Friday, January 8, 2010

Simple, Succulent, Spicy: Shrimp in a Chipotle, Lime, & Cilantro "Remoulade"

Look at me, getting all fancy with my plating! But who am I kidding? Dinner actually looked more like this:

Now that's more like it. 

That baked corn tortilla in the above photo notwithstanding, I am going pretty light on the carbs for the next couple of weeks.  Don't worry, I haven't gone all Atkins on you! Shudder. It's just a temporary  post-holiday measure - I could never live without my beautiful breads, savory pies, or pillow-y pastas for too terribly long.

That said, I didn't miss a thing with this meal. The shrimp were tangy, spicy, and juicy mouthfuls, and the guac - just mashed up avocado with a bit of lime juice, salt and pepper - was a fresh, filling, and satisfying companion to my zesty little camarones.
Purists, please don't judge me too harshly for calling this sauce a remoulade! In my defense,  it is a cold emulsion with mayonnaise - and there's a bit of crunch, so it's not an aioli. I just decided to take it in a Mexican-ish direction. 

This dish is simplicity itself, but so very flavorful, and, if I do say so myself, perfectly balanced. Poppa Trix and I don't watch or follow football, but I have a feeling that this would be a great addition to any Superbowl party. (If there's a Hoarders marathon showing on Superbowl Sunday, you know what we'll be doing!)

This is one of those sauces that you should make according to your own taste - I kept adding ingredients until the spicy/tangy/salty levels were to my liking. For one pound of large shrimp, I started out using about 3 heaping tbsp each of mayo & fresh cilantro, 5 (or so) cloves of fresh garlic, one rib of celery, 1 level tbsp - or so!-  dried chipotle chilies (start with less depending on how spicy you like it), a couple of squeezes of lime juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and salt & pepper. Whizz it up in the food processor and keep tasting and adding, tasting and adding. I didn't want to add too many ingredients, but rather let each flavor both stand out and come together in the sauce.

For juicy just-right shrimp, you'll want to buy them tail- and shell-on. Get a big pot of water boiling, and let it boil for 15-20 minutes. Turn the water off, and as soon as it stops boiling put the shrimp in. Let them sit in the hot water for 3-4 minutes until they're an opaque pinkish-white. That's all it takes! (Of course you should check one to make sure they're done before you take them out of the water.) Immediately plunge them into an ice water bath until cool, then take them out, peel, pat dry, and toss with the sauce.

I served mine with corn tortillas that I had brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with kosher salt, and baked in a 350-degree oven until crispy - the perfect vessels for homemade guacamole!





34 comments:

  1. How do you say remoulade in espanol? I'll have to find out. Muy bueno is all I have to say for now.

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  2. Ah, so you're the kind of vegetarian who eats shrimp (says the chick who will eat any type of meat you put in front of her in a hypocritically judgmental tone)? Well, at least you're not the kind of vegetarian who likes football ;)

    This looks great! Nice idea, taking it in a Mexican direction.

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  3. Yum! I am a sucker for anything that has any form of Chipotle. I smoke and can my own peppers every year.

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  4. This looks wonderful! I like the "pretty "plating in your first pic, but have to admit I begun salivating with your second pic, YUMMY.

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  5. @vegetablematter: now why didn't I think of that?
    @chickenless chick: i never did say i was a vegetarian! i am an open-minded rapacious pescetarian, in fact ;)
    @scott: me too!
    @chef shari: thanks! yes, the 4 little shrimps are nice for a photo, but not for my belly!

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  6. Beautufil presentation. What a pretty dish!

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  7. This is mouth-watering! The chipotle shrimp sounds fabulous.

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  8. You may have invented a whole new way to eat shrimp! Wonderfully presented and the "remoulade" sauce looks great, lime, cilantro and chipolte are great flavors together.

    Regards,

    CCR
    =:~)

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  9. Yum! And wait...you and Scott smoke and can your own peppers? Or am I misreading this? I want to do that too!

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  10. @tastyeatsathome: oh, oops! I just meant I am a sucker for chipotle, not that I smoke my own!!

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  11. Gotta do it! Gotta do it! Now, was that a homemade corn tortilla or store-bought?

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  12. @Sharlene: I must confess, they were store bought ... *hangs head in shame.* In my defense, I do want a tortilla press, and once I have one this will never happen again!

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  13. Did you make this for me - it has everything going on that you know I love ...

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  14. I want that delicious sauce slatehered all over tofu! Lol, I'm such a beast!

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  15. These are some great looking shrimp, love avocado, the lime is a great touch...I would eats a ton of these.....no way no how diet! love them terrfic picture! :)

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  16. Love chipotle anything... this looks soooo good with shrimp and avocado, and the humor of the tale of 2 plates is great...I mean who "plates"wednesday dinner?

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  17. ooo, this looks delicious. very pretty plating, too. yum!

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  18. I love your "truth comes out" picture. My husband always gets the pretty plate. Mine looks more like a Jackson Pollock.

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  19. I'll take either plate thank you very much!

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  20. Your plating (both versions) is so impressive!!! Restaurant quality, girl! Beautiful, elegant dish.

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  21. beautiful plating and a very healthy meal;) delish!

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  22. You know me, Im a fish freak and Im going to have to save this recipe and try it! Great, great flavours!

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  23. I love the plating, my son would love this so much, he is a shrimp nut!

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  24. Great tip on how to cook the shrimp perfectly! Looks so good

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  25. Love the plating, and I'm talking about the plating with EVERYTHING on there! A meal is not complete until you've got all the goodies. Way to go to make the Remoulade Mexican-ish. The flavors sound super-yummy,

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  26. Love the show "Hoarders" and now I love this recipe-- looks so light and tasty. Perfect for the post-holiday detox!

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  27. I love chipotle. In fact, I love any spicy dish. Thanks for the recipe. We eat seafood twice a week, so I'm always look for something new to do with them.

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  28. Sounds delish! I am attempting to lower the carb count for a bit too... maybe I'll write to you for support when I am staring a flaky pastry in the face.

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  29. oh lovely fresh and simple and great snaps

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  30. Hoarders is one of the best shows on A&E right now! And these little shrimp look delectable. This is a great shrimp recipe to keep on hand!

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  31. The shrimp looks so yummy! I loves both plates! :)

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  32. The remoulade sounds terrific for the shrimp, I love the combination of flavors here!

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  33. I am drooling over here! that remoulade is a match made in heaven with those shrimp.

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  34. All my favorite flavors here! I love this!

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