Sauteed Shrimp with Ancho Chiles & Garlic
Submitted by tedi4fun
Sauteed shrimp with ancho chiles and 25 cloves of garlic in olive oil, finished with lime juice and fish stock. A bold, smoky 20-minute shrimp dinner served over rice.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
10 minREADY
20 minTwenty-five cloves of garlic. That’s not a typo. This shrimp dish goes all in on garlic, slicing each clove thin and gently cooking them in ¾ cup of olive oil until soft and mellow before the ancho chiles join the party.
The technique here is smart and worth paying attention to. The garlic cooks first at medium-low heat, gets removed, then the heat cranks to near-smoking for a hard, fast sear on the shrimp. Pull the shrimp while they’re still slightly undercooked. They finish cooking when they go back into the pan with the sauce, and overcooked shrimp turn rubbery fast.
Ancho chiles bring a fruity, smoky warmth, not face-melting heat. As they sauté in the garlic-infused oil, they tint it a gorgeous orange and release their earthy flavor into every drop. The fish stock (or clam juice) deglazes the pan and builds a brothy sauce that soaks into rice beautifully.
Three limes’ worth of juice at the finish cuts through all that richness and ties the smoky, garlicky flavors together with bright acidity.
Pro Tips
- Don’t brown the garlic during the initial cook. Brown garlic turns bitter and will ruin the sauce. It should be pale and tender.
- Use rock shrimp or medium-sized shrimp. Large shrimp won’t cook evenly in the fast sauté time.
- Stem and seed the anchos but leave them in large pieces so they’re easy to spot and distribute when serving.
- Serve immediately. This dish loses its punch as it sits.
Variations
- Guajillo swap: Replace ancho chiles with guajillo chiles for a brighter, more tangy heat.
- Pasta version: Skip the rice and toss the shrimp and sauce with linguine or spaghetti.
- Coconut milk finish: Stir in ½ cup coconut milk instead of fish stock for a creamier, Thai-inspired sauce.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat.
Cook the garlic slices until tender but not brown.
Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels and reserve.
Turn the heat under the pan to high.
Quickly toss the shrimp with the salt and pepper in a bowl.
When the oil is nearly smoking, add the shrimp.
Saute, stirring and shaking the pan to prevent sticking, 3 to 4 minutes or just until the shrimp are still slightly undercooked.
Remove from the heat. With a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a platter, leaving as much liquid in the pan as possible.
Return the pan to the burner and reduce the heat to medium.
Add the garlic slices and anchos and sauté, stirring frequently, until the oil begins to turn orange from the chiles.
Stir in the fish stock or clam juice, along with the shrimp and any juice that has collected on the platter.
Add the lime juice and parsley, bring to a boil and remove from the heat.
Serve immediately over white rice.
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