Comments on: Gambas Al Ajillo / Shrimp with Garlic, Chilli & Paprika

By: chick

chick — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 03:18:38 +0000

try the gambas at Manila Polo Club :)

By: dhayL

dhayL — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:03:57 +0000

MM, thank you for the information, i do appreciate!!! I’ll be making grilled shrimps this weekend, and i’ll brined them first and i’ll let you know if there are any difference! Oh yeah, i’ll be making your take on corn on a cob as well! I’m so excited! It’s my daughter’s 5th bday! thanks again!

By: Vennis Jean

Vennis Jean — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 02:55:11 +0000

I made this today!!!Yipee MM…my Dad who is from surigao del sur received 3kilos of lukon(giant shrimps),3kilos large shrimps and 5kilos of big crabs from my uncles’ harvest sent via Bachelor express(the bus company that travels from tandag to davao)in a styro box..and you can imagine how happy I am to try this (and how lucky we are to get these seafood produce fresh and free!!!)…I had to run to the mall grocery to buy sweet spanish paprika though…my dad who cooks rather well said he loves it and it even won my mom’s approval…Thanx a million MM for this recipe…

By: jeff

jeff — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:05:21 +0000

can i have some and put in on top of freshly cooked spaghetti:)

By: Marketman

Marketman — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 22:35:32 +0000

dhayL, yes, shrimp will benefit from brining before a barbecue, which does sometimes tend to dry them out a bit… but brining may help to keep the meat more succulent. When you do this, leave 2 or 3 shrimp WITHOUT brining and taste the difference, if it is worth the effort to brine, you will notice the difference and will continue to do it. If there isn’t a noticeable difference, don’t bother in future. Yes, coarse sea salt or kosher salt will work for this. Just do not use iodized salt as it has a chemically flavor…

By: dhayL

dhayL — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 20:03:20 +0000

MM, would you recommend brinning the shrimps even if you’re not making this dish? If you were to grill them, do you have to brined them first, would it be more tasty? I have to try this dish next time, it’s almost the same way i make hilabos na hipon, with lots of garlic, butter and good olive oil, and i add dried parsley at the end too, but i understand that for gambas, you used med-size instead. If sea salt is not available, can i use coarse salt? thanks in advance.

By: Marketman

Marketman — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 01:40:57 +0000

Apicio, shrimp apparently comes from the Indo-European word skerbh, according to Harold McGee, which means to “turn, bend or shrink, perhaps reflecting the curled nature of these creatures,” not to mention the association with diminutive size… Yes, shrimp and prawn is used interchangeably to describe one of 300+ species of shrimp + relatives around the world… the most commonly available shellfish for human consumption, again according to McGee. Prawn first appears in literature in medieval times, and its origins are unknown. In the U.S., prawn usually refers to the bigger varieties of shrimp. My father used to have prawn farms as a hobby when I was much younger so I always associate prawns with black tiger or other humongous mommas. Personally, I always think of prawns as having a thicker shell/skin than shrimp, but that may be just like comparing the leather on my rear to the smoothness of a newly borns bum… heehee. My dad was a weekend prawn farmer so he probably lost more money than not showing off his brilliant looking prawns only to find out that as soon as a crab got into each prawn pond, he was going to lose his shirt… so what did we do? We ate a LOT of the MOST incredible crabs that had themselves feasted on young prawn fry and naive teenagers as well… The darn crabs probably ended up costing over 10x the price you could buy them at in the local markets… brenda, do both gambas and lechon kawali, you only live once and if until the age of 75, you only have 80,000 meals or so to enjoy! Patricia, the more garlic the merrier is what I say, I don’t think you can really overdo it too much…just don’t overcook the garlic…burnt garlic is the pits. zena, I tend to brine poultry (chickens, turkeys), shrimp and prawns, pork (a whole roast or loin) for the most part. Scientifically the explanation is that it somehow forces liquid back into the item being brined (counter-intuitive since the water is salty) and it does seem to work.

By: Apicio

Apicio — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 23:48:50 +0000

Probably excludes those humonstrous grandfather tiger prawns but gambas is actually prawns in Spanish. On the other hand, shrimp is also used as a deprecatory adjective for small and stunted. But I wholeheartedly agree about the medium-sized sweet fleshed shrimps that are ideal mouthfuls for picking with the fingers on the tail shell left intact (well you can use sturdy cocktail picks if you really want to be spiffy). Btw, scallops also lend themselves really well to this garlicky treatment.

Invariably started with this which they served sizzling at the Spanish Pavillion in the Times Square area before I go on to their passable paella which btw included surprise surprise chorizo slices. Started at the 1939 NY Worldâ€™s Fair and closed six or seven years ago. I knew they were on their last leg when they filled in the gratuity space for me on my final visit.

By: brenda

brenda — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 21:18:10 +0000

Definitely one of my favorites. Now, I’m having second thoughts. I’ve made up my mind for lechon kawali this Sunday and now I’m debating whether to have gambas or the former. Maybe both? Why not! Lechon kawali for lunch and gambas for pulutan with ice cold beer.

Lovely picture, MM. Great job!

By: aggy

aggy — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:43:17 +0000

yummy! i’ve made some with a sprinkling of freshly chopped cilantro…gives it a different but still great flavor