Yield: 2 to 4

Adapted from ATK

TIME: Sous vide: 30 minutes; active cooking time: 40 minutes, Temperature 140°F/60°C
The Spanish tapa gambas al ajillo is a simple dish of shrimp quickly cooked in an abundant amount of olive oil with garlic and chilies. Served with crusty bread and a glass of wine, it’s a great way to start a meal. For our sous vide version, we started by boosting the flavor of our olive oil by infusing it with shrimp shells, garlic, and pepper flakes. After straining the mixture, we bagged up the oil with our shrimp. We set the water bath to 140°F—our preferred temperature for both shrimp and lobster since it keeps them both tender and moist. Finishing the dish off with a touch of sherry vinegar added brightness while chopped parsley gave it some fresh color.

• 1lb extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per lb), peeled and deveined, shells reserved
• salt
• ½cup olive oil
• 6garlic cloves, sliced thin
• ½tsp red pepper flakes
• 1tsp sherry (or unflavored rice wine) vinegar
• 2TBS chopped fresh parsley

Note: Use weights to make sure the shrimp are fully immersed during cooking.

Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 140°F in 7-quart container.

Sprinkle shrimp with ½ tsp salt and set aside.

Prepare oil: Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add shrimp shells and ½ tsp salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until shells turn deep orange, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is golden-brown, and oil is rust-colored and aromatic, 2 to 4 minutes. Strain oil through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on shrimp shells with rubber spatula to extract as much oil as possible, discard solids. Allow oil to cool for at least 5 minutes.

Sous vide: Transfer shrimp and oil to 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and toss to coat. Arrange shrimp in single layer and seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath, weight bag until shrimp are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of each bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Finish: Transfer shrimp and oil to serving bowl. Stir in vinegar and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

Making this recipe in advance is not recommended.