Slow-Cooked Shrimp with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Remember the kifta kebab, and how I said that was my favorite meal to request when I visit my family? Well, this shrimp dish is my husband's favorite when we visit his family. The texture of this shrimp is unlike any I've ever had before. It's extremely soft and almost falls apart when you cut it. A spicy tomato based sauce really seeps into the shrimp, and the occasional olive provides a tart contrast in flavor.

The secret to achieving the soft texture of the shrimp is cooking the crap out it. This was a little bizarre to me at first, since I had always heard that you generally cook shrimp briefly. I thought anything more than a few minutes and you would end up with overcooked shrimp. However, it turns out that as with other slow cooked foods, you really can achieve a different texture in the shrimp by giving it plenty of time to cook.

Let me tell you, the first time I tried to make this at home it was a disaster. We got the recipe from my husband's mom by asking her over the phone. We didn't get it right. For example, she said to let it cook for "awhile" which we interpreted as 15-20 minutes, when in fact she meant more than an hour! We also added far too much tomato paste, which obscured all of the other spices in the dish. The shrimp turned out tough and flavorless. Let's just say that the food didn't remind my husband of home :-)

As is often the case with recipes like this that have never been written down, it turned out that the best thing to do was to wait until we visited the east coast again and watch over her shoulder as she made it. She was really excited to show off her recipe, and we all had a good time cooking together.

My husband's mom uses Adobo seasoning and Sazon Goya packets, but I wanted to be able to make it from the spices that I always have on hand at home, so I've modified the recipe a bit. Instead, I use spices that are found in those Goya mixtures in my own combination.

Also, this recipe calls for jumbo shrimp, but my husband's mom says she substitutes regular shrimp sometimes and it works out just fine.

Slow-Cooked Shrimp with Spicy Tomato Sauce
(serves 3-4)

To marinade the shrimp:
2 lbs jumbo shrimp, peeled, tail removed, and deveined (See this video for tips on how to devein, or you can buy them already peeled and deveined.)
1 lime
1/4 cup red wine
1 1/2 tsp oregano
black pepper, several generous grinds
4 cloves garlic, mashed or finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt

For the sauce:
2 Tbsp refined corn oil, or other high heat oil
cilantro
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp achiote, (see the pinon post for information on achiote)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
handful of green olives, with pimento (optional)
broth, or water, about 2-3 cups

Put the peeled, deveined shrimp in a large bowl and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Leaving a little water in the bottom of the bowl, squeeze the juice of a full lime all over the shrimp, mixing with the water as you go. Add more water and rinse the shrimp once more. Finally, drain all of the water.

Add to the bowl the wine, oregano, black pepper, garlic, and salt. Mix everything together thoroughly. Optionally, you can let this sit for up to 30 minutes to marinade.

Put a large pot on medium-high heat and add corn oil. After the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium and prepare to spoon in the shrimp. Use a lid to cover the top as you spoon in the shrimp gradually, to prevent splattering. Finally, pour in the remaining marinade. Add a handful of cilantro, stems included. Stir the mixture to combine and cover. At this point, the liquid should be simmering/boiling.

Let it cook like this, covered, for about 45 minutes to an hour, but make sure to check it regularly and add broth or water if the liquid starts to dry up.

After cooking for 45 minutes to an hour, push all the shrimp to the sides making space in the middle of the pot. Add the onion, red and green pepper, coriander, achiote, and tomato paste. Let that cook for awhile in the center, stirring occasionally. When the onion starts to become translucent, stir everything together and add olives if desired.

Add another cup and a half of broth or water and cook for another 15-20 minutes. At this point, you can uncover and let the sauce dry up a bit, to the desired consistency. The sauce should be relatively thick. Don't forget to check your seasoning too.

Enjoy the shrimp over a bed of rice. I, of course, like to garnish with cilantro too. :-)