This is a drippy, messy, fork-and-knife toast, full of punchy, smoky, Spanish-inspired flavors. I leave the tails on the shrimp because they’re easy to remove as you go with utensils—if you’d prefer to remove them first, simply do so before adding them to the pan. Either way, be sure to cut your bread into thick slices to ensure it can stand up to the hefty load of toppings.
It may seem finicky to add the lemon juice to your aioli in two batches, but it’s an important step to make sure you don’t break the emulsion. The first addition helps to loosen the egg yolk and creates the right consistency to thicken with oil. The second, after you’ve thickened the spread, adds flavor and brightness. (Feel free to sub the aioli with store-bought mayonnaise amped up with a little lemon juice and garlic.) —Kendra Vaculin
What you’ll need
Citrus Juicer
$20 $15 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Large Skillet
$74 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
4
1
1
2½
½
1
4
2
1
1½
1
½
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Finely grate 1 whole garlic clove into a medium bowl. Add 1 large egg yolk, 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt and whisk to combine. Gradually stream in ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, whisking constantly until aioli is light and thickened. Whisk in remaining 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice and season with salt. Set aioli aside.
Step 2
Pat 1 lb. tail-on large shrimp, peeled, deveined, dry with paper towels; season with salt and set aside.
Step 3
Heat ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Working in 2 batches and adding more oil between batches if needed, cook 4 thick slices crusty bread until golden brown and crisp, 1–2 minutes per side. Transfer to plates; wipe out pan.
Step 4
Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in same pan over medium-high. Arrange reserved shrimp in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, 2 minutes. Continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until just opaque, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
Step 5
Add remaining 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil to same pan, then add 2 pints cherry tomatoes in a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, until blistered underneath, about 4 minutes. Add 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, 1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, 1½ tsp. smoked paprika, 1 tsp. ground cumin, ½ tsp. mild red chile flakes, and remaining 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until combined and some tomatoes have burst, about 4 minutes. Add shrimp and cook, stirring to coat, until heated through, about 1 minute.
Step 6
Spread a thick layer of aioli over each toast. Spoon shrimp mixture on top, then scatter chopped parsley over. Sprinkle with more mild red chile flakes.