These Garlic Chili Shrimp are plump, garlicky, spicy, citrusy, herbalicious, and DIVINE! This recipe was inspired by a meal I had years ago in Qeparo, Albania.
It was lovingly made by a couple who operate a small restaurant in their home. This is the kind of place that has no menu, they just make what they have available that day. It’s always super fresh, flavorful, and made with a lot of care; you can taste the love. One day the husband made us his version and the next his wife would make her version; they had such a fun and playful competition going. Spoiler alert: she won the crown! Scroll down for a picture of the original dish!
What you’ll need to make Garlic Chili Shrimp:
- Shell on jumbo shrimp (ideally with heads)
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Dry white wine (sancerre, sauvingnon blanc, pinot grigio)
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Italian Parsley
- Thai Chilies (you could use red chili flakes)
- Castelvetrano olives
The photos pictures below are from The Valta Hotel in Qeparo. We were so happy with our stay! The food, drinks, beach, location, and accommodations were lovely. We truly felt so relaxed. If you stay here, be sure to visit Taverna Di Stefi (just a short 7 minute walk down the boardwalk) and the olive oil farm literally at the top of the street. We brought back a 6 liters of extra virgin olive oil; it’s absolutely incredible and worth the visit!
Optional add-in ideas:
- red bell pepper
- green bell pepper
- tomatoes
- paprika
- oregano
- dill
Are you a fan of Garlic Chili Shrimp? Try these other Mediterranean recipes!
- Zucchino and Feta Fritters
- Dolmas with Meat
- Halloumi and Watermelon Salad with Mint and Cilantro Pesto
- Mediterranean Shrimp with Feta
- Mediterranean Cabbage Rolls with Dill and Yoghurt Sauce
Garlic Chili Shrimp
Equipment
- 1 cast iron frying pan or skillet large enough to fit the shrimp in a single layer
- pair of tongs
- chefs knife
- 1 cutting board
- 2 medium bowls 1 for the shrimp and 1 for the sauce
- 1 spoon
- large plate for serving
Ingredients
- 1 lb jumbo shrimp (shell on) heads on if you can find them
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil divided
- ⅓ cup dry white wine I used a Sancerre
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 Thai chilies finely sliced; more or less based on heat level
- ⅓ Italian parsley finely chopped
- 1 lemon cut in half
- Castelvetrano olives as desired
- kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Add deveined shrimp to a medium bowl, drizzle with about ½ of the extra-virgin olive, sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss until shrimp are coated.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the other ½ of extra-virgin olive oil, the juice of ½ of a lemon, garlic, Italian parsley, and Thai chiles; stir to combine.
- Warm your cast iron over high heat. Once hot, add shrimp in a single layer and cook for 1-2 minutes. You'll know they're ready to flip when the flesh turns from translucent to pink and opaque. Quickly flip the shrimp using tongs and add the white wine, cooking for another minute or so, until the wine cooks down and the color of the shrimp starts to change. Remove from heat.
- Pour sauce over the cooked shrimp and stir to coat. Transfer to a large deep plate or serving platter. Top with olives and lemon wedges. Serve with toasted bread for mopping up all the flavorful juices.
