Growing up shrimps were my most favourite seafood. Mostly my mother would prepare them in a coctel de camaron or shrimp cocktail (recipe coming soon), and that was always my preferred way of eating them. Every shrimp meal I so looked forward to with great anticipation.
I still love shrimp, even though they are not at the very top of my favourite seafood anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never turn down shrimp; but if there’s lobster on offer, I’m taking the lobster. I love that shrimp are so versatile: You can use them in pasta, tostadas, tacos, creole food, in curries, tapas, give them a smoky paprika taste, and a ton more other delicious ways. Besides the sweet and tender taste of shrimp, I love how easy they are to cook. As long as you are careful not to overcook them (overcooking makes them quite hard) then there’s no worries.
Living in a place where there’s always fresh shrimp at the grocery store means that I am cooking a lot of shrimp in my kitchen. As you can imagine finding new and scrumptious recipes to try is appreciated by the other members of this household…and me too! I recently came across a Mexican recipe for deviled shrimp that I absolutely had to try. The recipe is spicy, easy to prepare and packed-full of delectable ingredients and flavours. The creator of such shrimp awesomeness is my foodie friend Leslie of La Cocina de Leslie. I know you are all familiar with her blog, because if you’re not then you’re seriously missing out on great Mexican and international food!
Leslie’s states that her Mexican deviled shrimp recipe is her second favourite shrimp dish, but when she makes it she rethinks this and moves it up to first place. Something that I really love about her recipe is that we don’t have to peel the shrimp. Yay!! Peeling shrimp is a stinkin’ and time consuming job. But silly me skimmed over that part and went ahead and peeled the shrimp anyway…I could have avoided the hard work. Oh well, now I know for next time. Another fabulous thing about her recipe is that even those that don’t enjoy spicy food can still prepare this “finger lickin’ good” meal. I know you’re hungry now, so let’s get on with the recipe.
- 4 to 6 roma tomatoes
- Dried chiles de arbol (this is where the heat comes from*)
- 2 dried guajillo chilies**
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 lb. shrimp, deveined
- Bring the tomatoes, 6 arbol chilies, and the guajillo chilies to a boil in a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Remove stems from both chilies, and the seeds from the guajillo chile. Puree the chilies and the tomatoes, along with the water they were cooked in, in a blender until smooth; season with salt and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and saute for about 1 minute. Add the minced garlic and saute for an additional 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and saute until fully cooked. Reduce heat to low and pour the A La Diabla sauce over the shrimp and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce reduces slightly. Serve with Sopa de Arroz Blanco and accompany with crusty garlic bread or tostadas. Enjoy!!!
**Guajillos are mild chiles that Leslie uses to give the dish it's gorgeous red hue.
Original recipe may be found here: http://www.lacocinadeleslie.com/2009/06/camarones-la-diabla.html
While I prepared Leslie’s shrimp my kitchen came alive with amazing scents. Those smells floated to hubby because soon came to ask when dinner was.:) We absolutely adored the shrimp and devoured every last one. You really have to taste this scrumptious recipe!
And now I’d like to share a few of my favourite recipes from La Cocina de Leslie, enjoy!
Spicy Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos
Poblano Chicken Enchiladas Blancas
Paletas de Cajeta y Nuez (Caramel-Pecan Paletas)
Mouthwatering! Great dish and flavors.
Cheers,
Rosa
It was so delicious Rosa, hope you give Leslie’s recipe a try.
I like shrimp, a lot. Although I agree with you on the peeling part. ;-) This looks terrific — really pretty, and so full of flavor. Thanks.
No peeling in this recipe, John!:) Thank you, it was amazing — thanks to Leslie.
I love the look on those shrimps! Very versatile!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
I always dreamed of fresh shrimps/prawns as a kid. Austria doesn’t have a sea border but when we would go to France we would make sure to have plenty of shrimps. Then in Goa I was in paradise with the fresh and cheap shrimps. Later on I even learned to fry them properly because it’s quite an art if you ask my husband. ^. ^ I am longing for your Mexican deviled shrimps right now!!
We love shrimps and living by the coastal city we have them in plenty. The spiced up recipe sounds brilliant.
WOW!!! I am SO honored that you liked my Camarones a la Diabla and that you featured them on your blog. I’m speechless. ¡Un millón de gracias, Nancy! Your Camarones a la Diabla look so good, que ya se me antojaron. I’m going to have to add these to our menu next week.
Leslie, it was an honour cooking and tasting your camarones. Mi esposo ya pedio que los cocine de nuevo! Thanks for letting my publish your recipe and enjoy those shrimp.:)
Well, being the shrimp fan that I am, I must give this a try. And as always, your photos are fabulous. Makes me want to reach in and grab one. Pinned.
Such mouthwatering dishes and each is presented beautifully!
Oh wow, this looks fantastic… my mouth is watering! Mmmmm!
Full of flavor and oh so Mexican. Looks sooooo good.
Shrimps are my favourite seafood too and how delicious are these! What a great way to cook them.. I bet they taste full of flavour. Great recipe Nancy!