Sautéed Shrimp With Garlic and Saffron

Sautéed Shrimp With Garlic and Saffron
Sam Kaplan for The New York Times. Food stylist: Susan Ottoviano.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(559)
Notes
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Ingredients

  • ¼cup olive oil
  • 3sliced garlic cloves
  • pounds peeled shrimp
  • 1teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1teaspoon ground cumin
  • pinch of saffron
  • Garnish

    • Parsley
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

181 calories; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 23 grams protein; 137 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put ¼ cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.

  2. Step 2

    Add 3 sliced garlic cloves, and cook until golden.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in 1½ pounds peeled shrimp, 1 teaspoon each smoked paprika and ground cumin and a pinch of saffron (optional).

  4. Step 4

    Cook, turning the shrimp once or twice, until they are pink, 5 to 10 minutes.

Ratings

5 out of 5
559 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

This was very tasty. Adding a spritz of Meyer lemon juice really amped the flavor.

Quick, easy and flavorful, a great go-to recipe for shrimp. Due to the smokiness of the cumin and paprika, pair it with a salad or slaw with a bright citrus note for a nice balance.

Made with 1 lb shrimp, for two. Used seasonings slightly reduced. Added spinach after garlic, added juice of half a lemon. Served over less than half pound fresh linguini. Excellent, a repeat. Next time will use full amount of seasonings.

Super simple and super delicious - a little strong in the cumin for me - wish I'd used a little less, but very yummy! Don't forget salt to taste.

We enjoyed this recipe. First of all it was quick to compile and cook. Best of all the spice combination was excellent. I would make this again and again!

Easy and excellent flavor.

Didn't quite make me feel like I was sitting in a bar in Barcelona but almost! Good recipe, thanks. Will repeat with no modifications.

I took out the shrimp after a minute or so… I had linguine (cooking in less water) going and added some that starchy pasta water, 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan Reggiano, a squeeze of lemon juice, and pad of butter to make a sauce that I finished cooking the linguine and shrimp in… and this turned out great with a lemon vinaigrette side salad.

Great idea. I thought the cumin and smoked paprika came on a little too strong for me (especially with nice wild caught shrimp), so next time I may cut back especially on the cumin. Since it reminded me of paella, when I make this again, I might make a sofrito of chopped onion and tomato before adding everything else in. Keep the heat low to medium and watch those shrimp! Don’t overcook them! They’re done when opaque on both sides. Anything more and they can get tough and rubbery on you.

I’ve made this at least two dozen times. Easy peasy, especially for company - people love it. I don’t agree with the comments that it’s bland or that saffron and cumin don’t go together. No need to amend with lemon or wine. Just add salt to taste, depending on the saltiness of the shrimp, do NOT overcook, and it’s perfect.

Delicious! So easy and quick too. Served with spinach sautéed in the same pan and rice noodles. Have to admit that I don't care for smoked paprika and subbed in Kashmiri chili powder which was really, really good. Kashmiri chili powder may not be everyone's pantry staple, but it really worked for this (sweet paprika would've been fine too). Also added a sprinkle of salt and a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Will try it next time with ghee and lime juice.

I really did not expect something so easy and simple to be as tasty as it was. I halved the cumin and only used 3 tablespoons of olive oil and it came out perfect. Added just a touch of sea salt (my shrimp depressingly had salt added already) and lemon zest/juice too. I meal prep shrimp regularly and will be adding this to the rotation for sure!

It seemed a tad dull to us. Next time will add a bit of Controne Calabrian hot pepper to add some zip to it. Believe it would make a good appetizer in small quantities.

Oh, BTW, 5 to 10 minutes is way too long to cook most any shrimp. 3 to 4 minutes max. should be more than enough. If they still look raw in the middle, keep going a little longer. If they've gone into a tight curl, they're overcooked and cook them less next time.

I seem to be the outlier here, but I didn't like this dish at all. Much prefer the other shrimp recipes. The cumin and paprika don't blend well with the shrimp, in my opinion!

Since this was so easy and fast I decided to pair with a more time consuming fennel, radish, and citrus salad after a commenter noted citrus salad would be a good accompaniment to the spiced shrimp. Daniel Boulud's recipe featured in Food & Wine (I only made the salad part, not the red snapper) hit the mark. https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/red-snapper-citrus-and-fennel-salad

I only used one pound of shrimp, so next time I would reduce the amount of oil and use a tad less cumin. The cumin overwhelmed the saffron. When the shrimp was cooked, I tasted and decided to salt. I served with lime wedges. This recipe is a keeper, just adjust according to your tastes.

This recipe was excellent. Delicious! We only wish there had been more of a sauce to mop up with bread or serve over recipe. We added some white wine at the end but could also imagine some crushed tomato.

After reading other cook’s notes, I decided to add lemon and salt as they suggested. I used less oil, but all quantities of spice with 1 pound of shrimp. I also added grated rind from the lemon, good thing since I forgot the lemon I squeezed! I also sliced up one scallion and added it to the shrimp just before turning off the heat. It was delicious, even without the lemon juice. Next time, I’ll try to remember it though. This was being served at room temperature as an appetizer. 05/09/21

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