A Little Heat on a Friday Night

There is a great neighborhood Mexican Restaurant that we love. We could easily walk there from our house. Over the years, we have gotten to know the staff and even the owners. When people have come to visit us, that’s where we take them to dinner.

I have bragged about how awesome my own cooking is, especially when compared to most restaurants. This Mexican joint is almost without exception. My tacos are better. My chorizo dishes are better. Hubby’s margaritas are just as good. They do have us beat when it comes to deep fried ice cream and a Chipotle Crema Sauce used in a number of their seafood dishes – everything from Tilapia to Scallops to (my personal favorite) shrimp can be found swimming in their sauce. I know it contains Mexican Crema, Chipotles and butter. You can taste the crema and chipotles. As for the butter, our waiter gave that as a hint, but refused to say more. Beyond those ingredients, I haven’t been about to recreate the sauce at home. And believe me, I have tried.

All my efforts have not been without reward. We’ve had some incredible dishes based in part on what I’ve been able to pry from the wait-staff of our favorite little cantina. I know some day I’ll figure it out. But until then, we’ll continue to enjoy some amazingly delicious failures along the way. This particular recipe isn’t quite one of those failures – I knew it would miss the mark without the creams, but I was going more for the overall spice. As it turns out, this was far more spicy than anything I’ve done thus far. So we are getting there slowly but surly. Consider yourself warned because oh my, the heat is on!

It’s a beautiful Friday. I pray that the Good Lord has blessed you and yours, that whatever struggles you might face, you know you are loved by our Father in Heaven, and that you hold close to you those who truly matter.

Spicy Chipotle Shrimp
1-1/2 lbs large Shrimp
Ancho Seasoning to taste
Chipotle Seasoning to taste
1 can Ro-Tel Tomatoes with Green Chili
2 Chipotle Chilies from a small can with Adobo Sauce
2 tablespoons Adobo Sauce from can
2 Garlic Cloves
1/4 cup Cilantro
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 cup Seafood or Chicken Stock
2 tablespoons Heavy Cream
Warm Tortillas for serving

Peel and devein shrimp. Sprinkle shrimp with seasoning. Keep chilled until ready to cook.

Empty Ro-Tel Tomatoes into a blender. Add chipotle chilies and adobo sauce. Blend until very smooth, set aside. Peel garlic, set aside. Roughly chop cilantro for garnish, set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the oil. Press peeled garlic directly into the pan, sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Pour tomato mixture into the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes for the flavors to blend. Slowly add stock into the skillet to thin the sauce to a desired consistency. Add heavy cream for a richer sauce.

Add shrimp to the pan, stirring constantly, until the shrimp are cooked through and a beautiful shade of pink. If the sauce begins to thicken too much, add a small amount of stock to thin. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Warm tortillas. Ladle shrimp with the sauce into a shallow bowl or rimmed platter. Garnish with cilantro and serve with tortillas.

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Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good