Camarones de Nuevo México

When I first started this blog, I mentioned how, when I interview people about food, I always ask them which dish, if seen at a party, would make them say "Yay!"

The phrasing of the question may be silly, but it always seemed to translate. Everybody feels glee over certain food items, especially ones that they don't tend to make regularly. For instance, as I said in the previous entry I would have that reaction to a good charcuterie plate. 

A friend of mine from Mexico answered "camarones with garlic, butter and lime."  So delicious, so simple. I decided to give it a New Mexican spin, with green chiles! I unfortunately, but unsurprisingly could not find my beloved Hatch green chiles, so I used Anaheims. Occasionally real Hatch green chiles will pop up in markets outside of New Mexico, but it's rare, and it's not the right season anyhow...

If you've never deveined shrimp or prawns before, don't worry. It's not as fiddly as it seems, although it does take time. Rinse your crustaceans in a colander with cold water, and peel off everthing but the tails. (As you can see in my picture, I accidentally pulled the tail off a few) Using a paring knife, cut lightly down the icky dark line along the arch, and pull it out. It may come out in a couple of pieces. I found, upon doing this for the first time, that it takes a few to get the hang of it, and then it just becomes busy work for your hands.

Camarones de Nuevo México

Ingredients

1/2 lb (225 g) raw shrimp or prawns, peeled and deveined 

1 Hatch green chile, diced. (Anaheim works fine, though won't have the same kick. Another chile of your choice could also work, of course!) 

2 tablespoons butter (salted works nicely here)

3 cloves of garlic

1 lime

A small handful of cilantro, chopped  

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350º F/175ºC. 

 In a small, ovenproof dish, spread out your shrimp.

 In a pan, heat a small amount of either butter or clear oil and add your chiles and garlic. Once soft, add 2 tablespoons of butter. Melt over low heat and remove from heat. If your butter is unsalted, add some salt to it. 

Pour over your shrimp. Make sure it's coated well, then pop in the oven.

It won't require very long in the oven. Maybe ten minutes? It depends on the size of your shrimp. Just cook until they are all pink.

Squeeze over the juice from your lime, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve!

¡Buen Provecho!