Katie Button Makes Gambas al Ajillo (Sautéed Shrimp with Garlic) | Video

By: Maggie Ward

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Katie Button, a celebrated chef based in Asheville, North Carolina, is the creative force behind the acclaimed Spanish restaurant Cúrate. Since opening in 2011, Cúrate has grown from a small, bustling tapas bar into a vibrant space with a vermouth bar and expanded seating. Button’s culinary approach stays true to traditional Spanish dishes while incorporating locally sourced, seasonal ingredients available in Asheville, offering a transportive experience reminiscent of Spain. One of the standout offerings on the menu is Gambas al Ajillo, a simple yet richly flavored dish of shrimp sautéed in garlic, which Button demonstrates in this video.

Button walks viewers through her preparation of Gambas al Ajillo, a dish she loves for its speed, simplicity, and deep flavor. She begins with peeled and deveined shrimp, which she butterflies for quicker, more even cooking. The star ingredient is garlic—plentiful and sliced thin to coat the bottom of the pan, where it is toasted until it reaches a deep golden brown, releasing its bold flavor. Button shares her personal cooking philosophy, noting that she typically doubles the amount of garlic in any recipe and encourages others to cook this dish without strict measurements.

The aromatics also include bay leaf and árbol chili peppers, which lend subtle heat. Button emphasizes the magic of sherry wine—her twist on the traditional recipe—as it adds a nutty depth and forms a luxurious broth perfect for sopping up with crusty bread. She prefers a dry sherry like a Fino or Manzanilla used here. As the garlic toasts, she adds the bay leaf and chili, followed by a generous splash of sherry. The shrimp cook quickly, curling and turning slightly translucent, signaling they’re done. She removes them from the pan to allow the sauce to reduce.

To finish, she returns the shrimp to a serving dish, pours over the garlic sherry sauce, and tops it with freshly chopped parsley to add brightness and color. Button recommends serving with crusty, toasted bread to soak up any remaining sauce. Button’s Gambas al Ajillo is available any day at Cúrate in Asheville or easy to recreate at home using her instructions and the recipe available below.

Video by Jonathan Boncek and Jack McAlister | Produced by Maggie Ward

Make the recipe: Gambas al Ajilo

yields

Serves 3 to 4

ingredients

1 pound (about 24) shell-on shrimp
⅓ cup olive oil
12 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
3 dried árbol chiles
Salt
¾ cup of dry sherry wine
1 teaspoon minced fresh flat leaf parsley

steps

Peel the shrimp, leaving the tail shell intact. Devein shrimp, then butterfly.
In a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Once oil is hot, add garlic and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 1½ minutes. Add shrimp, bay leaves, chiles, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Toss shrimp in oil until just starting to color, about 2 minutes. Add sherry wine and flip shrimp so that they cook on all sides. Once shrimp have turned opaque, immediately transfer them to a bowl, leaving the sauce behind. Use tongs to pull each shrimp as it finishes cooking. (This is to prevent overcooking. It should take only 2 minutes to cook them all.)
Raise the heat to high and boil sauce until it is reduced and the raw wine flavor of the sherry has diminished, about 1 minute. Return shrimp to skillet, add parsley, and toss quickly to thoroughly coat. Transfer shrimp with its sauce to a serving bowl and serve immediately with crusty toasted bread.