Brazilian Camarão ao Alho e Óleo, Garlic and Olive Oil Shrimp

📍 Where this dish comes from: Salvador, Bahia · Pelourinho
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Camarão ao alho e óleo is the simplest seafood dish on the Brazilian beach: shrimp flash-cooked in olive oil with a heap of garlic, finished with butter, lime and parsley. It is ordered by the plate as a petisco, a snack to share with friends. It is fast, naturally keto and ready in about 10 minutes.

Per serving: 281 calories · 2.6 g net carbs · 35 g protein · 15 g fat (calculated from the ingredients)

What You’ll Need

Brazilian Camarão ao Alho e Óleo, Garlic and Olive Oil Shrimp

Camarão ao alho e óleo is the simplest seafood dish on the Brazilian beach: shrimp flash-cooked in olive oil with a heap of garlic, finished with butter, lime and parsley. It is ordered by the plate as a petisco, a snack to share with friends. It is fast, naturally keto and ready in about 10 minutes.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Total Time: 18 minutes minutes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Brazilian

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 281kcal

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp peeled with tails on, deveined
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 garlic cloves thinly sliced
• 1 small fresh chili sliced (optional)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

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Instructions

• Pat the shrimp very dry with paper towels and season with the salt.
• Heat the olive oil and garlic together in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is pale gold, about 2 minutes. Lift out half of the garlic chips and set aside.
• Raise the heat to high. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook without moving for 1 1/2 minutes, then turn and cook for 1 minute more, until pink and curled.
• Add the chili, butter and lime juice and toss until the butter melts into a glossy sauce.
• Sprinkle with the parsley and reserved garlic chips and serve immediately with toothpicks or forks.

Notes

Start the garlic in cold oil so it cooks gently and turns golden without burning; burnt garlic tastes bitter. If your skillet is small, cook the shrimp in two batches so they sear instead of steaming.

Chef's Tip: Leaving the tails on makes the shrimp easy to pick up as finger food and looks more like the plates served at the beach.

Keto Swap: This dish is naturally keto. In Brazil it often comes with bread for the garlic oil; dip keto bread or crisp cucumber slices instead.

Success Tip: Toss leftovers with zucchini noodles for a quick weeknight dinner the whole family will eat.

Nutrition is calculated from the ingredients and is an estimate per serving. Net carbs exclude fiber and allulose.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 281kcal | Protein: 35g | Fat: 15g | Fiber: 0.3g

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About This Dish

Alho e óleo, garlic and oil, is a Portuguese-style seasoning base that Brazilians use for everything from pasta to greens. On beaches in Bahia and Rio, shrimp cooked this way is a classic order at the kiosks, usually shared with a cold beer or caipirinha. Brazil's long Atlantic coastline and its many estuaries make shrimp one of the country's most popular seafoods. The word petisco covers all the small plates Brazilians share at bars and beach shacks. Many kiosks cook the shrimp in their shells for extra flavor and leave the peeling to the customer.

Pairs Well With

• Brazilian Chuchu Refogado, Sautéed Chayote with Tomato and Herbs
• Brazilian Torta de Palmito, Hearts of Palm Pie

This recipe is from The Ultimate Brazilian Keto Cookbook by Gisele Costello, Chapter 7: Seafood (Pelourinho). See all Brazilian recipes