- Bobby Flay makes a simple roasted shrimp dish with garlic, chili peppers and herbs when hosting.
- For restaurant-style presentation, use a small cast-iron dish and serve straight from the oven.
- The dish recalls delicious Spanish tapas and would be great as part of a larger spread.
Bobby Flay is well known for his Spanish-inspired culinary creations, so we weren’t entirely surprised when he recently revealed to Architectural Digest that his go-to dish for impressing dinner guests at his newly remodeled NYC apartment is a take on a Spanish seafood classic. Still, with mouthwatering flavors, a rustic-chic presentation and a stunning ambiance, we’re totally wishing for a seat at the table.
In the kitchen segment of his Architectural Digest house tour, Bobby opens up a tall cabinet where he stashes his pots and pans and shows off a couple of his favorite pieces, including some mini cast-iron pans. Flay says those sturdy little dishes are great for plenty of uses, but he especially loves using them for a showy dinner party appetizer for friends. He quickly explains one of his go-to dishes: a shrimp recipe that sounds a lot like the popular tapas dish Gambas al Ajillo and an oven-roasted shrimp he made on Food Network’s Boy Meets Grill. It’s incredibly simple to prepare and goes right from the oven to the table.
Bobby combines fresh shrimp, chili peppers, garlic, olive oil, fresh oregano and thyme in individually sized iron pans, then roasts them in the oven at a high heat—think around 500°F—until the shrimp are just cooked through. The Beat Bobby Flay host places the finished dish on a plate with a thick cloth napkin to create a posh restaurant vibe.
While your home might not have all the features of Bobby’s—like a Parisian jewel box foyer, a kitchen island (practically) the length of a football field or a floor-to-ceiling marble bathroom that his interior designer says feels like showering in an oil painting—a few quick steps will have you enjoying the same delicious meal.
Begin by peeling and deveining raw, large or jumbo shrimp (leave the tails on for better flavor and moisture retention), then season with salt and pepper and place them in an oven-safe dish. Next, drizzle the shrimp with a generous amount of olive oil and add crushed garlic before roasting them in the oven until they begin to turn pink, which will take about four to seven minutes.
Karen Hibbard
Garnish the dish with fresh or dried herbs and a drizzle of your favorite chili oil as soon as you remove it from the oven. Adding sliced or whole chilis to the dish before cooking is an alternative method that works great to infuse heat into the shrimp.
Karen Hibbard
For optimal flavor, make sure to follow another of Bobby’s recommendations shared during the home tour and refresh your seasonings every year or two. Ground spices, like chili powder, tend to lose intensity more quickly than whole spices since the increased surface area exposes more of the spice’s natural oils, which hold aromas and flavors.
Enjoy Bobby’s elegant dish with delicious sides like tortillas, white rice or chunks of crusty whole-wheat bread to soak up the juices. And to cut through the dish’s rich flavors and textures, shake up a citrusy cocktail (or mocktail) like this fizzy blood orange drink. Paired with other tasty dishes, like our ou’ll be sure to impress all your guests—and maybe even discover a new favorite recipe.
