This Spanish shrimp with chickpeas recipe (garbanzos con langostinos) is one of my favorite dishes I learned in culinary school. I hope you enjoy this delicious combination too!
If you love Spanish seafood recipes, don't miss these tasty recipes for shrimp in whiskey sauce and Spanish seafood stew.
Introduction
One of the best things I made while in culinary school in Barcelona was a classic Spanish dish called garbanzos con langostinos. This mouth-watering recipe takes the humble chickpea to a whole other level by adding the rich flavor of langostinos (jumbo shrimp), or (if you can find them) cigalas (scampi or Norway Lobster) to the dish.
Have you ever tried scampi? If you visit Spain, I highly recommend you do! They're not cheap, but well worth the splurge.
Ingredients
Excited to try Spanish shrimp with chickpeas? Grab these key ingredients (along with a few other things), and you'll be ready to whip up this amazing garbanzos con langostinos!
- Shrimp: I recommend using jumbo shrimp, which are called langostinos here in Spain. Make sure to get ones with the heads, legs, and shells on for the best flavor. If you can find cigalas (scampi or Norway Lobster), that would be even tastier!
- Chickpeas: Either home-cooked chickpeas or good-quality jarred ones will work beautifully in this recipe.
- Fish Stock: Use preferably homemade fish stock for the best flavor, or use a good-quality canned variety.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Spanish Shrimp with Chickpeas
If you’d like to see the full ingredients and instructions, scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card.
- Take the heads off of the shrimp and set them aside. Devein the shrimp. (image 1)
- Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet, then add the shrimp heads and sauté them for a couple of minutes. Set aside. (image 2)
- In the remaining oil, sauté the onion and carrots until they're browned, about 10 minutes. (image 3)
- Add the celery, fennel, and tomato paste, and sauté for another couple of minutes. (image 4)
- Add the brandy and herbs and cook for a couple more minutes. (image 5)
- Add the diced tomatoes and bring to a simmer, then add the fish stock and cook until the mixture is reduced by one-third. (image 6)
- Remove the bay leaves, then add the drained chickpeas to the mixture and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. (image 7)
- Meanwhile, toss the shrimp in olive oil and with a little salt and pepper, then sauté over medium-high heat until just cooked. (image 8)
- Season the chickpea mixture to taste with salt and pepper. (image 9)
- Either add the cooked shrimp to the chickpea sauce, or add them on top of each serving. Enjoy this Spanish shrimp and chickpeas! (image 10)
Recipe FAQs
In Spain, chickpeas are called garbanzos. This would be pronounced as gar-BAWN-zose.
Good quality Spanish jarred chickpeas have been already cooked and are preserved in water, so they're ready to add to a recipe or eat out of the jar. They're a great time-saving alternative to cooking your own garbanzos!
Serve
This recipe for shrimp with chickpeas (garbanzos con langostinos) makes enough for two people to enjoy a meal, or for four people to have an appetizer portion. Make it a full meal by serving it with a healthy salad like ensalada mixta and a hearty slice of bread, or make it an appetizer by pairing it with a hearty main course like tuna pasta or chicken chilindrón.
Expert Tips
- Since scampi can be hard to come by depending on where you're located, I've written the recipe using jumbo shrimp (langostinos). But if you happen to have scampi on hand, please do substitute them!
- You do need to use full shrimp or scampi--heads, shells, and all. That's how you'll get the intense and delicious flavor that this dish is known for.
Other Spanish Shrimp Recipes
If you liked this recipe, please share it with others!
Follow Spanish Sabores on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for more recipes and travel tips.
If you've made and enjoyed this recipe, please leave a 5-star review!
Spanish Shrimp with Chickpeas Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 jumbo shrimp (langostinos) or scampi
- extra virgin olive oil for sautéing
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ stalk celery diced
- ½ cup fresh fennel diced (optional)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 3 fresh tomatoes peeled and diced (or use high quality canned diced tomatoes)
- 2 bay leaves
- black pepper to taste
- 3 cups fish stock
- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
Instructions
- Remove the shrimp heads and set them aside, then peel the shrimp and devein them (take out the intestine).
- Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a medium frying pan, then sauté the shrimp heads for a few minutes, allowing them to release their flavor.
- Remove the heads from the pan and sauté the diced onions and carrots until they start to brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add the celery, fennel, and tomato paste, and sauté for a couple of minutes, then add the brandy and the herbs and sauté for about a minute to evaporate some of the alcohol.
- Add the diced tomatoes and bring to a simmer, then add the fish stock and simmer until the liquid has reduced by one-third. Remove the bay leaves.
- Add high-quality chickpeas to the pot and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, toss the raw shrimp in olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté in a separate pan over medium-high heat until they're just cooked, then remove them from the heat.
- You can either chop up and add the sautéed shrimp directly to the pot, or you can add a few jumbo shrimp to each person's dish in a more decorative way.
- Season the stew with salt and pepper before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Since scampi can be hard to come by depending on where you're located, I've written the recipe using jumbo shrimp (langostinos). But if you happen to have scampi on hand, please do substitute them!
- You do need to use full shrimp or scampi--heads, shells, and all. That's how you'll get the intense and delicious flavor that this dish is known for.
Nutrition
Photography by Giulia Verdinelli
Jim
Easy and delicious What wine do you suggest?
Robin
Super simple. I did add a bit more garlic. Absolutely delicious.
gezilecek yerler
I want to try this one too. Thank you so much.