The Devil's Shrimp

If you can stand the heat, pull up a chair because we are making Camarones a la Diabla. Also known as devil’s shrimp, this dish combines tender shrimp with a smooth red chile sauce that has plenty of flavor and plenty of fire.

That heat comes from two different dried chiles. Guajillo chiles give the sauce its deep red color and rich chile flavor, while chiles de árbol bring the hotter bite. We balance those peppers with tomatoes, onion, garlic, and Mexican oregano, then blend everything until the sauce is velvety smooth.

Serve the shrimp and sauce over a bed of rice, and you have a full meal that comes together in about 35 minutes.

Start by removing the stems and seeds from the guajillo chiles. Remove the stems from the chiles de árbol, but remember that these little peppers carry some heat. If you want to tone down the fire, you can start with three. If you like it hotter, use all four.

Place the chiles in a stockpot with the tomatoes, onion, and garlic. Cover everything with water and bring it to a boil. Let the mixture cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the dried chiles have softened.

Strain the vegetables and chiles from the water and place them in a large bowl. Cover the bowl and let everything rest for about 10 minutes. This gives the ingredients time to steam and soften a little more before blending.

Add the softened chiles, tomatoes, onion, and garlic to a blender. Blend on high for about two minutes. Do not rush this step because we want that sauce velvety smooth.

Add the salt and Mexican oregano, then blend again. Give the sauce a taste and adjust the oregano and salt as needed. In the video, I also add a light sprinkle of our Mesquite Seasoning for a little ancho chile flavor. Keep it light because we still want those guajillo and chile de árbol peppers to lead the herd.

If the mixture needs a little help getting smooth, drizzle in a small amount of the measured avocado oil while it blends.

Warm the remaining avocado oil in a medium cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp and cook for two to three minutes, just until they begin turning pink.

Reduce the heat to low and pour in the sauce. Let everything simmer together for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is hot and bubbling and the shrimp are cooked through.

Shrimp cook quickly, so keep an eye on them. You want them tender and pink, not tough and overcooked.

Spoon the shrimp and plenty of that red chile sauce over warm rice. The rice helps soak up the sauce and balances some of the heat.

This dish has some fire to it, but it also has deep chile flavor from the guajillos, savory flavor from the garlic and onion, and just enough tomato to bring it all together.

As always, thank you for watching our videos and visiting our website. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel and like and share the videos you enjoy. We release a new video every Wednesday at 2:30! Until next time, when we see y’all out on the cowboy cooking trail.