Garbanzos con Langostinos
El Domingo y La Sobremesa
In the coastal taverns of Andalusia, fishermen originally threw this stew together using the day's unsold catch and whatever was lying around the pantry. Over the years, it evolved into a beloved Sunday classic. But the true soul of this dish—the secret the old women know—doesn't lie in complex technique or expensive ingredients, but in the violent extraction of flavor from head-on shrimp. Crushing those shells into hot olive oil yields a liquid gold that transforms humble canned chickpeas into a velvet-rich masterpiece you can pull off on a busy weeknight. It is the unpretentious, unmistakable taste of a real Spanish home.
Before you start
Separate the shrimp meat from the heads and shells.
Peel the shrimp completely, placing the raw meat in a covered container in the refrigerator while keeping the heads and shells in a separate bowl on the counter—they are the soul of the recipe.
Ingredients
- large head-on Gulf shrimp1 lb
- canned chickpeas30 oz
- extra virgin olive oil3 tbsp
- yellow onion1 med
- green bell pepper1 small
- garlic3 cloves
- crushed tomatoes1/2 cup
- dry sherry or dry white wine1/4 cup
- sweet paprika1 tsp
- bay leaf1
- water2 cup
- fresh flat-leaf parsley1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Fry and crush the shrimp shells.
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add the reserved shrimp heads and shells, and use a wooden spoon to aggressively smash the heads against the bottom of the pot until they release their rich orange juices.
- 02
Deglaze the pan to build the fumet.
Once the shells are bright pink and toasted, pour in the sherry and step back as it bubbles up. Let the alcohol cook off for one minute, then add the water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- 03
Strain out the liquid gold.
Pour the simmering broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing down hard on the shells one last time to extract every drop of flavor before throwing the shells away.
- 04
Sweat the sofrito.
While the broth simmers, heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat, adding the onion, green pepper, garlic, and a pinch of salt to slowly sauté until the vegetables are profoundly soft and translucent.
- 05
Toast the spices and reduce the tomato.
Stir in the paprika for exactly fifteen seconds so it does not turn bitter, then immediately pour in the crushed tomatoes and bay leaf, cooking until the tomato darkens and reduces.
- 06
Simmer the stew.
Fold the rinsed chickpeas into the pot and pour in the strained shrimp broth, maintaining a gentle simmer for 10 to 15 minutes so the legumes absorb the seafood flavor and their starches naturally thicken the liquid.
- 07
Poach the shrimp with residual heat.
Turn off the heat completely, stir the cold, raw shrimp meat into the hot stew, and cover the pot with a lid for exactly three to five minutes until the shrimp are perfectly tender and never rubbery.
Notes
The blender trick.
For a silkier, restaurant-style stew, pull the bay leaf out after cooking the tomatoes, transfer the sofrito to a blender with a splash of your shrimp broth, and puree until smooth before adding the chickpeas.
Do not compromise on the shrimp.
Do not attempt to make this with pre-peeled or pre-cooked shrimp, as the fundamental flavor of the dish requires the hepatopancreas (the 'coral') found inside the heads. Check the freezer section of your local Asian market if the fresh seafood counter lacks them.
From Cook Spanish in America.