Spanish seafood menus use at least five words for shellfish that English speakers often lump together as "prawns" or "shrimp". They are not small, medium and large. Each name covers a different kind of shellfish, usually caught in different waters, and the price can change a lot from one line of the menu to the next. Knowing which is which helps you order the right thing and understand the bill.
The five words on the menu
- Camarón: a very small shrimp. In Cádiz it goes into tortillitas de camarones, thin crisp fritters where the shrimp are fried whole, shells and all.
- Gamba: the general word for a prawn, and the one you see in gambas al ajillo. The two named types worth knowing are gamba blanca and gamba roja, below.
- Langostino: a larger prawn, often with a striped shell. The best-known Spanish one comes from Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
- Carabinero: a big, deep-water prawn that is scarlet even before it is cooked.
- Cigala: not a prawn at all but the Norway lobster, with narrow claws. In English this is the langoustine.
That last point trips people up. The Spanish langostino and the English langoustine sound alike but are different animals. If you want langoustine in Spain, ask for cigalas.
Gamba blanca and gamba roja
Gamba blanca is pale pink and sweet, and the name most often attached to it is Huelva, on the Atlantic coast near Portugal. It is usually served boiled (cocida) and chilled, or cooked a la plancha.
Gamba roja is a red prawn from the deep Mediterranean. Dénia on the Valencian coast and Palamós on the Costa Brava are the best-known ports, and menus often put the town in the dish name, as in gamba roja de Dénia. It is normally cooked very simply on the griddle so the flavour of the prawn stays in front.
Carabinero
The carabinero is the one you notice on the table: large, a dark scarlet colour, with a big head. It has a strong, deep flavour, and much of it sits in the head. In Spain it is normal to twist the head off and suck out the juices, so don't be shy about it.
Carabineros are usually cooked a la plancha with coarse salt. They also go into rice dishes such as arroz con carabineros, where the heads help flavour the stock.
Langostino de Sanlúcar
Sanlúcar de Barrameda sits where the Guadalquivir river meets the Atlantic, and the langostinos caught there have their own reputation. The same town makes manzanilla sherry, and boiled langostinos with a cold glass of manzanilla is a standard pairing there. Our guide to fino and manzanilla covers the wine side.
How they are served and priced
The rule of thumb in Spain is that the better the prawn, the less is done to it. Expect a la plancha (on the hot griddle with coarse salt) or cocida (boiled in salted water). Gambas al ajillo, sizzling in garlic and oil, is normally made with smaller peeled prawns; our gambas al ajillo guide explains the dish.
Premium prawns are often priced by weight or per piece rather than per portion, and a menu may say S/M (según mercado, at market price). Ask the price before you order. Our post on the Spanish marisquería explains how seafood by weight works.
Where to try these prawns abroad
These venues name these prawns or prawn dishes in their own records. The records don't say where each kitchen sources its seafood, so ask if that matters to you.
- Xiquet by Danny Lledó, Washington DC: its record says the tasting menu often features the Red Prawn of Dénia.
- Mercado 505, Shanghai: lists Carabinero B0 alongside jamón, open-fire paella and cheese.
- Bar 44 Cardiff: the group's record names San Lucar prawns among the Spanish produce it showcases, as do its Penarth and Bristol branches.
- La Cava, Phuket: gambas al ajillo is listed as the signature dish.
For the Thai side of the story, see our post on gambas and goong.
