Spanish-Style Shrimp

Directions

1. 1
   Combine the oil and garlic in a 10- or 12-inch skillet.
2. 2
   Turn the heat to medium and cook until the garlic begins to sizzle, then add the cumin and paprika.
3. 3
   Stir, raise the heat to medium-high, and add the shrimp, along with some salt and pepper.
4. 4
   Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are all pink, no longer; you do not want to evaporate their liquid.
5. 5
   Turn off the heat, add the parsley, and serve.
6. 6
   VARIATIONS
7. 7
   Omit the cumin and paprika; use cayenne in place of black pepper.
8. 8
   When the shrimp are cooked, stir in 2 or more tablespoons fresh lemon juice.
9. 9
   Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
10. 10
    Substitute peanut or vegetable oil for the olive oil and cook 1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger and 2 or 3 small dried red chiles (or to taste) along with the garlic; omit the cumin and paprika.
11. 11
    When the shrimp are done, stir in 1 tablespoon soy sauce; garnish with minced scallion or fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
12. 12
    Almost all shrimp are frozen before sale.
13. 13
    So unless youre in a hurry, you might as well buy them frozen and defrost them yourself; this will guarantee you that they are defrosted just before you cook them, therefore retaining peak quality.
14. 14
    There are no universal standards for shrimp size; large and medium dont mean much.
15. 15
    Therefore, it pays to learn to judge shrimp size by the number per pound, as retailers do.
16. 16
    Shrimp labeled 16/20, for example, contain sixteen to twenty per pound; those labeled U-20 require fewer (under) twenty to make a pound.
17. 17
    Shrimp from fifteen to about thirty per pound usually give the best combination of flavor, ease (peeling tiny shrimp is a nuisance), and value (really big shrimp usually cost more than $15 a pound).
18. 18
    On deveining: I dont.
19. 19
    You can, if you like, but its a thankless task, and there isnt one person in a hundred who could blind-taste the difference between shrimp that have and have not been deveined.