Tired of bland garlic shrimp that lack that seafood flavor? Nothing is more disappointing than those typical ones that sometimes end up rubbery or overcooked. Here are some amazing tricks that will revolutionize this classic recipe, a must-have in the top 5 tapas. You’ll prepare garlic shrimp with an incredible texture and a powerful, spectacular seafood flavor. This sauce is so good you’ll want to eat it by the spoonful.
I know that garlic shrimp is a tapa that is prepared in hundreds of thousands of kitchens every day. It seems simple, but the truth is that there are many ways to mess it up. I have discovered two amazing secrets that will change your garlic shrimp forever. Believe me when I say that once you try this version, you won’t want to make them any other way. The key is in the small details that make a huge difference between mediocre garlic shrimp and ones that you’ll truly enjoy.
Garlic shrimp
Very easy 10 minutes 10 minutes 4
- 1 pound of shrimp, king prawns, or prawns
- 1 head of garlic
- 4 cayenne peppers
- Salt from Añana
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese spice blend)
- Sodium bicarbonate
We start by preparing these delicious garlic shrimp, getting all the ingredients ready so that the recipe goes smoothly and everything flows. Crush 9 or 10 garlic cloves, peel them, and slice 5 of them into thin slices. Set the rest aside for our secret weapon. In this recipe, as in so many others, the key is the raw ingredients. You can use white shrimp, prawns, or king prawns, depending on your budget, but make sure you use high-quality seafood.
I’m going to use king prawns instead of shrimp because that’s what I have on hand right now, plus I love their flavor and they’re bigger. As you know, in Bilbao, we like everything big; we don’t mess around. You need to peel a kilo of king prawns, which is enough for four people. Arm yourself with patience and peel all the prawns one by one. Prepare a bowl to collect the peeled prawn tails and a plate to store the prawn heads and shells.
Here’s one of the keys to making garlic prawns with a really powerful seafood flavor. I’ve seen lots of recipes that peel the prawns, heat oil with sliced garlic, add a little paprika, and then throw in the prawns. That’s an epic mistake, a huge sacrilege. You can’t waste all the flavor that’s in the coral in their heads. The golden rule: don’t throw away the heads. Those heads contain the soul, the coral, the taste of the sea. If you throw them away, you’ll be committing a gastronomic crime, and Vecna will come after you tonight to rip your soul out without mercy.
We finish peeling all the prawns and perform a little surgery. We remove the prawn’s intestine, that nasty little black thread inside, which has a gritty texture and bitter taste. We want a clean experience, not to chew on dirt. We’re going to enhance the flavor of the prawns with a marinade. The first ingredient in the marinade is a pinch of Añana salt. The best salt in the world.
And here’s an amazing trick you have to try. In addition to salt, we’re going to marinate the prawns with half a teaspoon of baking soda. Baking soda? Yes, you heard right. It’s not for acidity, it’s for texture: it changes the pH of the prawn and makes it smooth and crispy. That juicy bite you get from prawns in good Asian restaurants comes from baking soda. Let them rest for a few minutes while we work our magic with the oil. Trust me, the texture goes from “chewy” to “spectacular.”
Now we set the stage where everything will happen. Pour about 130 milliliters of extra virgin olive oil into a pan over medium heat; don’t skimp, because this oil will be the base of the sauce that you’ll want to drink by the spoonful. Next, add 4 cayenne peppers for that spicy and lively touch that I like so much, along with four whole garlic cloves. These two ingredients will perfume the oil, giving it a wildly rich flavor, and this will be the first layer of flavor in our sauce.
When the oil is hot and the cayenne peppers and garlic begin to dance, add the shrimp heads and shells! We are going to confit the heads over medium heat for a few minutes so that the oil is infused with their wonderful essence. Stir the heads and garlic so that everything blends together and releases its flavor into the oil. The flavor of the sauce makes all the difference. It’s nothing like those sad recipes that use oil with paprika that has no seafood flavor. Right now, the kitchen smells delicious, so pour yourself a glass of wine while you listen to that delicious sizzling sound coming from the pan. After all, cooking is meant to be enjoyed.
With the help of my “Matxakeitor,” crushing the heads releases all the essence. We are infusing the oil, turning it into an instant bisque. Use the “Matxakeitor” thoroughly so that they release all their flavor and aroma. This is a damn imperial nectar. Look at that color… it has gone from golden green to an almost radioactive orange. The bottom of the pan is pure concentrated seafood flavor. That’s the key to the recipe: garlic shrimp without a strong seafood sauce is worthless. Brown well, let the oil cool down, and strain.
Pass the prawn shells through a strainer and wait until all the oil has filtered into the pan. Use a kitchen utensil to crush the prawn heads and shells against the strainer, to get every last drop of this nectar of the gods. The result is an aromatic oil with an incredibly powerful seafood flavor.
Now it’s time for the final dance. Heat the “prawn coral oil” and add the sliced garlic. As the oil already tastes of garlic and prawns, there’s no need to fry the garlic, just let it dance a little.
Add the shrimp tails. Thanks to the baking soda, you’ll see that they react wonderfully to the heat. Cook over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. That magical sauce will bring out their flavor to the max. Don’t overcook them; there’s no need to kill them twice. As soon as they change color and curl up slightly, they’re ready. We want juiciness and tenderness, not shoe soles. Turn off the heat and remove from the heat source so they don’t overcook. The sauce is almost a pilpil; if you stir the pan a little, the sauce will emulsify with the characteristic texture of pilpil.
And finally… one last touch. Forget about the wilted parsley of the 80s. Let’s rock & roll with Shichimi Togarashi. It’s a blend of seven Japanese spices: it contains mandarin peel, sesame, pepper… It adds acidity, an elegant spiciness, and lots of umami. It enhances the seafood without overpowering it. If you don’t have any, use parsley, but you’ll be missing out on the whole party.
And there you have it: garlic shrimp with a crunchy texture and an oil that cries out for loaves of bread.
- The texture of the shrimp after marinating them in baking soda.
- Prepare a concentrated oil with the shrimp heads.
- You have good fresh seafood: shrimp, king prawns, or lobster.
- Do not let the garlic brown, as it will become bitter.
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