Al ajillo is a typical
condiment
A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is served separat ...
in the cuisines of the
Spanish-speaking world
Hispanophone and Hispanic refers to anything relating to the Spanish language (the Hispanosphere).
In a cultural, rather than merely linguistic sense, the notion of "Hispanophone" goes further than the above definition. The Hispanic culture is th ...
. The likely origin, through colonization, is the Spanish dish ''gambas al ajillo'', prawns cooked in a garlic and hot paprika oil. In Mexico, it combines
guajillo chili
A guajillo chili or guajillo chile or chile guaco ( es, chile guajillo) is the dried form of the mirasol chili, a landrace variety of chile pepper of the species '' Capsicum annuum.'' Guajillos are the second-most commonly used dried chili in M ...
peppers and ''ajo'' (
garlic).
In other Latin American countries the dish is similar, but using other chilies, for example the ''aji panca'' or ''aji mirasol'' in Peruvian cooking, dried forms of
aji amarillo
''Capsicum baccatum'' is a member of the genus ''Capsicum'', and is one of the five domesticated chili pepper species. The fruit tends to be very pungent, and registers 30,000 to 50,000 on the Scoville Heat Unit scale.
Chili pepper varieties in ...
.
Camarones al ajillo
It is a dish made with shrimp that are fried in a pan with butter or vegetable oil, in which slices of garlic and guajillo chile have been frying. It is seasoned with salt, black pepper, lemon and parsley or coriander.
Pescado al ajillo
It is a dish made with fish that is fried in a pan with butter or vegetable oil, in which slices of garlic and guajillo chile have been frying. It is seasoned with salt, black pepper, lemon and parsley or coriander.
References
Bibliography
* Bayless, Rick. Mexican Kitchen. (1996). .
Condiments
Mexican cuisine
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