This dish combines two classic Spanish tapas. The first is camarones al ajillo, garlic shrimp sizzled in olive oil in a shallow earthenware dish known as a cazuela. The second—fire-blistered padrón peppers—are devoured by the plateful with your fingers. I’ve brought them together, harnessing the flavor-boosting powers of a hot griddle.
Place the shrimp and peppers in a mixing bowl with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, smoked paprika, hot red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to mix and coat the shrimp. Let marinate while you heat the plancha.
Heat your griddle or plancha to high. Drizzle it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and spread the oil around with a spatula.
Spoon the shrimp and peppers onto the hot plancha. Cook until the shrimp are browned on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the shrimp and peppers with the spatula and continue cooking until the other side are browned, 1 to 2 minutes.
If using the sherry or brandy, pour it over the shrimp and cook until evaporated. For high drama, if using brandy, touch a lit long fireplace match or butane match to it to flambé it.
Transfer the shrimp to a platter or plates and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.
Recipe Notes
I call for hot pepper flakes here, but in Spain, you’d use a dried hot chile known as guindilla (which is sliced crosswise into paper-thin circles). Hot red pepper flakes make a fine substitute. If you can find head-on shrimp, this dish will taste all that much better. If you can’t find padrón peppers, use their Japanese cousins, shishitos. Both are available at most supermarkets. Finally, I’ve made the sherry optional. It adds a sweet, nutty finish, but I’d hate to ask you buy a whole bottle just to use a couple tablespoons. This preparation lends itself to all manner of seafood, from scallops to squid to tiny cuttlefish known in Spain as chipirones. For an American Southwestern twist, substitute slivered poblano chiles for the padróns and chili powder for the smoked paprika.
