Given that you can probably find shrimp paired with garlic at your local American bistro, Chinese take-out joint, or Olive Garden, it sounds like nothing special — and most of the time, it’s nondescript, rubbery, and definitely not worth its hefty price tag. Unless you’re indulging in some colossal marine luxury, the shrimp’s spices and sauces will likely make or break the dish.

What arrives in the small earthenware crock at Brookline’s Taberna de Haro, a bustling Spanish eatery, certainly wouldn’t be considered colossal, but the tender shrimp, laced with garlic chips and pepper flakes and bathed in sizzling Spanish extra-virgin olive oil, compensate for size with savor — and lots of crusty bread for dipping. And anyway, this is tapas: small is in.

Available for $12.50 at Taberna de Haro, 999 Beacon Street, in Brookline | 617.227.8272

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