink shrimp, golden slices of garlic and red flecks of chile dance in the oil. Dip chunks of bread into the sizzling juices and fork up the tender shrimp. Wow.

Because it’s a classic, I included Sizzling Garlic Shrimp on the tapas menu for a cooking class I had last week in my kitchen. But, after the meatballs and tortilla, boquerones and orange salad, plus a lot of chatter, we never got to the shrimp. So, the following day, I cooked the shrimp that I had prepped for the class for myself. But I pretty much reinvented the classic.

A few changes on classic gambas al ajillo (sizzling shrimp)--pieces of chorizo and a slosh of fino Sherry go into the bubbling oil.

I had already begun the variations on the traditional recipe. For convenience, I bought frozen langostinos*—jumbo shrimp—instead of fresh gambas—small to medium shrimp that are usually used for this dish. And, now that I have an induction cooktop, I can no longer use the little earthenware cazuelitas. So I cooked all of the shrimp in a deep skillet, instead of in individual servings.

Some leftover soft chorizo and an open bottle of fino manzanilla (Sherry from Sanlucar de la Barrameda) inspired more changes.  And, because I think green leafy vegetables improve just about anything, I added a handful of chopped spinach.

First I served the shrimp, sort of like the original tapa, with chunks of bread to sop up the savory juices. For another meal, I served the shrimp, chorizo and spinach with all their spicy juices over cooked rice. 

Jumbo shrimp in olive oil with chorizo and bits of hot chile.

You'll need chunks of bread to soak up the savory juices.

A tapa becomes a meal--the sautéed shrimp with garlic and chorizo plus spinach, served over rice. Fino (dry) manzanilla or Sherry is the perfect wine pairing for the shrimp.

Sizzling Garlic Shrimp with Sausage and Spinach
Gambas al Ajillo con Chorizo y Espinacas

As a tapa, I had portioned four jumbo shrimp per person. So I had 20 peeled shrimp weighing 13 ounces. That made three good-sized servings (main dish with rice) or four smaller servings as a starter. Incidentally, the shrimp for this dish are peeled--including the tails. I used soft cooking chorizo** but sliced, hard-cured chorizo could be used too. And, I bet leafy chard or kale would be as good as spinach in this dish.

½ cup olive oil
4-6 cloves garlic, sliced crosswise
4 slices dried chile or red pepper flakes
2 ounces chorizo sausage, chopped
20 peeled jumbo shrimp (about 14 ounces)
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
¼ cup fino (dry) Sherry
Salt
Chopped parsley
Cooked rice as an accompaniment (optional)

Shrimp sauté in minutes.

Heat the oil on medium-high in a deep frying pan. Add the garlic, chile and chorizo. When the garlic begins to turn pale gold (1-2 minutes), add the shrimp and spinach. Sauté, turning the shrimp, until it turns pink, 2-3 minutes. Add the Sherry and cook until the alcohol is cooked off, 2 minutes. Season with salt.

Serve the shrimp immediately, spooned over hot rice, if desired. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Links to more recipes for shrimp "al ajillo," with a "little" garlic:

Sizzling Shrimp (classic al ajillo).

Pasta with Sizzling Garlic Shrimp

2008 (out of print)

Everything you wanted to know about tapas in Spain:

The Tapas Way of Life

Tapas in Sevilla 

Tapas for a Holiday Party 

Tapa-Hopping Round Town

Tapa Hopping Round Town-2

Tapas in Madrid

Tapas in a Time of Lockdown

Seafood Tapas

 

FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS 

The Culinary Legacy of Spain

FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS, The Culinary Legacy of Spain. Here's a fresh angle on the traditional cooking of Spain, with 120 recipes that trace their roots to Moorish Spain. See below for where to order. 

This cookbook explores the fascinating story of the deep and lasting influences that Islamic culture has left on modern Spanish cooking. 

Author and Spanish cooking expert Janet Mendel tells the story of the Moorish influence on Spanish cooking through 120 recipes and photographs for modern-day dishes, from salads and vegetables to fish, poultry and meat to sweets and pastries, that trace their heritage to foods served in medieval times. Dishes from this era include exotic spices such as saffron, the use of fruits and almonds with savory dishes, and honeyed sweets and pastries. The flavors of al-Andalus live on in modern Spanish cooking and are what makes Spain’s cuisine distinctive from the rest of Europe. (Hippocrene Books)    

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WHEN THE NEIGHBORS COME FOR DRINKS

 

Salt cod fritters, a dipping sauce and a few other tidbits to serve with drinks.

I invited my new neighbors down for drinks this evening and then thought, “so what am I going to serve them?” 

Desalted cod scraps.

I had part of a package of bacalao (salt cod) that I had used for another recipe (see the orange-olive-cod salad here). These migas, or scraps, needed only two to three hours of soaking to desalt them (rather than the 36 to 48 hours needed for a thick piece of salt cod). Just right for making buñuelos de bacalao, cod fritters.

The fritters make good finger food, speared on picks and served with a spicy tomato dipping sauce. They go particularly well with white wine, fino Sherry or beer, but, hey, if guests want red wine or gin-tonic, that’s fine too. 

I gave my mini-processor a good workout, using it to flake the cod, chop ham, mince onions and parsley for the fritter batter and to blitz the tomatoes for the dipping sauce. 

Buñuelos are best, hot or room temperature, within an hour of frying them.

Dipping sauce is optional. The fritters are also good with alioli, garlic mayonnaise.

Fritters are crisp on the outside, spongy inside.

Salt Cod Fritters

Buñuelos de Bacalao

If starting with dry salt cod, cut it into small pieces and soak in several changes of water to rehydrate and remove salt.

Be careful about adding salt to the batter, as both cod and ham are salty. Best to taste the batter or fry up a sample fritter and add more salt if necessary. 

Moderate the heat so the fritters don’t brown too quickly. They need time to allow the flour to cook. 

The fritters are best within an hour of frying them. But, fried in advance, they can be successfully crisped up by submerging them briefly again in hot oil. 

Makes 1 dozen fritters.

Use food processor to chop ingredients.

3 ounces salt cod, desalted

1 ounce cooked ham

1 large egg

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Pinch of saffron threads

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped onion or scallion

¼ cup water

Olive oil for frying

Tomato dipping sauce, to serve (recipe follows)

Squeeze out excess moisture from the cod. Chop it finely with a knife or in a mini-processor. Finely chop the ham in the same manner.

Add saffron to batter.

Beat the egg in a bowl. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat in the water. The batter should be the consistency of thick pancake batter. Mix in the saffron. Add the parsley, onion, cod and ham. Stir to combine thoroughly.

Cover and refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Place oil in a heavy skillet to a depth of 1 inch and heat the oil on moderate-high heat. Test the oil by dropping a little of the batter into the oil. When the oil is ready (360ºF), the batter should begin to sizzle and rise to the surface of the oil. 

Use two teaspoons to drop balls of batter into the oil. Don’t crowd the pan. The fritters will puff up and bob to the surface as they cook. 

Moderate heat so fritters don't brown too quickly.

When golden-brown on the bottom, carefully turn the fritters and brown the reverse side. In total, the fritters need about 3 minutes. 

Remove the fritters with a skimmer or slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels. Serve them hot or room temperature accompanied by Tomato Dipping Sauce.

Spicy Tomato Dipping Sauce

Salsa de Tomate Picante

Serve spicy tomato sauce for dipping the fritters.

This sauce goes very well with fried foods.

I used the mini-processor to finely chop the onions and garlic and to chop the skinned tomatoes as well. How spicy? That’s up to you. I added 1 whole chile (I think a cayenne) and fished it out afterward. The sauce was not very spicy. Using chopped chile with seeds makes a hotter sauce. 

Chiles for picante.

1 ½ pounds plum tomatoes (8-10)

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic

¼ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon salt

1 chile pepper or to taste

1 bay leaf

Peel tomatoes easily.

Cut out the stems and cut a slash on the bottoms of the tomatoes. Place in a single layer on a plate and microwave on High for 2 minutes. Turn the tomatoes over and microwave on High 1 minute longer. The skins should begin to peel away. Let the tomatoes cool. Slip off the skins and either chop the tomatoes or blitz them in the mini-processor. Save the pulp and juice. You should have about 1 ½ cups.

Heat the oil in a heavy pot and sauté the onion and garlic on moderate heat until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin, oregano and salt. Add the chopped tomatoes. Add the chile and bay leaf.

Cook the tomatoes, partially covered to avoid splattering, on moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and jammy, 30 minutes.  Remove and discard the chile and bay leaf.

Serve the sauce room temperature or chilled. 

More buñuelos:

Puffy Cauliflower Fritters.

Fried Crullers for Day of the Dead.

Cheese Puffs.

Figgy Fritters.

Welcomd to new neighbors, Nina and Urban.

TAPAS—THEY'RE NOT LIKE THE OLD DAYS

Where are the tapas of yesteryear? The meatballs, croquettes and boquerones al natural? Even that old favorite, ensaladilla rusa? Traditional tapas, the ones I learned to love when I first came to live in Mijas pueblo, were nowhere to be found on a recent tapas excursion in the same town. 

With a friend visiting from the U.S., I made the rounds on the Ruta de la Tapa, the “tapa route,” of 11 participating bars (and a couple of ice cream shops), each offering a tapa and a glass of wine for €2.50 (about $2.95). Each bar served a fixed tapa—no choices.  

We managed to try five bars, enjoying the stroll through village streets and meeting up with others out for the occasion (Tuesdays and Thursdays through August). Of the five tapas sampled, only two somewhat resembled traditional tapas. 

Potato tortilla filled with peppers and mackerel.

Our first stop was Bóveda del Flamenco and the tapa Tortillada de Caballa. It was a not-quite-traditional potato tortilla that was split in half and filled with a mixture of sautéed red peppers and mackerel. Pretty good and the Verdejo white wine, totally quaffable. Good value for €2.50.

Pastry with shrimp.

The bar Tapintxo is a bright, modern establishment, white and glass walls hardly separating the (air-conditioned) interior from the tables outside. The tapa: Pastela de Marisco con Fideos, a brik pastry, dusted with powdered sugar, filled with shrimp and rice noodles in a slightly spicy sauce with a sprinkling of dill. Once the sugar was brushed off, it was tasty, but nothing about it was Andalusian.

Brochette chicken curry.

We doubled back to the Bar Porras, on the Plaza de la Libertad in the center of Mijas pueblo. The Porras is one of only two bars on the plaza (there once were five) that existed when I first set foot in the village (1966). It’s where I cut my teeth on tapas, at the bar and in the kitchen, collecting recipes from the women who prepared the tapas. To its credit, the bar still serves traditional dishes such as pescaito frito, a platter of fried fish. 

The tapa on the ruta: Pincho de Pollo al Curry, a brochette of chicken bites with curry sauce. The chicken was grilled to order and was delicious. But, curry sauce? The white wine was not quaffable. The waiter said, in effect, what did we expect for €2.50? (To its credit, the Bar Porras has some excellent wines, including Viña Tamisa, made in Mijas.

Mijas burro-taxis, heading home.

Wrap with chili con carne.

At Chema’s Terrace we sat at a table outdoors and watched the train of Mijas Burro-Taxis head home for the night after a day of carrying tourists around the village. The tapa here was Wrap de Chili con Carne, a flour tortilla enclosing a mixture of red kidney beans and meat, not unlike canned chili. It was nicely presented, but had absolutely no connection to anything typical of Mijas. (Tortilla wraps and chile are not Spanish.) Switching to chilled rosado (rosé) was a good move. (Footnote: this bar-restaurant is located on the entrance plaza to Mijas in an old building that once was La Malagueña, a pensión where I stayed for a couple weeks when I first arrived in Mijas in 1966.)

Lars tries chicken "Popeye."

Our tapas route finished at Bar Fiesta where the tapa presented was Cilindro de Pollo Popeye, a roll with chicken “Popeye.” Sure enough, spinach was the main ingredient!

My friend, Lars Kronmark, who is a chef-instructor at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, CA., said it was the best tapa of the evening, multi-dimensional and the most integrated. I agreed. It was based on a very traditional dish, espinacas a la catalana, spinach with raisins and pine nuts. The spinach was mounded on a base of potato puree. Hidden beneath the spinach was a chicken cutlet. The spinach was topped with crisp bacon. José Moreno, owner of Bar Fiesta, said tapas have “evolucionado,” evolved, over the years. 

I suppose that, for the Ruta de la Tapa, each bar tries to be as original as possible to distinguish it from all the others. Same old, same old, meatballs just wouldn't cut it. (Participants who get their “tapaporte” stamped by all 11 establishments can vote for their favorite tapa.) Still, I was nostalgic for the tapas of yesteryear!

Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts, Potato Puree and Pork Cutlet

Espinacas con Pasas y Piñones, Puré de Patatas y Filete de Lomo

Potato puree on the bottom, a pork cutlet topped with spinach with raisins and pine nuts.

A garnish of crisp bacon and cooked quail's eggs.

This is my adaptation of the tapa served at Bar Fiesta. I used pork loin cutlets instead of chicken. A vegetarian version could be made using quail eggs. (To hard-boil quail eggs, cover them with water, bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes. Drain the eggs and cover them in cold water.)

The classic rendition of this dish is with Málaga muscatel raisins, which need to be seeded. You can use sultanas or any seedless raisin. 

Mediterranean pine nuts.

I’ve got a handful of pine nuts gathered from the tree beside my patio. They are difficult to crack and extract. And, apparently, this year they are scarce, because the ones in the market are a different variety, imported from China. 

Local pine nuts (left) and Chinese.

Makes 4 tapa servings.

For the potatoes:

1 pound potatoes

Salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup milk

Freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon smoked pimentón (paprika)

For the pork:

Olive oil

4 thick-cut slices of bacon

4 thinly sliced cutlets of pork loin

Salt and pepper

Pinch of oregano

Few drops of Vinegar

For the spinach:

14 ounces fresh spinach, stems trimmed

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons raisins

Salt and pepper

Garnishes

Hard-cooked quail eggs

Bread sticks or crisps

Peel the potatoes, cut them in chunks and cook in salted boiling water until they are very tender. Drain, saving about ½ cup of potato water (to use in thinning the puree).

Mash the potatoes with the oil. Stir in the milk, salt to taste, pepper and pimentón. Thin the mashed potatoes with enough potato water to make a smooth puree that can be easily spread. 

Put a few drops of oil in a small skillet and fry the bacon until browned on both sides. Remove. Season the pork cutlets with salt, pepper, oregano and vinegar. Brown them in the fat remaining in the skillet. They need only 1 minute per side. Remove

Sauté pine nuts, garlic and raisins.

Wash the spinach, if necessary, and chop it. In a large pan heat the oil and add the pine nuts on medium-high heat. When they begin to brown, add the garlic and raisins. Stir until garlic begins to turn golden. Add the spinach and, if spinach is very dry, 1 or 2 tablespoons of water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring to mix in the pine nuts and garlic, until the spinach is wilted and tender. 

Potato puree, pork cutlet.

To assemble: Place a large spoonful of potato puree on each plate and spread it to make a base. Place a cooked pork cutlet on top of the potato. (If making a vegetarian plate, omit the pork and imbed a cooked and peeled quail’s egg in the center of the puree.) Mound the spinach on top of the pork and potatoes. Garnish the plate with halved quails’ eggs and bread sticks.

More about tapas:

Tapa-Hopping Round Town  (The Ruta de la Tapa 11 years ago!)

The Tapas Way of Life.

Sevilla Tapas--The Immersion Course

How to Plan a Holiday Party--With Tapas

Gran ambiente con la Ruta de la Tapa

More about Mijas: Mijas sea and mountain, unique destination

OUT OF THE FRYING PAN--

In my book, TAPAS—A BITE OF SPAIN (Santana Books, 2008), I have a whole chapter devoted to fritos, tapas from the frying pan. I've very nearly worked my way through the 24 recipes for fried foods in this blog—with three just in the past few weeks.

Fried foods are the irresistible stars of many tapa bars. They appeal to all the senses, go with every drink. Genuine crowd pleasers, fried foods are worth adding to your tapas repertory. So, here’s one more before I turn my attention to gazpacho and salads.

These are rolls of thinly sliced eggplant wrapped around jumbo shrimp. Fasten the rolls with toothpicks, dip them in egg and breadcrumbs and pan fry them until golden. Crisp on the outside, the eggplant makes a creamy layer encasing the shrimp. These savory tidbits are good with a sauce such as piquillo pepper sauce or garlic mayonnaise with saffron. Serve them as finger foods at a drinks party or as a starter.

Crispy rolls of eggplant wrapped around jumbo .shrimp, with piquillo pepper sauce for dipping.

Serve the rolls as finger food or, plated, as a starter.

In the pink--bubbly vino rosado, either cava or vino de aguja, is perfect with summer tapas.

Rollitos de Berenjena y Langostinos
Eggplant and Shrimp Rollups

Salting and draining the eggplant slices softens them so it's easy to roll them around the shrimp.

Don't let the oil get too hot when frying the rolls. You want to let the shrimp and eggplant cook through in the time it takes to brown the outside of the rolls.

Makes 12 tapas or 4 starters.

1 large eggplant, about 16 ounces
Salt
12 jumbo shrimp, peeled
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
1 cup fine, dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of oregano
Olive oil for frying
Dipping sauce, to serve (optional)

Place shrimp on eggplant slice and roll it up.

Cut off and discard the eggplant stem. Slice the eggplant lengthwise very thinly (1/8 inch), discarding 2 outer slices with skin. You should have 12 slices. Place the slices in a colander and sprinkle liberally with salt. Allow to stand for 45 minutes.

Pat the eggplant dry with paper towels. Place a shrimp across the wide end of a slice and roll up the eggplant around the prawn. Fasten the roll with a toothpick.

Rolls fastened with picks are ready to be breaded and fried.

Ready for frying in hot olive oil.

Fry the rolls slowly so the shrimp cook in the time it takes for the exterior to brown.

When all the slices are rolled, dip them, one by one, into beaten egg, then roll them in bread crumbs combined with salt and oregano. Place on a tray in a single layer. (The rolls can be prepared up to 4 hours in advance and kept, refrigerated.)

Add oil to a frying pan to a depth of at least ¼ inch. Heat the oil on medium heat until it is shimmering, but not smoking. Fry the rolls, a few at a time, until they are browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes total. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.

Salsa de Pimientos Piquillos
Piquillo Red Pepper Sauce

Piquillo pepper sauce goes with fried and grilled foods.

This is a sensational dipping sauce or a dressing for vegetables or prawns. And it’s ever so simple. The flavor comes from those special peppers, tiny red piquillos from Navarra, that are sweet and piquant at the same time. They are roasted, peeled and packed in tins. All you have to do is open the tin or jar, put the piquillos in a blender with some olive oil. How hard is that? You can add a pinch of thyme or cumin or chopped chile, if you like it “hot. If you want a warm sauce to serve with hot foods, just heat the sauce gently in a small saucepan.

1 can piquillo peppers, drained (about 10 peppers)
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt

Combine the peppers, garlic, oil, vinegar and salt in a blender or food processor. Blend to make a smooth purée. Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered, up to one week.

To order TAPAS--A BITE OF SPAIN from Amazon España.

More recipes for fried tapas:
Mushroom, Cheese, Ham Croquettes.
Cheese Puffs (Buñuelos).
Marinated Fried Fish (Adobo).
Málaga Mixed Fish Fry.
Batter-Fried Shrimp (en Gabardinas).
Spinach Fritters.
Cod Fritters with Molasses.
Crispy Fried Chicken Wings.
Flouncy Fried Pork Rolls (Flamenquines).
Fried Ham and Cheese Sandwiches (Emparedados)
Fried Potatoes with Spicy Sauce (Bravas).
"Land Fish" (Fried Eggplant, Asparagus, Beans)
Stuffed and Fried Chard Stems.