Camarones al Mojo de Ajo + VIDEO

Who doesn’t love shrimp? They are a gift from the ocean.

Lately, I have been buying them in bulk in Ensenada’s famous Mercado Negro. All the seafood is fresh – as in, just arrived that day and possibly still wiggling.

The downside, the shrimp still have their digestive tract. I hate cleaning them.

Taking out the poop vein can be quite the chore and, believe me, I’m no pooper scooper. Sometimes, if it’s in my budget, I’ll buy them on the US side already deveined and ready to go.

How to Make Camarones al Mojo de Ajo

No vampires at my house. To make this sauce, it requires A LOT of garlic.

By that I mean, a full head of garlic. Not just one lonely clove. We’re using an entire head of garlic for the sauce.

If you feed it to your significant other, two negatives make a positive. See… I learned something in high school math. LOL.

Camarones al Mojo de Ajo, or Shrimp in Garlic Sauce, is not a heart healthy dish but it’s delish. You’re going to need an entire stick of butter.

Because everything is better with buttah!!

Other Options:

• You can use a combination of olive oil and butter.
• They also sell butter-flavored oil which would work well here.
• Yes, you can use margarine.

I would not use coconut oil because the dish will end up tasting like coconut. Camarones al Mojo de Ajo is supposed to be buttery and garlicky.

• Use half of a stick of butter for the mojo, or the sauce.
• Add to the blender along with the garlic, olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper.
• Zippity zappity blend until smooth.

Make sure that the butter is soft. That will get the blender going.

In a way, we’re making a soft butter spread. You can even put this on bread. Yum!

Don’t worry. It will become saucier when it hits the pan.

See the bottom? There’s a lot of goodness down there. Make sure you get all of it when you’re adding it to the pan.

A long thin spatula (AFFILIATE) works well in cases like this.

Remember to scrape the sides of the blender too. You want everything last bit of this magic sauce.

• More butter goes into the pan.
• Add the mojo sauce and let it melt.

You could add this sauce to a shoe, and it would taste good. Please don’t try that home, kids!

Try this sauce with fish, scallops, mussels. Just about any seafood would go well with this sauce.

Camarones al Mojo de Ajo vs. Camarones al Ajillo:

• In some Spanish-speaking countries, these two dishes are exactly the same.
• In Mexico, Camarones al Ajillo is made with a garlic butter sauce, but it also includes chiles.

• Next up, add the shrimp.
• Stir constantly.

Don’t go far from the skillet. This dish is ready in minutes.

This makes a great appetizer, but as a main course, this is a delicious summer meal.

For a Party:

• Make the sauce and clean the shrimp ahead of time.
• Then when your guests arrive, greet them with the smell a buttery garlic sauce. Mmm…

I do not recommend freezing this dish because frozen seafood simply does not taste good.

However, you can keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

• Let this cook for a few minutes.
• The shrimp are ready when they are pink.

Do not let them go any further than that, or they will get rubbery. Who wants that?!

Larger shrimp take a longer time to cook. Smaller shrimp are done in seconds.

Don’t Forget to Watch the Video on How to Make Camarones al Mojo de Ajo.

Tell me that wasn’t easy?! All under 30 minutes. It’s an appetizing Mexican seafood recipe that is sure to win the hearts of anyone who tastes it.

Serve with Mexican White Rice to help soak up the sauce, lime wedges, and saltine crackers.

You might see this dish also served with cucumber and orange slices. Hope you enjoy!

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Camarones al Mojo de Ajo

Camarones al Mojo de Ajo is an amazingly delicious Mexican recipe made with succulent shrimp in a butter garlic sauce. Serve with rice and crackers.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time6 mins

Total Time21 mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 4

Author: Maggie Unzueta

Ingredients

• 1 lb medium shrimp
• 1 stick butter divided
• 1 head garlic peeled and whole
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbspn Salt
• 1/2 tspn Pepper
• Chopped cilantro topping

Instructions

• Peel, devein, and wash shrimp.
• Set aside until ready to use.
• In a blender, add ½ stick of butter, garlic, olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper.
• Blend until smooth.
• In a large skillet, melt the remaining stick of butter.
• Add all of the garlic mixture from the blender.
• Melt. About 1 minute.
• Add the raw shrimp.
• Cook for 3-4 minutes or until shrimp is pink.
• Serve.
• Top shrimp with butter sauce and chopped cilantro.
• Enjoy.

Notes

Depending on the size of shrimp you use, cooking time may vary.  Larger shrimp take a longer time to cook. 

Freezing this dish is not recommended.

This dish lasts up to 3 days in the fridge. 

The sauce can be made ahead of time. 

Tried this recipe?Mention @MaggieUnz or tag #MamaMaggiesKitchen!

More Mexican Shrimp Recipes:

Spicy but incredibly delicious Camarones a la Diabla (Mexican Deviled Shrimp) is made up of shrimp in a diablo sauce. Ready in under 30 minutes and perfect any day of the week.

Ceviche de Camarón (Shrimp Ceviche) is a classic Mexican recipe that will blow your tastebuds away. The shrimp cook in lime juice then served on a tostada and topped with hot sauce. So light and yummy!

Coctel de Camarones, or Mexican Shrimp Cocktail, is an easy and delicious recipe. Low in calories but full of flavor. Try it at your next party.