Gambas, gambas, gambas!
Shrimp is an incredibly versatile ingredient featured in iconic dishes all around the world.
Hola friends! It is the middle of August, and there is so much summer produce out there…you can get creative with it without having to spend a lot of time in the kitchen or over the stove! If you’re looking for inspiration, I have some for you! There is always the classic, cold and refreshing gazpacho from Andalucía, which is a great way to use up those tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. And don’t forget about the ultimate Catalan sauce for those grilled vegetables: romesco!
Today, I want to talk a little bit about a protein that can work with all of those things and even more—the versatile and always fast-cooking shrimp! And people, you know I love my shrimp (though I hate saying it…what kind of person would put an S, an H, and an R together in a word??). Maybe you watched José Andrés and Family in Spain…during the first episode, when I am in Barcelona with my daughters Carlota and Inés, one of the first stops we make is at Tapas 24, owned by my dear friend Carles Abellán, who I worked with when I was very young (and we got into a lot of trouble together! But don’t tell him I told you that!).
In that episode, Carlota, Inés and I enjoyed an amazing tapas breakfast which included gambas rojas prepared thinly sliced with just a little bit of olive oil and lemon zest. These amazing shrimp are native to the Mediterranean Sea and the East Atlantic Ocean, so you can find them in many places in Spain, and they are considered some of the best shrimp in the world…sweet, plump, tender and with that amazing deep red color, aren’t you hungry just thinking about it? And oh my gosh, people, I cannot talk about Spanish shrimp without basically singing about carabineros…the biggest, most beautiful shrimp!
But people, we have shrimp everywhere, all over the world, which is why it is so popular in so many culinary traditions. In the United States, it may not be easy to find local shrimp, depending on where you are—New England used to be famous for their tiny, delicate size, but due to overfishing, they haven’t been available for over ten years. On the Gulf Coast, shrimp can be found year-round, but the species vary depending on the time of year. Pink shrimp are generally more available in Florida in early spring, brown shrimp are available in Alabama and Louisiana from around May-August, and white shrimp in Alabama and Louisiana can span from May to December depending on that particular year. On the West coast, nice big spot prawns are in season generally mid-fall through mid-winter. And there are amazing shrimp in plenty of other parts of the world, but of course with everything fishing-related, we have to think of illegal fishing and the human rights issues in the industry, so I like to buy shrimp from places that know the source. If you are curious, Seafood Watch has a lot of helpful information on the shrimping industry.
And because shrimp is so popular all over the world, some of the best dishes around the planet are also shrimp dishes! It is such a delicate and versatile flavor that it can transform itself from one dish to another—from incredible South American ceviches to simple and amazing shrimp tacos in Baja California and camarones en salsa tamarindo in central Mexico, to complex shrimp curries in the south of India, to the elegant and refined New Orleans style barbecue shrimp. Of course in Spain, we have so many iconic recipes featuring shrimp, whether you are sopping up the amazing garlicky sauce from gambas al ajillo at a tapas bar, enjoying a Bilbainito (shrimp and egg—I promise, it’s amazing, and it’s in Marti Buckley’s Book of Pinxtos!) off a toothpick, or a lacy, delicate tortillita de camarones from the famous Casa Balbino in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, in the deep south. The tortillita is so famous that my daughter Inés insisted upon learning how to make one when we were there as a family!
At our restaurants, we also love to feature shrimp as much as we can—at San Laurel in Los Angeles, we have a creative version of gambas al ajillo as an entree with aji amarillo, red peppers and potatoes; at Oyamel, we serve them with árbol chile, poblano peppers and black garlic; at Zaytinya, we prepare them in a Greek style with butter, garlic and dill (it’s in the cookbook, people, on page 224!), and at China Chilcano, we have an amazing Szechuan chili wonton with shrimp and pork! Of course those are not our only menu items featuring shrimp, but they are always a perfect ingredient that inspires our team to create innovative versions of classics.
I would not be able to have a post about shrimp without talking about shrimp heads! People…did you know that the heads are the best part? I know they can look a little crazy, but if you suck on the bottom of a shrimp head after you’ve broken it away from its body, I promise it is one of the most delicious experiences you can have. And it’s also good for you…it has lots of anti-inflammation and immunity boosting nutrients! Just be careful to make sure, if you do this, that you are eating the freshest shrimp you can—one guideline to go by is to avoid charcoal-colored heads and gills. The shrimp itself should also just only smell faintly of the sea, but not super fishy.
Regardless of how you enjoy shrimp, here is our Longer Tables version of gambas al ajillo…you will make the shrimp lover in your life very happy! What is your favorite way to enjoy shrimp? Have you experimented with shrimp in your kitchen?
Love shrimp! I think if I had to choose a last meal - big bowl of ice cold peel and eat shrimp or shrimp and grits. Doesn't get much better. Thanks for everything you do Jose - you are a treasure!
I once hosted a dinner party where the menu featured dishes combining flavors and techniques from American Southern food and Thai food. A guest favorite was the Red Curry Shrimp and Grits. I bought stone-ground grits and shrimp with the heads for the occasion. I had everyone eat this course with their hands which I thought was true to both Southern and Thai traditions.