DISH RESEARCH · Main dish
Camarones al Ajillo
Zarela Martínez’s camarones al ajillo cooks shrimp in extra-virgin olive oil with golden garlic, dried New Mexico red chillies and a chosen fresh green chilli. Lime slices and crusty bolillos accompany the dish.
About Camarones al Ajillo
Research draft based on the references below. These notes describe particular recipes and presentations; ingredient connections are still being reviewed.
Zarela Martínez connects her camarones al ajillo with Pardiños, a Veracruz restaurant whose Mexico City outpost introduced her to the dish. Her published version cooks shrimp with garlic, olive oil and both dried red and fresh green chillies.
Extra-virgin olive oil heats in a heavy skillet, then crushed garlic cooks with frequent stirring until golden. The fresh green chillies follow, softening slightly while retaining a crisp-tender texture.
Dried New Mexico red chillies, cut into rounds, briefly cook with the garlic and green chillies. Martínez offers Anaheim, Texas long green or jalapeño chillies for the fresh component.
Shrimp are added and seasoned with salt, then cooked on each side until just firm to the touch. Lime slices accompany the immediately served dish.
Martínez suggests crusty bolillos for soaking up the oil and sauce. She also recalls the restaurant’s use of chicken base in place of salt, distinguishing that restaurant seasoning from her own tested preparation.
Ingredients in Camarones al Ajillo
Recorded ingredient connections, rather than a complete recipe. Explore an ingredient for more detail.
- Garlicseasoning
- Chilli pepperseasoning
- Vegetable Oilcooking medium
- Buttercooking medium
- Saltseasoning
- Limegarnish
- Shrimpprotein
- Cooking oilcooking medium
Ingredient connections awaiting review. Versions and preparation vary.
Origins & food traditions
Explore the countries and cooking traditions associated with this dish. These connections do not establish a single birthplace or limit where the dish is eaten today.
Cuisines & regions
Associations in the cited sources
These describe source-specific cultural or geographic connections. Catalogue links may still need review.
- Countries & places
- Mexico
- Cooking traditions
- Mexican
AI-generated illustration of one possible presentation. Recipes and ingredients vary; the image does not establish allergen content.