The Simplest and Best Shrimp Dish

Excuse the superlatives; this spin on a Spanish tapa is my favorite, and everyone I serve it to loves it. The shrimp juices infuse the oil, and the sum is beyond delicious. It’s good with bread, over rice, tossed with pasta, or stuffed into tacos. Other seafood you can use: similar-sized scallops (or larger, though they’ll take longer to cook).

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed

3 or 4 big cloves garlic, cut into slivers

About 11/2 pounds shrimp, 20 to 30 per pound, peeled, rinsed, and dried

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

11/2 teaspoons hot paprika

Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

• Warm the olive oil in a large, broad ovenproof skillet or heatproof baking pan over low heat. There should be enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan; don’t skimp. Add the garlic and cook until it turns golden, a few minutes.
• Raise the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp, some salt and pepper, the cumin, and the paprika. Stir to blend and continue to cook, shaking the pan once or twice and turning the shrimp once or twice, until they are pink all over and the mixture is bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish and serve immediately.
  Shrimp Scampi.
  • In Step 2, omit the cumin and paprika; sprinkle with salt and pepper. When the shrimp turn pink on one side, turn them over and add 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves. Raise the heat slightly and cook until the shrimp are done, about 2 minutes more. Stir in 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, dry sherry, vinegar, or white wine if you like and cook for another 30 seconds before garnishing with more parsley and serving.
  Shrimp with Spicy Orange Flavor.
  • Using the Shrimp Scampi variation, add 2 or more small dried hot red chiles and the roughly chopped zest of 1 orange along with the garlic. Add the juice of the orange along with the shrimp and spices. Substitute cilantro for the parsley if you like.
  Garlic Shrimp with Tomatoes and Cilantro.
  • Omit the cumin and paprika and double the amount of garlic; slice it thinly if you like. Dice 4 plum tomatoes; substitute fresh cilantro for the parsley. In Step 2, scatter the tomatoes into the pan along with the shrimp; cooking time will be increased by a couple minutes. Garnish with cilantro.
• MAKES: 4 servings
• TIME: About 30 minutes