Pan-Seared Shrimp

The shrimp juices infuse the oil, and the sum is beyond delicious. It’s good with bread, over rice, tossed with pasta, or stuffed into tacos. Other seafood you can use: similar-sized scallops (or larger, though they’ll take longer to cook).

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 big cloves garlic, cut into slivers
1½ lbs shrimp, 20-30 per lb, peeled, rinsed, and dried
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp. ground cumin
1½ tsp. hot paprika or cayenne

Garnish:
fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Warm the olive oil in a large, broad ovenproof skillet or heatproof baking pan over low heat. There should be enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan; don’t skimp. Add the garlic and cook until it turns golden, a few minutes.

Raise the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp, some salt and pepper, the cumin, and the paprika. Stir to blend and continue to cook, shaking the pan once or twice and turning the shrimp once or twice, until they are pink all over and the mixture is bubbly, 5-8 minutes.

Garnish and serve immediately.