BajaNomad - Your very best shrimp recipe, por favor

Your very best shrimp recipe, por favor

Loretana - 11-1-2011 at 01:58 PM

I found this recipe in an old "Bon Appetit" magazine, and it still gets rave reviews.

CAMARONES AL MOJO DE AJO
4 servings

3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup coarsely chopped white onion
3 (or more!) large garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 kilo uncooked large shrimp, shell intact, deveined

(Use your kitchen scissors to snip the back of the shell so you can remove the vein)

Puree 1/2 cup of the olive oil, onion, garlic, salt and pepper in blender until almost smooth.

Place the shrimp in a small bowl, stir in oil mixture and let marinate at least 1 hour. You want all the garlicky goodness to get into the shells.

Heat the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add shrimp with marinade and saute until the shrimp are opaque in the center, about 4 minutes.

Divide shrimp and marinade from skillet among 4 plates and serve with your favorite Mexican rice, limon and pass lots of napkins around.

Sabroso!!

The shrimp have been looking good here in Loreto lately, nice fresh ones from the Pacific side for 120 pesos a kilo. :dudette:

[Edited on 11-1-2011 by Loretana]

vandy - 11-1-2011 at 02:10 PM

I might have that beat:

Take your high-quality thick nonstick fry pan (or cast iron) and heat fresh chopped garlic with butter AND oil, enough to cover bottom.

Cover your large peeled shrimp in Contadina seasoned bread crumbs. No eggs or milk needed.

Turn your garlic/oil/butter pan to HIGH and when it starts smoking add shrimp.

Turn once. They're done in like 2 minutes.

If done correctly, the kitchen will be full of smoke and the shrimp will have a blackened crust.

desertcpl - 11-1-2011 at 02:11 PM

YUM

Russ - 11-1-2011 at 02:25 PM

Both sound really mouth watering! But if you add a couple of glugs of sherry to the shrimp before they enter the pan you'll get a real tasty surprise.

Osprey - 11-1-2011 at 02:57 PM

Loretana, next time, with a very sharp knife cut the shrimp along the vein line but not quite all the way through at the head and tail, pull it open from the center and it makes a nice ring. The eye eats first and somehow they just taste better to me that way.

Bajahowodd - 11-1-2011 at 03:35 PM

I have a gripe. As noted in the picture posted.

Why are the tails still on? In my opinion, tail-on shrimp is fine as finger food, but I highly doubt that anyone here eats the tails. So, when cooked in sauce, Etc., the shrimp should be devoid of the tails.

Recently ordered a combo of chicken and shrimp fajitas at a fairly classy restaurant. Really annoyed me that I had to pull tails off with my hands, what with all the savory sauce. Messy.

Loretana - 11-1-2011 at 03:42 PM

howodd....gripe all you please

The whole shell is still on, albeit split down the middle.
The point being to get down and dirty....

"what with all the savory sauce. Messy"

you get to the finger lickin' good stuff quickly! The tails are what you want to grab to pull the shell off.......

Bajahowodd - 11-1-2011 at 03:52 PM

Different strokes, my friend. I don't eat my soup with my fingers either! :lol:

tripledigitken - 11-1-2011 at 03:59 PM

The tail (and sometimes the entire shell and head) are left on because of the flavor they add to the dish. For a real treat take a fully cooked whole shrimp and pull off the head and suck out the brains, now were talking.

:lol:

Shrimp Diablo, at Meta Gourmet in Loreto (in case you don't want to cook) with tails on!

[Edited on 11-1-2011 by tripledigitken]

Ya Got Me Ken

Bajahowodd - 11-1-2011 at 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tripledigitken
The tail (and sometimes the entire shell and head) are left on because of the flavor they add to the dish. For a real treat take a fully cooked whole shrimp and pull off the head and suck out the brains, now were talking.

:lol:

I'm just a wuss. Head? Geez. I can't do the whole fish thing when its eye is staring at me.

DanO - 11-1-2011 at 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajahowodd

Quote:

I'm just a wuss. Head? Geez. I can't do the whole fish thing when its eye is staring at me.

Then I guess you won't be having one of these bad boys. More for me. http://almostbourdain.blogspot.com/2011/01/crisp-fried-whole...

sanquintinsince73 - 11-1-2011 at 04:55 PM

Quote:

[Edited on 11-1-2011 by tripledigitken]

I do that with Crayfish....... :bounce:

Bajahowodd - 11-1-2011 at 04:59 PM

I eat lotsa finger food. Tacos with all kinds of ingredients. I've had all sorts of game. I just have a problem with having to use my hands with a cooked dish that has all sorts of sauce in it.

I guess I'm a cazuelas kind of guy. :lol:

tripledigitken - 11-1-2011 at 05:00 PM

Me too, and the whole state of Louisiana! :lol:

Bajahowodd - 11-1-2011 at 06:27 PM

I'm all for jambalaya sans skeletal stuff.

CP - 11-1-2011 at 06:38 PM

Personally I love the skeletal stuff. When I first read Loretana's post I thought YEAY SHELLS! I serve shell-on shrimp dishes depending on our dinner guests. But when it is a peeled shrimp dish, I always make a small pot of rich shrimp stock from the shells to finish the sauce or soup dish with all that flavor.

Ken's photo of the mudbugs made me wanna climb in.

Loretana - 11-1-2011 at 07:03 PM

And kudos to Jesse for this shrimp ceviche recipe.......it's the absolute bomb!
I served this at a c-cktail party and the fans were swooning!
It's worth the trouble, and you learn some new techniques

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=40790

Nobu Matsuhisa is jealous!

[Edited on 11-2-2011 by Loretana]

Lindalou - 11-1-2011 at 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CP
Personally I love the skeletal stuff. When I first read Loretana's post I thought YEAY SHELLS! I serve shell-on shrimp dishes depending on our dinner guests. But when it is a peeled shrimp dish, I always make a small pot of rich shrimp stock from the shells to finish the sauce or soup dish with all that flavor.

Ken's photo of the mudbugs made me wanna climb in.

well you better hurry only a couple of ears of corn left and don't know what that white stuff is.

UnoMas - 11-1-2011 at 07:08 PM

Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients:
Olive oil
Fresh garlic
Kilo of medium shrimp (shell removed to the last knuckle and tail in tact) and butter flied.
White wine (not sweet)
White pepper (Only so you don't see it in sauce)
Fresh lemon
Butter
Flour

Heat skillet and add olive oil and garlic, quick stir, add shrimp and cook just short of done (still a bit translucent) stirring constantly.
Add wine and cover, steam until the shrimp is fully cooked. Remove Shrimp, add butter, white pepper, and lemon juice. Return to heat and when the butter starts to move on top of sauce throw in some flour (whisking constantly) to thicken. Pour sauce over shrimp and serve over pasta or rice. Drink remaining wine and enjoy!

Cypress - 11-2-2011 at 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tripledigitken
Me too, and the whole state of Louisiana! :lol:

Oh yea!!!

DanO - 11-2-2011 at 03:31 PM

Back on topic, here's an excellent shrimp recipe featuring tequila. Why is it excellent? Because there's tequila in it. Duh. It can be served as a standalone dish or, if you really want to stuff yourself, serve it over cooked pasta or rice. Goes great with a shot or two of that tequila you just happen to have sitting on the counter.

Shrimp with Tequila, Avocado & Cilantro
Serves: 4

Ingredients
¾ pound (about 20) raw shrimp
¼ cup limejuice
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 small, ripe, unblemished avocado
2 tbs butter
1 tbs finely chopped shallots
¼ cup tequila
¾ cup heavy cream
1 tbs finely chopped cilantro

Instructions
Shell and de-vein the shrimp and split them partly down the back and flatten slightly. Place the shrimp in a bowl and add half of the lime juice, and salt and pepper. Let stand briefly until ready to cook. Peel the avocado and cut it into half-inch thick slices. Place the avocado in a bowl and add the other half of the lime juice. Heat the butter in a skillet and when it is quite hot but not smoking, add the shrimp, stirring rapidly, and cook about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the shallots and cook, stirring, about 10 seconds. Add the tequila (carefully, to avoid a flame up). Add the cream and cook over high heat about 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the avocado and cook just until the slices are piping hot, no longer. Using a slotted spoon transfer the shrimp and avocado pieces to hot serving dishes. Bring the sauce to a full rolling boil for about 30 seconds and add the chopped cilantro. Spoon the sauce over the shrimp and avocado.

Oso - 11-2-2011 at 04:55 PM

Great sadness of my life; I can no longer eat shrimp, crab or lobster. But when I could I liked them simple, just boiled with pickling spice or Old Bay seasoning. Then peel and eat.

As for fish heads, that's the best part! I love the eyeballs and if big enough the cheeks are the most delicious morsel on the fish. If bigger yet, the "collar" is heads above the fillets in flavor.

durrelllrobert - 11-3-2011 at 10:51 AM

Shrimp + bacon + chipotle sauce; what a combination:

Ingredients
20 strips bacon (about 12 ounces)
20 medium-large shrimp, shelled and deveined (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
3 tablespoons chopped chipotles in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Freshly ground pepper
Directions
Soak 5 to 8 bamboo skewers in water for about 20 minutes to keep them from burning on the grill or under the broiler.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet until halfway done, about 4 minutes. Drain and cool on paper towels. Wrap a piece of bacon around the middle of each shrimp; skewer with bamboo through the point where the bacon ends meet to keep it from unraveling. Thread 3 to 5 shrimp on each bamboo skewer.

Puree the barbecue sauce, oil, lemon juice, mustard, chipotles, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper in a blender. Set aside half of the sauce for dipping.

Preheat a grill, grill pan or broiler. Grill or broil shrimp (on a foil-lined baking sheet, if broiling) for 5 minutes, basting with the sauce once they begin to turn pink. Flip, baste again and grill or broil until just cooked through, about 4 more minutes. Serve with extra sauce.

krafty - 11-3-2011 at 11:12 AM

Wow this looks awesome-always get shrimp costa azul when we are out, which is similar......

Pompano - 11-3-2011 at 12:12 PM

A few of us had a suberb shrimp dinner-'experience' in Bangkok a long time ago.

"Drunken Shrimp".

This extravaganza was wheeled to our table in two aquariums...one with only white wine, and the other was saltwater with live shrimp.

You can guess what followed, I am sure?

Probably an easy recipe..and I can scrounge around for an internet recipe, but will leave the many choices that would come up to you.

All I can tell you is...that it was a great show and tasted delicious.

Bon appetite..this thread has made me hungry for seafood, so I'm headed for the Red Sails in Shelter Island...

...."and away we go".

Cypress - 11-3-2011 at 04:51 PM

Deep fried, southern style! Everything is better when it's deep fried. :biggrin:

paranewbi - 11-4-2011 at 05:05 AM

Great dippin' sauce for shrimp:

Peel and cut up ripe mango...place in blender/processor
Add: one shot Tequila
one shot Controy (mex, green bottle)
one Lime squeezed.
Blend/puree
Call it 'Mango Margarita Dip'

paranewbi - 11-4-2011 at 05:10 AM

Oh, Oh, more shrimp dip....
From Costa Azul restaurant in Coronado...best I can figure:

One bunch of Cilantro (mine from Wally's in IB) - Tear off most stem in one handful.
Place Cilantro in Blender/Processor
Pour in lots of Honey...you'll work it out
add dash of Mustard (just a little)
Turn it on....MMMMMM!

Loretana - 11-4-2011 at 12:57 PM

Muchisima gracias to

Vandy
Osprey
DanO
UnoMas
durrelllrobert (yours is next on my list to try out!)
paranewbi

The guy from Pescaderia Davis is bringing lots of shrimp in from San Carlos, and I'm stocking up. :bounce:

Fresh Sweet Shrimp Japanese Style

Gypsy Jan - 11-4-2011 at 03:43 PM

Hi Loretana,

Mexican cooks, in my experience, overcook seafood to leather.

I like the live, fresh, sweet shrimp served in Japanese restaurants - the tail is served raw as sushi and the head is deep-fried, tempura style.

Cypress - 11-4-2011 at 04:32 PM

You could make a roux, toss in some diced onions, bell peppers, and celery. Chop up a couple of tomatoes, stir 'em in to the mix. Slice up a link of good smoked sausage and stir it into the brew. When all the veggies are well done, throw in the seafood, let it cook about 5 minutes. If you like rice, pour it over it. Cornbread? Soak it up. Potatoe salad? It's all good!

Kalypso - 11-5-2011 at 10:23 AM

This recipe is surprisingly very good, very forgiving and flexible

Camarones a la Pimienta

4 Tbls olive oil*
1 large onion thinly sliced or finely diced, your choice
3 garlic cloves slivered (yes, you can use more if you want)
3-4 jalapeños or serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded if desired, and sliced or juilenned
1 lb shrimp of any size, peeled and deveined (can also be left in the shell)
1 tsp salt (optional)
1 Tbls. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
2 Tbls. Mayonnaise

* original recipe called for 1/2 cup of olive oil, which I think is way too much and results in an oily finished dish. You can use more than 4 Tbls if desired, you just need enough oil left in the pan at the end to mix with the mayo to make the sauce.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until oil ripples, then add the onion and garlice. Cook stirring occasionally unti the onion and garlic are translucent and beginning to take on some color but are not browned. Typically, this takes about 3-5 minutes depending upon the skillet used and the heat source.

Add the chiles and cook until they have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and burning

Toss in the shrimp, salt if using, pepper and cook for about 3 minutes or just until the shrimp are cooked through. Swirl in the mayo to make the sauce and coat shrimp.

Serve over white or brown rice

The mayo is used to round out the flavors and take the edges off the chiles and black pepper

You can also add a slug of Maggi sauce if you want (I usually don't)

Camarones a la cucaracha....

sanquintinsince73 - 11-5-2011 at 10:36 AM

I don't know the recipe but I eat them at Karinas Mariscos in Chula Vista as an appetizer with several micheladas. The main Karinas is on Broadway with "palapa" style seating outdoors.

There the only thing more succulent than the camarones are the waitresses.

Cypress - 11-5-2011 at 10:44 AM

To be honest, I don't really have a favorite shrimp recipe. I like 'em anyway you fix 'em.

Kalypso - 11-5-2011 at 10:56 AM

In Coatepec, Veracruz there is a restaurant named Casa Bonilla that serves up the Veracruzian langostines in a variety of sauces. One of their best is enchipotlados, or in a chipotle based chile sauce. They're absolutely delicious, and if I could figure out how to post photos, I'd do so. In the meantime, here is a pretty good version of their sauce using shrimp.

If langostines are not available, prawns ar the best sub, and barring those, U-10 shrimp. U-10 means less than 10 shirmp per pound, in other words, the big dudes.

Though the shrimp can be peeled and deveined, this recipe is really best made with the shrimp left in the shell and preferably with the heads still on. Snip throught the shell down to the last shell joint before the tail to remove the vein, they do need to be deveined.

Camarones en Chipotlados

2 Ancho Chiles wiped clean, stemmed and seeded, do not toast
2 Guajillo Chiles wiped clean, stemmed and seeded, do not toast
5 dried Chiptole Chiles, preferably Moritas, stemmed and seeded. If dried chipotles are not available use 3 canned chipotles in adobo and any adobo that clings to the chile when you remove it from the can
2 lbs. large, ripe tomatoes (round tomatoes are better for this recipe than romas)
5 garlic cloves roughly chopped
1/4 tsp. grd. Allspice, freshly ground if possible (Casa Bonilla actually uses leaves from an allspice tree for their dish)
3-4 fresh hoja santa leaves, or 6 dried hoja santa leaves
1 1/2 - 2 tsp Salt or to taste
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 lbs. U-10 shrimp
2 Tbls. butter cut into smaller pieces

Place all the dried chiles in a bowl and cover with boile water. Put a weight on the chiles to prevent floaters and set aside to soak for 30 minutes. If using canned chipotles, reserve for a later step)

While the chiles soak, roast or griddle the tomatoes, peel and put in the jar of a blender.

Drain the chiles well and add them to the blender along with the garlic, allspice and 2 of the fresh hoja santa leaves (or 3 of the dried ones). Blend until you get a smooth puree. Taste for seasoning and add the salt.

In a large saucepan heat 2 Tbls of the olive oil over medium high heat until oil ripples. Pour the contents of the blender in to the pan (it will probably splatter a lot), stirr well then reduce the heat to medium low and continue cooking about 15 mintues. Put a lid on the pan but only partly cover the pan. The sauce is ready when the oil begins to separate and pool on the top.

While the sauce is reducing, chiffonade the remaining hoja santa leaves, or finely crumble the dried ones. To chiffonade, roll the fresh leaf into a narrow cylinder. Beginning at one end, as thinly as possible, slice the leaf from one end of the cylinder to the other. You should end up with long skinny strips of hoja santa that bear a slight resemblence to shredded cabbage.

In a large skillet heat the remaining 2 Tbls of oil over high heat until very hot. Add the shrimp and separate into 1 layer. Cook for about 2 minutes, turning at least once. Stir in the hoja santa followed by the sauce. Continue cooking until the shrimp are done, about 5 more minutes. Add the butter pieces, stir until melted and combined into the sauce. Serve immediately (usually with white rice)

capt. mike - 11-5-2011 at 01:08 PM

anyone here have a good one for cheese stuffed bacon wrapped jumbos?

i struggle with them - the cheese bacon and shrimp all finish at diff times.
precook the bacon to med rare then wrap to finish?
use firmer cheese?
i hate to over cook the shrimp. what about battering them then deep fry after they are stuffed and wrapped? use procuitto? add a split 1/2 jalapeno?

Loretana - 11-5-2011 at 02:45 PM

Capt. Mike

Here's a very close approximation of Mita Gourmet/Chef Juan Carlos Cortez's recipe "Plaza Shrimp"......I had to kiss him to get this recipe!

Camarones Rellenos

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
3 chilies chipotles en adobo, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of the adobo sauce from the chilies
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon minced lime zest
12 medium-thick slices lean bacon, cut in half crosswise
24 large shrimp, peeled, deveined and butterflied with tails attached
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups shredded Manchego, Monterey jack or other good melting cheese
About 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Instructions
In a bowl or food processor, combine the mayonnaise, chilies and adobo sauce, garlic, lime juice and lime zest and stir or process to mix well.

Lay as many bacon slices as will fit in a single layer in a large, heavy frying pan and cook over medium-low heat until opaque but still soft, about 5 minutes. Press down with a spatula to keep the bacon flat. Transfer to absorbent paper to drain. Wipe out the pan and cook the remaining bacon in the same way.

Dry the shrimp with paper towels. Sprinkle with pepper and stuff with cheese. Push the sides together and wrap with cooked bacon slice, covering all the cheese so it won¹t melt out. If necessary, secure with a toothpick.

In the same frying pan over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add a few of the bacon-wrapped shrimp and fry, turning frequently and adding more oil as needed to prevent sticking, until the bacon is browned and the shrimp are pink, about 10 minutes. Transfer to absorbent paper. Repeat until all shrimp are fried.

Serve the shrimp on appetizer plates and accompany with the chipotle mayonnaise.

Cypress - 11-5-2011 at 04:01 PM

Bacon on my shrimp? Not gonna happen. You can have all the bacon you want, it's easy to come by and cheap, but don't wrap it around my shrimp.

capt. mike - 11-6-2011 at 09:03 AM

Loretana - thx so much!

bacon - it goes with everything including hot dogs.
i have heard of bacon flavored ice cream even.

My very best recipe for great shrimp...bacon wrapped or otherwise.

Pompano - 11-19-2011 at 08:56 AM

I leave it to an expert.

I EAT AT RAY'S.

0 2009 12-13 RAYS. (14) shrimp papagayos.JPG - 50kB