Best Pan Roasted Shrimp With Mezcal Tomatoes And Arbol Chiles Recipes

Mezcal Shrimp Tacos with Guac Crema image

Provided by Rachael Ray : Food Network

Categories main-dish

Time 30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 27

1 small green chili pepper, Serrano or small jalapeno
1 ripe Haas avocado
1 lime
1/4 small red or white onion
1 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
A pinch of salt
1/2 small red or white onion
1 can (14 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
32 medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off
6 cloves garlic
EVOO
2 tablespoons butter
1 scant teaspoon cumin seed, measure in your palm
1 teaspoon (1/3 palm full) pimenton or paprika
2 chipotle in adobo, plus a couple spoonfuls sauce
About 1/4 cup mezcal
A drizzle of honey, about a teaspoon
Salt and pepper
1 lime
Twelve 6-inch corn tortillas
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 lime, wedged
Cilantro leaves
Sliced pickled jalapenos, mild or hot
Thinly sliced small radishes
Crumbled cotija or queso fresco
Sliced scallions

Steps:

Gather your ingredients.
For the crema: Seed and chop green chili. Halve and pit avocado. To a food processor or high power blender, add the juice of 1 lime, chili, scoop in the avocado, onion and crema or sour cream and process into a smooth sauce. Season with salt to taste.
For the tacos: Finely chop onion. Place tomatoes in a strainer to drain. Pat shrimp dry. Peel garlic and thinly slice, grate or chop garlic.
Heat a large cast-iron or wide, shallow skillet over medium-high heat with EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Melt butter into oil and when it foams add onion, garlic, cumin, paprika and chipotle in adobo. Swirl and toss a minute. Add tomatoes, cook a minute or 2 more, then add mezcal and a drizzle of honey -- be mindful of a flare up. Swirl a minute more. Add the shrimp to the sauce, season with salt and pepper and cook, turning occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes. Add juice of lime, remove from heat.
Char tortillas in a hot stainless pan over high heat or over open flame on gas burners. Blister the tortillas 20 to 30 seconds and stack in a cloth napkin or towel to keep warm.
Serve shrimp in serving bowl with tortillas, crema, lettuce, lime wedges and toppings alongside.
To build tacos: Slather or squirt sauce on tortilla, top with lettuce, shrimp -- squirt on more lime juice of you like, cilantro, jalapenos, radishes, cheese and scallions.

PAN-ROASTED SHRIMP WITH MEZCAL, TOMATOES AND ARBOL CHILES image

Categories Shellfish

Yield 2/4 as main/appetizer

Number Of Ingredients 17

FOR THE ROASTED TOMATO BROTH:
2 large Roma tomatoes
3 arbol chiles
1 cup clam juice
FOR THE SHRIMP:
2 tablespoons clarified butter, or ghee
7 dried arbol chiles
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced white onion
1 tablespoon minced poblano chile
1 pound extra-large shrimp, or about 16, with the tail and the head left on but the body peeled
2 ounces mezcal
1 1/2 cups roasted tomato broth
1 tablespoon lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, depending on salinity of shrimp

Steps:

MAKE THE BROTH: 1. On a hot grill or on a grill pan, roast tomatoes until the skins are charred and soft. On the same grill, toast chiles for a few seconds to soften. Transfer tomatoes and chiles into a blender and purée with clam juice. Strain. MAKE THE SHRIMP: 2. Prepare and assemble all ingredients for the shrimp and have them near the stove. 3. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high and add clarified butter. When it's hot, add the arbol chiles. Fry lightly until they just begin to darken, which could take less than a minute. 4. Add garlic, onion and poblano chile and sauté for about 1 minute. 5. Add shrimp and cook for about 20 seconds. Add mezcal (if using a gas range, remove pan from the heat as you add the alcohol). 6. Cook for about 30 seconds and add tomato broth. 7. Simmer for another minute and add lime juice, cilantro and butter. Reduce for 30 more seconds, remove from heat and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Check for seasoning. Add more salt if needed. Serve shrimp and sauce with lime wedges.