In collaboration with Rioja Wines. Thank you for supporting the brands that support A Taste of Koko!
Ever since I went to Barcelona last year, I’ve been dreaming of shrimp al ajillo and wanting to cook it at home. These Spanish garlic shrimp tacos are my twist on shrimp al ajillo in taco form paired with Wines of Rioja!
SEE ALSO: Red Wine Braised Beef Shank Recipe
Rioja is Spain’s flagship wine region for growing grapes and making top-quality wines with a unique personality and an exceptional aptitude for aging. Located in northern Spain on both sides of the River Ebro, Rioja has many different soils so this produces wines with unique traits. 90% of the wine production is red and the rest is white and rosé. Tempranillo is considered native to Rioja making it the wine region’s most typical grape. Next up would be Garnacha Tinta, Granciano, Mazuelo, Maturana Tinta, and Viura.
Pour yourself a glass of Rioja wine and let’s make these Spanish garlic shrimp tacos!
PrintSpanish Garlic Shrimp Tacos Recipe

- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 40
- Yield: 8 - 10 tacos 1x
Ingredients
SHRIMP AL AJILLO
- 1 lb large shrimp
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- chopped fresh parsley leaves
- salt
- pepper
CORN SALSA
- 2 ears of fresh corn
- 2 roasted piquillo peppers (from jar)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- chopped fresh parsley leaves
- salt
- pepper
LIME AIOLI
- 1/2 cup Mayonaise
- juice of 2 limes
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
TACOS
- 8 – 10 corn or flour tortillas
- Lime wedges
Instructions
FOR SHRIMP AL AJILLO
- Shell and devein large shrimp.
- Place shrimp to a large bowl and season with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Add olive oil to a skillet and bring up to medium-high heat. Add shrimp, garlic slices, and chili flakes.
- Cook shrimp on low heat and turn on each side for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and place cooked shrimp into a bowl.
LIME AIOLI
You can make this the night before and refrigerate.
- In a small bowl or food processor, mix mayo with lime juice, cilantro, and salt.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
FOR CORN SALSA
You can make this the night before and refrigerate.
- Carefully cut kernels off the cob.
- Chop roasted piquillo peppers and parsley leaves.
- Add corn kernels, piquillo peppers, red onion, and parsley leaves into a separate bowl.
- Squeeze lime and season corn salsa with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
TO ASSEMBLE TACOS
- Add three to four shrimp to each tortilla and top with corn salsa.
- Drizzle lime aioli to each taco and serve with a wedge of lime.
Make it a Spanish night at home with wines from Rioja and these Spanish garlic shrimp tacos. You’ll be feeling like 💃!
SPANISH GARLIC SHRIMP TACOS RECIPE
Here’s the step-by-step to a Spanish themed meal at home!
Pour yourself a glass of wine from Rioja and let’s get started! I tried making my own tortillas – see my reaction in the first photo. This took a couple of times and I learned that you need to add plenty of water so the masa is a moist dough. If you’re tight on time, feel free to buy premade corn or flour tortillas!
Cook tortillas over the pan and place into a plate or bowl and cover with a towel to keep warm.
To make shrimp al ajillo, shell and devein shrimp and season with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Pour premium olive oil to a pan and bring up to medium heat. Add shrimp, sliced garlic, and chili flakes to pan and saute on each side for 5 minutes.
Add the shrimp al ajillo to the freshly made tortillas, top with fresh corn salsa, and drizzle with lime aioli! Pour yourself another glass of Rioja wine because this party is about to get started!
You might be asking why there’s no avocado or hot sauce on these tacos. I asked my friend who grew up in Barcelona, Spain and he said that dishes in Spain don’t usually include avocado or hot sauce.
Enjoy these Spanish garlic shrimp tacos!