The key to Diana Kennedy’s shrimp in chipotle sauce is the flavorful sauce made from chipotle peppers and the adobo in which they are packed. They give the dish a pleasant, lingering heat and a deep smoky flavor. Kennedy makes her own, but canned chipotles in adobo work equally well. Kennedy’s original recipe called for broiled tomatoes, but when she made the dish for us, she used fresh tomatoes. We liked the simplicity of fresh tomatoes, as well as their contrast in texture and flavor to the chipotles. And while Kennedy marinates her shrimp in lime juice, we preferred to briefly sear them, then let them finish cooking off the burner in the residual heat of the sauce. It’s an effortless way to ensure perfectly cooked shrimp.
Notes
- These shrimp made wonderful tacos. To warm tortillas, wrap a stack in foil and place it in a 200ºF oven.
Ingredients
- 4 vine-ripened tomatoes - (1¼ pounds), quartered
- 4 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce - (and the sauce clinging to them)
- kosher salt - to taste
- ground black pepper - to taste
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1½ pounds extra-large raw shrimp - peeled, deveined, tails removed and patted dry
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 medium yellow onion - chopped
- 3 cloves garlic - peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup chopped cilantro - plus extra to serve
- 8 6-inch corn tortillas - warmed
- Avocado, sour cream, and lime wedges - to serve
Instructions
Puree the sauce:
- In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes, the chilies and any sauce coating them, and ½ teaspoon salt until mostly smooth, 1 minute. Set aside.
Partially brown & marinate the shrimp:
- In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons of oil until beginning to smoke.
- Add half the shrimp and cook, stirring, until golden, about 45 seconds.
- Transfer to a bowl.
- Repeat with remaining shrimp, adding them to the bowl.
- Toss the shrimp with 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Set aside.
Cook the sauce:
- Return the skillet to medium-high and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
- Add the onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and oregano and cook until just beginning to brown, 1 minute.
- Stir in the wine and any accumulated shrimp juice from the bowl. Cook until nearly evaporated.
- Add the chipotle mixture and simmer, stirring, until thick enough to coat a spoon, 10 to 12 minutes.
Finish and serve:
- Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Stir in the shrimp, cover and let sit until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in the cilantro and remaining lime juice.
- Taste, then season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with warmed tortillas, avocado, sour cream and lime wedges.