Camarones al Ajillo (Shrimp in Garlic and Guajillo Sauce)
Updated Jan. 27, 2025
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2pounds large or extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails kept on
- Salt and black pepper
- ¼cup avocado or vegetable oil
- 3large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 to 3large dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded, thinly sliced crosswise (about ¼ cup)
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼cup fresh lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes)
- Saltines or cooked rice, for serving (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
454 calories; 21 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 48 grams protein; 746 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Season shrimp with salt and lots of black pepper.
- Step 2
Heat a large deep skillet over medium-low heat. Add oil and garlic and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the garlic is light golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add chiles and cook until the oil turns a light ruby red but the chiles remain pliable, just 1 minute.
- Step 3
Add the shrimp in a single layer, turn the heat to medium, and cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Stir the shrimp until they start to curl, 4 to 6 minutes more.
- Step 4
Add the butter and lime juice, stirring until the butter melts and coats the shrimp, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and taste, seasoning with more salt if needed. Serve with saltines or rice on the side.
Private Notes
Comments
The flavors are good, but the guajillo method didn’t go well for me. I had to add a half cup of water and boil the peppers to release their flavor before adding the shrimp. The peppers were still too tough to eat, but too small in size to pick out. (They’re fresh from a local Mexican grocery.) I’ll make this again but pre-soak the peppers in the usual way or make the sauce in the blender in advance. I used a pound of shrimp with 2 peppers, 1.5 tbs chopped garlic, 1 tbs butter, 3 tbs lime juice, oil and salt.
Tails = handles.
yes - they are easy to find in any Mexican market and also online
After reading all the comments, I made some adjustments. I soaked the peppers for about 36 hours and then sliced them. I thought about removing the skin, but that was impossible. The peppers (I ordered online) were not fleshy at all, so removing the skin was not an option. I used five peppers and puréed them in the food processor. I cooked the garlic and then added the puréed peppers and cooked to release the oil and color. Then I added the shrimp, cooked for two minutes on one side and stirred to incorporate. I used my electric skillet, so I didn’t have to batch cook. Then I used 1/2 c. of lime juice (all from two limes) and 4T. of butter. I had never cooked with guajillo chiles before and I was surprised by how little flavor they gave the dish. It tasted more like a lime butter sauce and didn’t even add any heat (although I left in about half the seeds). We won’t be making this one again.
Would recommend using more than two peppers with the amount of shrimp, and with two pounds, you'll probably need two pans or it'll be too crowded. The listed shrimp cooking time is too long for most unless you have really large prawns. Otherwise the flavors are fantastic. Added even more lime juice and butter, lots of S&P to taste.
Surely the cooking time for the shrimp is way too long? When I make garlic shrimp, the particulate garlic gets cooked first ... just like this, and then the shrimp are done one layer deep on/in the garlic oil, 90 seconds one side and 60 seconds on the other... then leave them rest. if you want them to be cooked AND tender... this outcome is huge for seafood in general, no?