These Shrimp Pintxos are full of bold Spanish flavors in each bite! So easy to make, these are perfect party appetizers for any occasion.
If you’re looking for a fun party appetizer that’s full of big, bold flavors in every bite, try these Shrimp Pintxos!
Crispy crostini are topped with rich, flavorful shrimp in a savory Spanish sauce, then garnished with touches of red pepper and parsley.
I first fell in love with these pintxos during a recent trip to Spain. We enjoyed these Basque Country delicacies in both San Sebastian pintxos bars and Bilbao pintxos bars. So of course I had to make them at home!
And, they taste just as amazing at home as they did in Spain. Try them, and transport yourself and your guests to Spain with this easy shrimp pintxo recipe!
Jump to:
🌟 Why this recipe works
You’ll fall in love with this recipe for so many reasons!
- Easy – It really is a dish that any home cook can make. There’s minimal prep time. To help you out, I’ve got step-by-step photos down below.
- Full of flavor – One of the things I love about Spanish cuisine is how it uses simple ingredients to get big flavors. The garlic prawns are simply cooked in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes (similar to Gambas al Ajillo) and the flavor is out of this world.
- Perfect finger food – Pintxos are simple appetizers held together by wooden skewers or food picks and served at the counter or bar throughout Basque Country. Because they are small, individual portions that are easy to eat and portable, they make for the perfect party appetizer.
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Baguette – Slice a baguette slightly on the bias (diagonally) into 12-15 even slices that are about 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick.
- Shrimp – Use medium shrimp, large shrimp, or prawns for this recipe.
- Salt – Use kosher salt to season the shrimp
- Olive oil – Use your best tasting extra virgin olive oil.
- Garlic – Slice garlic cloves very thinly. Garlic is a main flavor of this dish, so the recipe calls for a lot: 10 cloves of garlic. You could use one or two fewer cloves, but this dish is made for garlic lovers.
- Red pepper flakes – Use either red pepper flakes or chili flakes (if you prefer more heat) to add spice to the dish.
- Sherry wine – Sherry cooking wine or a light sherry wine adds richness and depth, plus that classic Spanish flavor, to this pintxo recipe. You can substitute brandy if that’s what you have on hand.
- Lemon juice – a little bit of lemon juice adds a bright acidity and freshness to the dish.
- Red bell pepper – Dice the red bell pepper into very small little cubes for the topping. As an alternative, you can also dice up some cherry tomatoes instead.
- Parsley – Finely chopped fresh parsley adds a bright, fresh finishing herbal touch to the shrimp pintxos.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
Make sure to use the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post when you’re ready to make this Spanish garlic shrimp pintxo recipe. Here are some step-by-step photos to help you out along the way.
- Bake the baguette slices.
- Pat the shrimp dry then season.
- In a large skillet or saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic clove slices and the red pepper flakes, then cook for a minute or two.
4. Add the shrimp.
5. Sprinkle paprika over the shrimp and toss to coat. Cook the shrimp for about a minute on each side, just until the shrimp are cooked.
6. Sprinkle the chopped fresh parsley over the shrimp. Remove the shrimp and transfer to a bowl, leaving most of the garlic and olive oil in the pan.
7. Add the chopped red bell pepper to the pan and sauté for about 2 minutes, just until softened.
Assemble the pintxos
8. Place 2-3 shrimp on each baked baguette slice.
9. Top with the chopped red pepper, garlic, olive oil topping.
Optional: garnish with more chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil, if you prefer.
Serve immediately.
👩🏻🍳 Cooking tips and recipe FAQs
Cooking tips:
- Do not overcook the shrimp. Watch the shrimp carefully as it cooks; shrimp can easily become overcooked quickly. As soon as the shrimp turns from translucent to white, and has a gentle curve to its shape, remove from the heat.
- Bake the baguette just until the edges are golden brown. This is a personal preference, but I find that bread that is too crisp is difficult to eat at parties. You want the bread to be baked with a slight crisp around the edges but still somewhat soft and chewy in the center.
Pintxos are small, individual servings of food, usually on a slice of baguette, that are held together by small skewers. Read all about pintxos and learn about 12 popular pintxos of Basque Country.
Yes, you can! Simply store the components separately (the baked baguette slices, the shrimp, and the topping) in the refrigerator. Assemble the pintxos just before you are ready to serve to your guests.
When fully cooked, shrimp turn from transluscent and opaque to white with bright orange veins.
You can store the cooked shrimp and toppings separately from the bread in an airtight container for up to two days. Reheat in a pan on the stove, or just until heated through in the microwave.
🍽 Serving ideas
This would be perfect to serve at a Spanish tapas and pintxo party!
Serve it alongside a Gilda pintxo and with glasses of Tinto de Verano.
It’s also delicious served as an appetizer at any gathering.
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
These shrimp pintxos pair well with a Spanish Txakoli sparkling wine. The effervescence of this refreshing Spanish white wine brings out the bold flavor of the dish.
You could also pair this shrimp pintxo with a crispy off-dry white wine, such as a Riesling.
Or, enhance the rich flavors of the dish with a light-bodied, fruit forward red wine. A Beaujolais or a Garnacha (Spanish Grenache) would pair well.
🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you’ll need:
- Cutting board
- Sharo knife
- Large skillet
- Wooden spoon
- Small food picks, skewers, or toothpicks
More Spanish recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Shrimp Pintxos
Equipment
- 10-12 food picks or small skewers
Ingredients
- 10-12 thinly sliced baguette slices
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 2 tablespoons sherry wine
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
- ½ finely diced red bell pepper.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Brush one side of each of the baguette slices with olive oil. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for about 7-8 minutes, or just until the slices are crisp and slightly golden.
- Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and toss to combine. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and stir, cooking for about 1 minute.
- Add the shrimp and paprika. Cook for about 1 minute on each side.
- Pour in the sherry wine, lemon juice, and sprinkle in the chopped parsley. Stir to combine.
- Remove the shrimp and transfer to a plate, leaving the oil, garlic, and seasoning in the skillet.
- Add the diced red peppers to the skillet. Stir and cook over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes, just until the peppers are softened. Remove from heat.
- Add 2-3 pieces of shrimp to the top of each baked baguette slice.
- Top each with a small spoonful of the red peppers.
- Pierce each pintxo through the center with a food pick or small skewer. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
