Sous Vide Spanish-Style Spicy Shrimp with Olive Oil
By America's Test KitchenPublished on March 21, 2019
Time
Sous vide: 30 minutes; active cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Sous Vide Temperature
140°F/60°C
Ingredients
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.
Instructions
- Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 140°F/60°C in 7-quart container.
- Sprinkle shrimp with ½ teaspoon salt and set aside. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add shrimp shells and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until shells turn deep orange, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is golden brown and oil is rust-colored and aromatic, 2 to 4 minutes. Strain oil through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on shrimp shells with rubber spatula to extract as much oil as possible; discard solids. Allow oil to cool for at least 5 minutes.
- Transfer shrimp and oil to 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and toss to coat. Arrange shrimp in single layer and seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath, weight bag until shrimp are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of each bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
- Transfer shrimp and oil to serving bowl. Stir in vinegar and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.
- We don't recommend making this recipe in advance.
to make ahead
Time
Sous vide: 30 minutes; active cooking time: 40 minutesYield
Serves 4 to 6Sous Vide Temperature
140°F/60°CIngredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
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.
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.
Instructions
- Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 140°F/60°C in 7-quart container.
- Sprinkle shrimp with ½ teaspoon salt and set aside. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add shrimp shells and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until shells turn deep orange, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is golden brown and oil is rust-colored and aromatic, 2 to 4 minutes. Strain oil through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on shrimp shells with rubber spatula to extract as much oil as possible; discard solids. Allow oil to cool for at least 5 minutes.
- Transfer shrimp and oil to 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and toss to coat. Arrange shrimp in single layer and seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath, weight bag until shrimp are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of each bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
- Transfer shrimp and oil to serving bowl. Stir in vinegar and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.
- We don't recommend making this recipe in advance.
to make ahead
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