Gambas à la plancha 'al ajillo' – garlic, olive oil & parsley

Name: Gambas à la plancha 'al ajillo' – garlic, olive oil & parsley
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 16 large gambas (peeled, tail on); 6 garlic cloves, sliced; 120 ml olive oil; 1 dried mild chilli (optional); 2 tbsp chopped parsley; 2 tbsp sherry (fino); 1 squeeze of lemon juice; coarse salt

Garlic, good olive oil, a few gambas — the Iberian classic needs no more. On the hot plate or in the cazuela the prawns sizzle in golden oil, finished with a splash of sherry and lemon. Simple and instantly seductive.

Fish & Seafood Category

15 MIN Prep time

10 MIN Cook time

4 people Servings

Gambas à la plancha 'al ajillo' – garlic, olive oil & parsley

Preparation

Garlic oil

Heat the olive oil in a cazuela or pan and let the garlic (and chilli) turn golden over medium heat for 1–2 minutes — not brown.

Gambas

Add the gambas and cook for 2–3 minutes until pink and glossy. Deglaze with sherry, add lemon and parsley, season with salt.

Serving

Serve at once, piping hot, with good bread for dipping.

Why this wine?

With Prélude:

The Prélude is the summer companion: its structured rosé with saline minerality takes up the garlic and oil and stays refreshing.

With Caprice:

A special coincidence: the Caprice is Alvarinho — the very grape classically served with gambas in Iberia. Its flinty, saline core fits as a matter of course.