Shrimp Mozambique

I’ve never had this dish anywhere else so I don’t know if this is how it “should” taste but I know it is delicious. It’s like a spicy shrimp scampi. The fact that it’s easy to make is a bonus.

This recipe from Cook’s Illustrated was fantastic but it didn’t have enough sauce for me. So I tried doubling it, which was great, and then I tripled it, which was even better, especially if you’re serving over rice, which you should. I also serve it with crusty bread & butter, plus a salad with a sweet dressing to offset the spiciness of the dish. (Last night I did a spring mix salad with sweet onion dressing, sliced mini peppers, chopped apples, and homemade garlic croutons.)

The picture is courtesy of Cook’s Illustrated until I can get my own. (I made it last night but forgot to take a picture.) Imagine the picture above but with the shrimp floating in sauce 🙂

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

• 6 tablespoons Frank’s Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 6 tablespoons water
• 3/4 slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into small pieces, or 24 g fresh bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (one time I accidentally put in twice this much and another time I left it out completely and both ways were good. So I’m calling this ingredient “optional” )
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 6 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
  
  Combine & puree all ingredients. Set aside.
  
  For the shrimp:
  
• 2 pounds extra large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined, and tails removed
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves sliced
• 1 C. white wine or beer
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

For shrimp:

1. Sprinkle shrimp with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; set aside.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add wine and bring to boil. Cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes.
4. Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until opaque and just cooked through, about 4 minutes.
5. Stir in butter and sauce and cook until butter is melted and sauce is heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.