Camarones Vallarta
For consecutive years, I arranged a special week for cooks in Puerto Vallarta. We stayed in beautiful seaside villas, and cooked, dined out, shopped, and lazed in the sun. During one of our cooking sessions, this shrimp dish evolved.
Shrimp, Puerto Vallarta Style
Camarones Vallarta
For consecutive years, I arranged a special week for cooks in Puerto Vallarta. We stayed in beautiful seaside villas, and cooked, dined out, shopped, and lazed in the sun. During one of our cooking sessions, this shrimp dish evolved.
Equipment
- toothpicks
- small skillet
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 medium garlic clove finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- 2 ancho chiles cut open, seeds and stems removed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano Mexican variety preferred, crumbled
- ½ cup coarsely chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons hot tap water
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, and cook the shrimp, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt, stirring, until the shrimp are pink, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove the shrimp to a bowl, cover and refrigerate.
- Reserve the skillet for the sauce.
- In a small skillet, heat the vinegar until warm.
- Cut or tear the ancho chiles into pieces and soak in the vinegar until soft, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the anchos then put them in a blender with the oregano, onion, sugar, and hot tap water.
- Discard the vinegar.
- Blend to a smooth purée.
- Heat the same skillet used for cooking the shrimp, and cook the puréed chile mixture, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl and cool.
- To serve, pool the sauce on a serving plate.
- Arrange the shrimp in an overlapping pattern on the sauce.
- Scatter cilantro on top.
Notes & Wine Advice
Serve as an appetizer with toothpicks.