Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish shrimp with garlic)

Complexity. Depth. Perfection. And certainly, unquestionably, with no possibility for ever changing, the best shrimp recipe I have ever made, or will ever make. Thank you, Kenji Lopez, for bringing joy to my shrimp experience tonight.

Gambas al ajillo is a staple Spanish tapa that simply means "shrimp with garlic". But this dish is so much more than that - it somehow extracts all of the flavor in every ounce of the shrimp and garlic, done so exquisitely that you wonder how you have ever eaten either of these things alone before.

I have wanted to make this dish for years, and almost did so with my brother last month. Fortunately, my new favorite recipe site, Serious Eats, brought us their version of this dish, which casts aside paprika often used to redden the oil in favor of making a garlic and shrimp shell infused oil and then quickly sauteing in that. The magic of the dish comes in the form of brilliant usage of the "three flavors of garlic" - a mellow, astringent, and savory mix created only by the careful application of heat to the garlic in three different cuts. I have never served a dish with garlic treated any more than a single way, but now I've tried it three ways, I instantly understand why this is a brilliant idea.

Gambas Al Ajillo (Shrimp and Garlic)
By Kenji Lopez-Alt, SeriousEats.com

• 12 cloves garlic
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, shells reserved
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch red pepper flakes, or a 1-inch piece dried guajillo chili
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Finely mince 4 garlic cloves and place in large bowl. Smash 4 cloves under the flat side of a knife and place in a large skillet. Thinly slice remaining four garlic cloves and set aside. All will become clear in a moment.

Add shrimp to bowl with minced garlic. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and baking soda. Toss to combine thoroughly and set aside at room temperature.

Add shrimp shells to skillet with smashed garlic and add remaining olive oil and pepper flakes. Set over medium-low to low heat and cook, stirring and tossing occasionally, until shells are deep ruby red, garlic is pale golden brown, and oil is intensely aromatic, about 10 minutes. Oil should be gently bubbling the whole time. The smashed garlic is coarsely chopped enough to hold up to the heat without burning, and the cooking time is long enough to extract all of the flavor from this larger chop. When ready, strain through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl, tossing and pressing the shrimp shells to extract as much oil as possible. Discard shells and garlic.

Return flavored oil to skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sliced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until pale golden brown, about 1 minute. Now, the thinner cut will infuse more pungent flavor into the oil, but also present a slightly higher risk of burning. Only a minute before moving on. Add the shrimp and cook, tossing and stirring constantly until shrimp are barely cooked through, about 2 minutes. The finely minced garlic adds a serious tangy punch, with all of the phytochemicals really putting in overtime given how many cell walls have been broken down through the mince. Add sherry vinegar and parsley and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt. Serve immediately.