Ingredients
1 ounce dried guajillo chiles
½ cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
6 garlic cloves (2 chopped, 4 sliced thin)
1 teaspoon table salt, divided
2 pounds extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined, and tails removed
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
1
Using kitchen shears, stem guajillos, cut in half lengthwise, and discard seeds. Cut guajillos into 1-inch pieces. Place guajillos in 12-inch nonstick skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes.
2
Transfer guajillos to blender jar and process until finely ground, about 2 minutes. Add water, Worcestershire, chopped garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes; set aside.
3
Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and sprinkle with cumin, cayenne, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of shrimp in even layer and cook, without stirring, until beginning to brown on underside but still raw on top, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and remaining shrimp, then transfer to bowl with first batch.
4
Reduce heat to low and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and sliced garlic to now-empty skillet. Cook until garlic is fragrant and golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in reserved chile sauce and shrimp and cook until shrimp is just cooked through, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in lime juice and butter until butter is melted, about 1 minute. Transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
Description
We were after a Mexican-inspired meal of plump, juicy shrimp simmered in a deeply flavored, garlicky, chile-infused sauce. To start, we toasted dried guajillo chiles to bring out their fruity, lightly spicy flavor. We then blended the chiles with garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and water to make a thick, crimson sauce. To control the cooking of the shrimp, we cooked them partially in two batches to lightly caramelize their exteriors. We then finished cooking them by gently simmering them in the bold chile sauce. A couple pats of butter added richness, and a squirt of lime juice and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro provided welcome freshness.