Gambas ao Alhinho or Gambas à Guilho are Portuguese style shrimp, fried with plenty of olive oil and garlic. This dish can be found in restaurants and snack bars all over Lisbon and Portugal, and it’s usually eaten as a starter with some fresh bread. It’s an absolute classic that’s super simple to prepare, and it comes together in under 30 minutes. It’s been my favourite way of eating shrimp lately, I’m sure it will be yours too! Keep on reading to learn how to make Portuguese style garlic shrimp.
Gambas ao Alhinho – Portuguese Garlic Shrimp
Gambas ao Alhinho is a dish I always order whenever I visit a Portuguese restaurant. It’s perfect to share and I do love dishes with a good sauce to eat with bread and butter. From what I learned, there isn’t a single way to prepare it.
Some people prefer removing the shrimp’s head and skin completely, while others would leave the head or not peel it at all. What stays pretty much similar is the sauce. Usually, a combination of olive oil and laminated garlic, emulsified with white wine or lemon juice, topped with lots of fresh cilantro. An authentic gambas ao alhinho should have lots of sauce, and the sauce itself should be glossy and just thick enough to coat the shrimp.
Gambas ao Alhinho – The Ingredients
To make Gambas ao Alhinho you will need the following ingredients: shrimp, garlic, olive oil, red chillies, white wine, lemon juice, butter, fresh cilantro, salt, and black pepper.
I recommend using shrimp with a 20/30 calibre, that means that per a kilo of shrimp you will have 20 to 30 units of shrimp. In Portugal, I recommend buying whole frozen shrimp, and avoid using the pre-cooked you will find in most supermarkets. If you can find fresh raw shrimp that’s even better!
In such simple dishes as this one I recommend using good quality ingredients, a good white wine that you would drink, and a good extra virgin olive oil too. Before you start, make sure everything is prepped and measured so you don’t overcook your shrimp or burn the garlic.
Portuguese Garlic Shrimp Recipe
If you are using frozen shrimp, make sure to thaw it in the fridge overnight.
Start by removing the head and skin of your shrimp, remove the vein too. Pat the shrimp dry with a kitchen cloth, set aside.
Place a large skillet over medium heat, let it heat up slowly. Add in the olive oil, and half of the shrimp, fry it for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl.
Add in the remaining shrimp, fry for 2 minutes, flip it. Add in the sliced garlic, the chopped coriander stem, and the red chillies. Fry for another two minutes. Add in the first batch of fried shrimp too.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Using a wooden spoon, gently scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any caramelized bits.
Turn off the heat, add in the cold butter, mix well to form an emulsion and coat the shrimp.
Season with some salt and black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Top it with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve with some lemon wedges and sliced bread!
How to Make Portuguese Fried Garlic Shrimp
Gambas ao Alhinho – How to Make Portuguese Garlic Shrimp
4
servings15
minutes10
minutes206
kcalGambas ao Alhinho or Gambas à Guilho are Portuguese style shrimp, fried with plenty of olive oil and garlic.
Ingredients
400 g Shrimp (peeled and de-veined)
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Garlic Cloves – thinly sliced
20 g Cold Butter
1/3 Cup White wine (30ml)
1/2 Lemon -juiced
1 Red Chili – roughly chopped
Fresh Coriander – stem and leaves separated
Salt – to taste
Black Pepper – to taste
Directions
- Remove the head and skin of the shrimp, then devein it. Using a clean cloth or kitchen paper, pat dry the shrimp. Set aside.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in the olive oil, and half of the raw shrimp, fry it for 2 minutes on each side or until lightly golden. Transfer the fried shrimp to a plate.
- Add in the remaining shrimp, fry for another 2 minutes, flip it. Add in the sliced garlic, the chopped coriander stem, and the roughly chopped red chillies. Cook for another two minutes. Add in the first batch of fried shrimp too.
- Deglaze the pan with the white wine. With a wooden spoon, gently scrape the pan to loosen any caramelized bits that may have stuck to the bottom.
- Turn off the heat, add in the cold butter, mix well to coat the shrimp with the sauce.
- Season with some salt, black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Serve it with the chopped coriander leaves, some lemon wedges and fresh sliced bread!
Notes
- If you are using frozen shrimp, make sure to thaw it in the fridge overnight.
Have you tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments, I always love to hear from you!