Al ajillo is one of the traditional small plate dishes of southern Spain called "tapas". It is made by stewing ingredients with olive oil and garlic. Strictly speaking, Al ajillo is just means "small garlic" or "chopped garlic" in Spanish.
The standard dish of al Ajillo is to use shrimp, but other kinds of seafood such as oysters, white fish, vegetables, such as potatoes, grape tomatoes and broccoli and even cheese are also recommended.
That said, there are no set rules for the ingredients, so you can make your own Al ajillo using whatever food you like or what you have in your fridge.
The olive oil is infused with the flavor of the garlic and other ingredients, and it's Spanish style to dip baguettes and churros into it. And of course, it's nice to enjoy it with wine.
There are several types of olive oil that are indispensable when making Al ajillo, such as extra virgin olive oil and pure olive oil. For heating, use pure olive oil that does not have a grassy smell, and use extra virgin olive oil with a rich aroma as a finishing touch.
Al ajillo is a dish with a simple cooking process, where the ingredients are simply simmered in olive oil, so the umami of the ingredients themselves is the key to its deliciousness. It's necessary to prepare in a way that the umami is not lost as much as possible and any miscellaneous taste is eliminated.
I usually make a pasta dish with the leftover oil. That infusion of great umami flavor is wonderful in another dish!
Ingredients
1 1/2 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups olive oil
6 clove garlics, chopped
4 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 lemon
A pinch of salt
Parsley, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Season the shrimp with salt and pepper.
Pour the oil into a large pan and add the garlic, then heat the pan over medium heat.
Slowly heat the oil to infuse the garlic into the oil (don't burn the garlic), about 3 minutes. Stir in the anchovies and red pepper and cook for a half-minute more.
Once the oil is infused with the garlic flagrance, add the shrimp and cook until it turns pink on both sides, about 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and cook until softened. Then, remove from the heat.
Squeeze lemon over the dish, and sprinkle with salt and parsley.
Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
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