The Spanish tapa gambas al ajillo is a simple dish of shrimp quickly cooked in an abundant amount of olive oil with garlic and chiles. Served with crusty bread and a glass of wine, it’s a great way to start a meal. For our sous vide version, we started by boosting the flavor of our olive oil by infusing it with shrimp shells, garlic, and pepper flakes. After straining the mixture, we bagged up the oil with our shrimp. We set the water bath to 140°F/60°C—our preferred temperature for both shrimp and lobster since it keeps them both tender and moist. Finishing the dish off with a touch of sherry vinegar added brightness while chopped parsley gave it some fresh color. For this recipe, we prefer to use extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound) but jumbo (16 to 20 per pound) and large (26 to 30 per pound) will work as well. Serve with crusty bread or make it a meal over pasta. Shrimp have a tendency to float when placed in a sous vide water bath, which can lead to uneven cooking

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined, shells reserved
• Salt
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 garlic clove, sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Before You Begin

• Use weights to make sure the shrimp are fully immersed during cooking. For more about sous vide cooking, refer to our sous vide guide.

Procedure