Shrimp a la Diabla

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS? Classic Mexican shrimp a la diabla, or “devilish shrimp,” features tender shrimp cooked in a fiery tomato-chile sauce. The smooth sauce is traditionally made with guajillo chiles, which add a little heat and a lot of deep chile flavor. To coax the most possible flavor from the chiles, we toasted them and then simmered them with an aromatic blend of onion, garlic, oregano, and tomato sauce. Simmering the chiles not only infused their flavor into the sauce but also softened their tough skins, making it easy to blend the sauce to a silky smooth consistency. For the tomato component of the sauce, we found that canned tomato sauce gave us better texture and more consistent results than cooking down fresh tomatoes. For even more “devilish” spice, we added a full tablespoon of spicy, smoky chipotle chile in adobo sauce. Cooking the shrimp directly in the sauce not only kept this a one-pot dish, but also allowed the shrimp to pick up all the rich, spicy flavors of the sauce. Serve with rice.

SERVES: 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 Dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into ½-inch pieces (1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• Salt and pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 pounds extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
• 1 tablespoon lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Toast guajillo chiles in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 2 to 6 minutes; transfer to bowl.
2. Heat oil in now-empty pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, chipotle, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce, water, and toasted chiles, bring to simmer, and cook until chiles are softened, about 10 minutes.
3. Transfer mixture to blender and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Return sauce to now-empty pot and stir in shrimp. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until shrimp are cooked through and completely opaque, 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Transfer shrimp to individual plates. Stir cilantro and lime juice into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over shrimp, drizzle with extra oil, and serve with lime wedges.

TIP:

POACHING SHRIMP

• Return blended sauce to pan. Add shrimp and poach gently in sauce over medium-low heat, covered, until cooked through and completely opaque, 5 to 7 minutes.