Camarones al Ajillo is a tasty Mexican dish that comes together in a snap. Juicy, plump, and succulent shrimp swimming in a savory chile sauce. So easy. So tasty.

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Camarones al Ajillo (Mexican Shrimp in a spicy garlic sauce) in a black iron skillet topped with lime slices and surrounded by green cilantro leaves.

Camarones al Ajillo is an incredibly yummy Mexican dish with a flavorful and robust sauce.

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For my fellow Spanish speakers, this is Camarones al Ajillo estilo Mexicano, the Mexican version. There are different recipes out there from Spain, Peru, and every other Latin American country.

My favorite part of this dish, though, is how fast this recipe comes together. In less than 30 minutes, you have a super yummy Mexican seafood plate that everyone will enjoy.

More Mexican Shrimp Recipes:
Camarones a la Diabla, Camarones en Crema Chipotle, Caldo de Camarón

Ingredients for Camarones al Ajillo on a wooden cutting board.

See the picture above. Those are the ingredients you will need.

I am adding white wine, but you can swap that out for chicken broth, vegetable broth, or shrimp broth.

How to Make Shrimp Stock:

Peel the shrimp and save the shells.
Put the shells in a stock pot with water, salt, and garlic.
If you have any herbs laying around, you can add those to the pot too.
Bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
Strain, removing the shells.

The shrimp stock will last up to 3 days in the fridge and 4 months in the freezer.

Whatever type of stock you end up using, your Camarones al Ajillo will still be just as delicious.

Peeled shrimp with their tails still on in a decorative blue bowl.

My advice is to buy shrimp that is already deveined. Life is too short to be dealing with that crap. Literally! Lol.

These are large shrimp. Use whatever size shrimp you like that equal 1 pound.

Same size for Coctel de Camarón.

Table of Contents

1 How do you make shrimp tender?
2 Differences:
3 How to Adjust the Heat:
4 What do you serve with shrimp?
5 Camarones al Ajillo

How do you make shrimp tender?

The secret to tender shrimp is very simple. Do not overcook the shrimp. Once they change color, remove them from the heat. They continue cooking even after they are removed from the skillet or pot.

Another thing you can do is cook the shrimp first and remove from heat. At the very end, once everything is ready, mix them back in just before serving.

Two pictures side by side, one with dried guajillo chile cut open and deveined and in the second picture, there are slices of dried chile guajillo.

Clean the guajillo chile with a wet paper towel.
Gently slice the chile, or you can dice the chile too.

Guajillo chile is not very spicy, and it will add depth to the dish.

Differences:

Camarones al Ajillo vs. Camarones al Mojo de Ajo – The two dishes are very similar. Both have butter, lime juice, and garlic.

The big difference is the chile guajillo which is included in the Camarones al Ajillo recipe and not in the Camarones al Mojo de Ajo.

Note: This is Camarones al Ajillo receta mexicana, a Mexican recipe. You might see it made without chiles, and that is not the Mexican version.

A bundle of dried chile de arbol on a wooden cutting board.

For some people, Camarones al Ajillo also includes a little spice. Guajillo chile is a dried chile, but it does not add a spicy kick.

How to Adjust the Heat:

• For some spice, just add one chile de arbol.
• For very spicy, add two to three chile de arbol.
• For not spicy but flavorful, omit using the chile de arbol.

This is the same chile used to make Chile de Arbol Salsa.

“Al Ajillo” is a term that references garlic.

Rough chop the garlic clove.
Set aside until ready to use.

For those of you who don’t like big chunks of garlic, finely mince the garlic.

Two tabs of butter melting in a black cast iron skillet.

Choose a skillet that is large enough to fit all the ingredients for Camarones al Ajillo.

• Then add butter to a large skillet.

For a completely lactose-free recipe, use olive oil instead of butter.

Chile de arbol and chile guajillo cooking in butter in a skillet.

Next add the chiles.
This will only take one to two minutes. Do not go far.

Guajillo is used in recipes like Instant Pot Chile Colorado, Tortas Ahogadas, and to make Guajillo Sauce.

Word to the Wise: Burned chiles will taste bitter, and you will need to start all over again. Have all your ingredients ready to go before you start cooking.

Shrimp cooking in a cast iron skillet along with the dried chiles.

Add the shrimp and all the remaining ingredients.
It will only take a few minutes for everything to cook thoroughly.

Once the shrimp are pink, it’s ready. Turn off the heat.

Don’t let the shrimp cook too long. If they are overcooked, they get rubbery.

What do you serve with shrimp?

• For those of you looking for a keto-friendly, diabetic-friendly Mexican recipe, serve with veggies or next to a salad.

Camarones al Ajillo (Mexican Shrimp in a Spicy Garlic Sauce) in a skillet topped with lime slices.

You might see Camarones al Ajillo on a menu as an appetizer. Or, make it at home for a quick dinner.

Regardless of how you serve it, it’s hard not to love a big plate of spicy shrimp. You’ll have everyone saying “Muy Bueno.”

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