Representative photo: La Playa - November 2022 - Sarah Stierch 04.jpg by Sarah Stierch (Missvain), CC BY 4.0

Camarones a la Diabla (Mexican Deviled Shrimp)

Name: Camarones a la Diabla (Mexican Deviled Shrimp)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 700 g wild-caught large shrimp 21/25, peeled and deveined, thawed; Or 900 g wild-caught XL shrimp, shell-on, for a more rustic dish; 4 guajillo chiles, seeded; 4-8 chiles de árbol (to taste); 2 chipotles in adobo + 1 tbsp adobo sauce; 2 Roma tomatoes; 1/4 white onion + 1/2 onion, sliced; 3 garlic cloves; 1/2 cup chicken or shrimp stock; 2 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil; 1 tsp ketchup (optional, for gloss), salt and pepper; Mexican red rice, refried beans and lime to serve

Camarones a la diabla are a fixture of every Mexican marisquería: plump shrimp sautéed in butter and simmered in a brick-red sauce of toasted dried chiles, tomato and chipotle. Wild-caught shrimp frozen right after the catch keep a snappy bite and sweet flavor that stands up to all that heat.

Prep15 min
Cook20 min
Total35 min
Servings4

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Ingredients

700 g wild-caught large shrimp 21/25, peeled and deveined, thawed $470
Or 900 g wild-caught XL shrimp, shell-on, for a more rustic dish $470
4 guajillo chiles, seeded
4-8 chiles de árbol (to taste)
2 chipotles in adobo + 1 tbsp adobo sauce
2 Roma tomatoes
1/4 white onion + 1/2 onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup chicken or shrimp stock
2 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil
1 tsp ketchup (optional, for gloss), salt and pepper
Mexican red rice, refried beans and lime to serve

Instructions

Toast the guajillo and árbol chiles on a dry comal for 20-30 seconds per side, just until fragrant; don't let them burn.
Simmer the toasted chiles with the tomatoes, 1/4 onion and garlic in water for 8 minutes until soft.
Blend the chiles, tomatoes, onion and garlic with the chipotles, adobo, stock and ketchup until very smooth. Strain if you like a silky sauce.
Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. In a large skillet heat the butter and oil and sear the shrimp for 1 minute per side; remove them to a plate.
In the same pan cook the sliced onion for 3 minutes, then pour in the sauce and simmer for 6-8 minutes, until slightly thickened. Season with salt.
Return the shrimp to the sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes more, just until cooked through.
Serve with red rice, refried beans, warm tortillas and lime wedges.

Tips

Control the heat with the chiles de árbol: 4 is spicy, 8 is truly diabla.
If you use shell-on shrimp, simmer the shells in the stock for 10 minutes first for a much deeper flavor.