Peppers & Shrimp

This is tapas eating at its best: a dish of shrimp, peppers, garlic, and oil with bread for soaking up every last drop.

The red peppers cook first, slow and gentle in olive oil until tender without browning. The oil turns a rosy pink as it absorbs the pepper’s sweetness. Garlic chunks stew separately in the same flavored oil until golden and soft, then get set aside with the peppers.

The garlic oil gets heated until it ripples, then minced chili and the shrimp hit the pan. A quick saute until pink and just done. That’s it.

Everything goes into a serving dish: peppers pooled in their rosy oil, shrimp piled around them, bread on the side. Each person tears off bread, soaks it in oil, stacks on peppers, garlic, crumbled feta, and shrimp.

Chef Tips

• Cook the peppers gently. You want them tender and sweet, not browned or charred. Low heat and patience.
• Don’t overcook the shrimp. Pink and just curled means done. Rubbery shrimp means you’ve gone too far.
• Leave the shrimp in their shells as the recipe directs. The shells add flavor to the oil during cooking.

Variations

• Add smoked paprika to the garlic oil for a more distinctly Spanish flavor.
• Use crusty sourdough instead of French bread for a tangier, chewier soak.
• Swap feta for manchego for a truly Spanish cheese pairing.