Seafood is definitely one of my least favorite things to cook. It stinks up the house, can be easily over cooked, and you rarely can get fresh ingredients, unless you live near the ocean. Despite all of these points, I do love eating sea food. Shrimp is one of the easiest types of seafood to prepare. I learned a long time ago that shrimp can be cooked in many different ways.
In my house growing up, however, there were far less ways to cook shrimp. Only three ways to be exact. The reason is my mother’s dislike for seafood. She only eats shrimp if they are fried, so that is one way. The second way is “a la Diabla” which literally translates to “the devil’s way”. The shrimp are sauteed with onions and chipotle sauce. “Mojo al Ajo” is the third shrimp recipe which is prepared in a garlic butter sauce.
The following recipe is my twist on the garlic butter sauce and devil’s shrimp recipes:
What you’ll need:
- About 12-15 Shrimp, cleaned deveined
- 2 tbsp of olive or corn oil
- 2 tsp of lemon juice
- 2 tbsp of butter
- 3 tbsp of cilantro, diced
- 1 tsp of basil, paprika, parsley (dried or fresh), and dried oregano
- 3-5 chile de arbol (REMOVE STEM, DO NOT BREAK)
- 3 Garlic Cloves, crushed
First heat up a skillet, lightly coat in oil. Once Skillet is hot, place shrimp. Salt and pepper lightly. You want to make sure the shrimp are seared. Add the chile de arbol then remove from heat. Toss the contents of skillet, while adding garlic and half of butter. Place skillet on low heat while slowly stirring in remaining butter, spices, and lemon juice. Taste butter sauce for flavor. Add salt and pepper if needed. Remove from heat once butter sauce is reduced (about one to two minutes).
I decided to plate my shrimp on top of lettuce and tomato pouring the butter sauce like a dressing. You can also add shrimp to white rice making a pretty good rice bowl.
WARNING: Chile de Arbol can be a very spicy chile. The heat comes from the seeds inside. I recommend not breaking the chiles while cooking. Toasting the chiles in the oil will cause them to create a very spicy smoke if left in too long. Try using one or two chiles if you are not sure what I am talking about.
