Garlic Shrimp / Prawns

Have to say I'd have gone with butter over olive oil in this application. More support of the shrimp flavor and just awesome with garlic too.

I dunno, Phil. Garlic Shrimp (sometimes called Sizzling Shrimp and even Sizzling Chile Shrimp) is a classic tapas, and is always made with olive oil. At least it is with any recipe I've ever seen for it.

Not that butter would hurt anything. And, of course, what we call Scampi is usually made with butter & garlic.

A lot of southern recipes for barbecued shrimp, like the shrimp from Brennans in NOLA, use tons of butter.  I think Paul Prudhomme's recipes do too, but our cookbooks are packed up.

BDL

Quote:

Originally Posted by phatch 

Have to say I'd have gone with butter over olive oil in this application. More support of the shrimp flavor and just awesome with garlic too.

I agree. Shrimp tastes better when butter is used instead of oil.

This sounds like the Gambas al Pil Pil I enjoyed when I was in Costa del Sol in the south of Spain, although dried red chilies are used in place of the green.  "Gambas" means shrimp and "Pil Pil" refers to the sauce created by the emulsification of the shrimp juices and olive oil.  It can also be made using salt cod (Bacalao al Pil Pil).

Although I love shrimp scampi and shrimp in garlic butter as much as the next guy, the olive oil is essential to the flavor of this dish and I wouldn't replace it with anything.  Enjoy the simplicity of this dish - it's wonderful!!! (especially with crusty bread on the side to soak up all the juices!) Mmmm.....

Zane, I just noticed that your recipe only contains 1 tsp of olive oil.  I just wanted to mention that in Gambas al Pil Pil the shrimp is usually swimming in oil.  It's rich, but it's fantastic. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by foodiecutie 

Zane, I just noticed that your recipe only contains 1 tsp of olive oil.  I just wanted to mention that in Gambas al Pil Pil the shrimp is usually swimming in oil.  It's rich, but it's fantastic. :)

I agree! Richer is better! :)

Butter, garlic, prawns -   a match made in heaven,   however on holiday once in Spain the flavour I shall never forget,  is  the taste  of the huge shell on prawns which were quickly and simply cooked on high heat in the olive oil of the region, it will be with me always - sheer bliss!!  

I thought it sounded like not enough oil for this amount of prawns - personally I'd go half and half, but make that 1 tsp into 1 Tbsp oil, 1 Tbsp butter

. If you can't get red chillis, how about dried chilli flakes and also some fresh green chillis, bit of a combination?

Did you serve it on some pasta?  Could also serve it on some bruschetta I guess.

It sounds yummy, i will definately try it myself !!!!!!!!!

Many thanks !!!!!!!!!

I used to cook a creamy garlic prawns which was:

Prawns tossed in garlic butter deglazed with dry white wine then add cream to it and reduce can add a Tbspn of bechamel sauce (white roux sauce) to speed up thickening not vital though. reduce without splitting sauce and serve on rice, it was always a popular entree.

Can also add extra seafood at beginning and serve it on top of a steak yummy.

I think these sort of things depend on your own taste and in some cases experiences I say mix it up you may create some disasters but you could also find some gems 

Reading your comments make me crazy as I love shrimps so much and defiantly will try your  recipe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rheadewey 

I agree. Shrimp tastes better when butter is used instead of oil.

For me, It still depends on what you'll have to put. I do have two kinds of cooking the shrimps.

1. If used in oil. I will add garlic, green chili, red onions, black pepper and oyster sauce.

2. If used in butter. I'll put garlic, black pepper and salt.

Have you tried coating it in flour and egg? It is also good!!  :)
 

   Butter?  A good fresh olive oil?

     I think both are winners!  But really moving in two different directions.  The way I envision this dish is only with shell on shrimp...shell and head on would be better   oh the goodness.

   Someone else mentioned bruschetta...yeah, serve it all right atop the toasted garlic rubbed bread.

   thanks for posting Zane!

   dan

Quote:

Originally Posted by foodiecutie 

Zane, I just noticed that your recipe only contains 1 tsp of olive oil.  I just wanted to mention that in Gambas al Pil Pil the shrimp is usually swimming in oil.  It's rich, but it's fantastic. :)

   Thanks for the link...I'll have to check it out further in my free time!

  dan

Dan, pil pil is a method of cooking, not a recipe per se. It originally was Basque, then spread throughout Spain.

Essentially you cook seafood (shrimp and salt cod are the two most commonly done this way) in a comparatively large amount of olive oil, along with garlic and hot (red) chilis. The oil is constantly swirled, and the proteins extracted from the seafood (particularly when done with the cod) combine with the oil to form the sauce that foodiecutie referred to. To be absolutely accurate it should be made in a cazuala---sort of a clay skillet that's glazed all over except the bottom. When served as a tapa, small cazualas (like 3-4 inches) are used.

Eating shell-on shrimp made this way could be really messy, IMO.

Anyway, it's not really a matter of butter vs olive oil. If you want to make this dish, then you use olive oil, it's the only way to develop the unique sauce. If you want to use butter, than it's a different dish with a totally different flavor profile.  

In Zane's case, he was following somebody else's adaptation of pil pil, and olive oil was the correct choice. There just wasn't enough of it (not his fault) to create the sizzling shrimp of Iberian fame and legend.

Why not saute the garlic, peppers, shrimp in olive oil, remove shrimp, add Vermouth, clam juice and reduce, add cold butter pats, add parsley toss with pasta and sauteed shrimp.............Chef BillyB

Why not, Billy? Sounds really good.

But, as I've said before, it would not be the dish Zane was making. Perhaps without knowning it by name, he was making a pil pil. Substituting butter for the olive oil, making other pan sauces, etc. are all great ways to cook shrimp. But then they are no longer gambas al pil pil.

Just to put in perspective what I'm trying to say: If you combined buttermilk, blue cheese, salt, and pepper and poured it over romaine, you'd have a nice salad. But it wouldn't be a Ceasar salad, would it?

Allee allee same-same.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer 

Dan, pil pil is a method of cooking, not a recipe per se. It originally was Basque, then spread throughout Spain.

 

Essentially you cook seafood (shrimp and salt cod are the two most commonly done this way) in a comparatively large amount of olive oil, along with garlic and hot (red) chilis. The oil is constantly swirled, and the proteins extracted from the seafood (particularly when done with the cod) combine with the oil to form the sauce that foodiecutie referred to. To be absolutely accurate it should be made in a cazuala---sort of a clay skillet that's glazed all over except the bottom. When served as a tapa, small cazualas (like 3-4 inches) are used.

 

Eating shell-on shrimp made this way could be really messy, IMO.

 

Anyway, it's not really a matter of butter vs olive oil. If you want to make this dish, then you use olive oil, it's the only way to develop the unique sauce. If you want to use butter, than it's a different dish with a totally different flavor profile.  

 

In Zane's case, he was following somebody else's adaptation of pil pil, and olive oil was the correct choice. There just wasn't enough of it (not his fault) to create the sizzling shrimp of Iberian fame and legend.

     Pil Pil Sounds absolutely delicious, along with your description of the cooking process.  I'll spend a little time and try this method with shrimp and cod both.  

    You say that eating shell on would be messy like this?  Yep

   thanks again,

  dan 

You say that eating shell on would be messy like this?  Yep

That was merely an observation, Dan, not a value judgement. After all, why else did God give us bibs and napkins.

 Pil Pil Sounds absolutely delicious, along with your description of the cooking process.

Credit where credit is due. Foodiecutie actually introduced it above. I just expanded on the method a bit.

BTW, once again the fingers outran the brain. The clay pot is spelled cazuela. I have them in two sizes, and will be using both, tonight, cuz we're doing a tapas thing.

Butter, bacon fat, garlic etc. Shell on shrimp. Lots of bread for dipping and tons of napkins because it is messy.

Thanks for the wonderful recipe you've shared. I wanna try that at home. My mom loves shrimp just like me so i think this is the best menu to cook this weekend. My tummy is crumbling now as I'm hearing how tasty it is. :D

Yum! Thank you for this recipe. I am going to make it this weekend! :)

The messier the better, I always say!  I am having some company over this weekend and I will try this recipe on them ;)  Thanks!

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Bringing back great food to the family table, inspired by Lisa Caponigri

If you guys want to approximate serving in cazuelas, go to the nearest garden center and get the terra cota plates used as catch basins under houseplants. Won't be quite the same, but close to it.

Wash them well and let soak in cold water. Let try. Then rub, inside and out, with good olive oil.