Okay, folks, let’s dive into my little culinary adventure today: making Camarones a la Diabla. I’ve always loved the fiery kick of this dish, and after seeing it pop up on my social feeds a bunch, I figured, “Why not give it a shot myself?”
Getting Started
First things first, I gathered my ingredients. I already had some shrimp in the freezer, which was a good start. I made a quick run to the store for the rest. I’m talking about:
- Shrimp (duh!)
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (these are key!)
- Some guajillo chiles (dried, for that deep flavor)
- An onion
- Garlic (lots of it, because, why not?)
- Tomato sauce
- Lime
- A little bit of butter
Prepping the Chiles
Next, I got to work on the chiles. The guajillo chiles needed a little love. I snipped off the stems and shook out the seeds. Then, I tossed them into a bowl and poured boiling water over them to rehydrate. I let that sit for a good 20 minutes, until they were nice and soft.
Making the Sauce
While the chiles were soaking, I chopped up the onion and garlic. I heated up a little bit of butter in a pan and sautéed the onion and garlic until they were fragrant, but not browned. Then I added the chipotle peppers straight from the can, adobo sauce and all.
Once the guajillo chiles were ready, I drained them and tossed them into my blender, along with the sautéed onion, garlic, and chipotles. I added the tomato sauce, a squeeze of lime juice, and a splash of water to help things blend. I blitzed everything until it was a smooth, fiery-red sauce. It smelled AMAZING.
Cooking the Shrimp
Now for the main event! I heated up a little more butter in a large pan. I peeled and deveined the frozen shrimp I had and pat them dry with paper towels. And then I tossed the shrimp into the pan and cooked them for just a few minutes on each side, until they were pink and cooked through. It’s super important not to overcook shrimp, or they get rubbery. Nobody wants that.
Bringing It All Together
Once the shrimp were cooked, I poured that glorious sauce right over them. I stirred everything together, making sure the shrimp were completely coated in the spicy, smoky goodness. I let it simmer for just a minute or two, so the flavors could meld.
The Final Result
I served the Camarones a la Diabla over some white rice, with a little extra lime wedge on the side. And let me tell you, it was GOOD. Spicy, smoky, a little bit tangy…just perfect. It definitely had a kick, but it wasn’t overwhelmingly hot. If you are me, I add extra spicy because I like. My family loved it, and honestly, I was pretty proud of myself!
It’s definitely a dish I’ll be making again. Maybe next time I’ll experiment with adding a little bit of beer to the sauce, or maybe even some tequila. The possibilities are endless!
Post Comment