Easy Spanish garlic shrimp is classic tapa dish that can be on your table in minutes. Serve it for an appetizer or a main dish, just be sure to have lots of crusty bread on hand for dipping!
When I host a dinner party, one of my favorite menus to serve is a Spanish-style tapas menu. Many tapas dishes are great for sharing, simple to prepare, and full of flavor. Spanish garlic shrimp is the perfect example of this. It can literally be on your table in minutes and couldn’t be tastier.
When you have a simple dish with few ingredients, it’s important to choose high quality ingredients and treat them respectfully in the cooking process. Shrimp especially can easily be overcooked and become rubbery if cooked for too long.
So how do we avoid overcooked shrimp?
Tossing the uncooked shrimp with a mixture of salt and sugar before cooking and letting it stand yields sweet, plump, and juicy shrimp. Not only does it impart flavor, but salting the shrimp before cooking (and you don’t need a ton) improves the texture and chew of the shrimp.
A great way to amp up the flavor of this dish is to add the smoked paprika at the same time as the salt and sugar. This allows the shrimp not only to be coated with the seasoning, but that smoky flavor will permeate the shrimp.
A good quality sherry (I like Fino or Manzanilla) makes this dish. Sherry is a fortified wine that will keep longer than your average wine after it’s opened, won’t break the bank, and adds a robust flavor to the sauce, making it extra delicious for dipping.
And don’t skimp on the garlic in this dish! It is called “garlic shrimp” after all. Instead of mincing the garlic, I slice it very thin so it cooks super quickly (just until fragrant) before adding the brined shrimp. The thinly sliced garlic “melts” into the butter/olive oil and takes this sauce from good to great.
Let’s make Spanish Garlic Shrimp
- Gather ingredients for Spanish Garlic Shrimp.
- Toss the shrimp with the salt, sugar, and smoked paprika and let stand at room temperature for at least 10 mins.
- Saute sliced garlic in butter and olive oil.
- Add the shrimp to the pan and saute until pink.
- Add the sherry and cook until the shrimp is cooked through.
- Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of minced parsley.
Tips for success
- This dish cooks very quickly, so have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you begin cooking.
- Tossing the shrimp with the salt, sugar, and smoked paprika and letting it stand yields tender, evenly seasoned shrimp.
- Use a dry sherry for optimal flavor (not a cream or “cooking” sherry).
- A cast iron pan is an ideal cooking vessel for this dish as it can withstand high temperatures and transfers the heat well.
- Be careful not to overcook the shrimp! Sauté the shrimp with the garlic just until pink, but not fully cooked. It will finish cooking when you add the sherry.
- Serve it in pan with lots of crusty bread for dipping!
More Tasty Shrimp Dishes!
- Italian Style Shrimp and Grits
- Easy Shrimp Scampi
- Shrimp and Sausage Skewers
- Margarita Grilled Shrimp
New to cast iron? Here’s everything you need to know about cooking in cast iron pans!
Easy Spanish garlic shrimp is classic tapa dish that can be on your table in minutes. Serve it for an appetizer or a main dish, just be sure to have lots of crusty bread on hand for dipping!
- 2 lbs uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- squeeze of lemon
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
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Toss the shrimp with the salt, sugar, and smoked paprika. Let stand at room temperature for 10 mins.
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Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over med/high heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about two minutes. Add the shrimp and saute until just pink, but not fully cooked.
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Add the sherry and cook until the shrimp is fully cooked through, about 2 more minutes.
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Squeeze in the lemon juice and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with bread for dipping if desired.
- This dish cooks very quickly, so have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you begin cooking.
- Tossing the shrimp with the salt, sugar, and smoked paprika and letting it stand yields tender, evenly seasoned shrimp.
- Use a dry sherry for optimal flavor (not a cream or "cooking" sherry).
- A cast iron pan is an ideal cooking vessel for this dish as it can withstand high temperatures and transfers the heat well.
- Be careful not to overcook the shrimp! Sauté the shrimp with the garlic just until pink, but not fully cooked. It will finish cooking when you add the sherry.
- Serve it in pan with lots of crusty bread for dipping!
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