ABC Cocina restaurant in NYC blew me away, from the Tequila in my lime- and basil-rimmed margarita to my patatas bravas infused with vinegar and salt and topped with an addictive sweet chili sauce to the tamarind-glazed fish. But everyone at our table agreed on the best dish: the sweet shrimp with bananas, toasted almonds and agua diabla—a spicy chili water into which the shrimp sat dipping their toes.
It might sound like a weird combination—bananas, almonds, shrimp and chili—but it was genius. The shrimp were salty, the bananas sweet, the almonds savoury and nutty and the chili, a little sour and, obviously, hot.
So I tried to recreate it at home. I used sustainable Pacific white shrimp, regular bananas, almond slivers and dried ancho, guajillo and árbol chili peppers.
Shrimp with Bananas, Toasted Almonds and Agua Diabla
6 dried guajillo peppers (60 g)
3 chiles de arbol (9 g)
2 tomatoes (400 g), toughly chopped
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce
1/2 onion, minced (70 g), divided
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium bag sustainable white Pacific or Nordic shrimp (800 g)
2 tbsp almond slivers
1 banana, sliced
lime wedges, to serve
cilantro to garnish
To make the Agua Diabla, remove the seeds from the dried guajillo and arbol peppers, tear the guajillos into smaller pieces and place both in a medium saucepan. Add just enough water to cover the peppers. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat and reduce the heat and simmer for 4 minutes, making sure the top tips of the chilies are submerged and softened.
Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender and add the tomatoes, chipotle chili, half the minced onion, the garlic and half the salt. Blend well and return to the saucepan. Return to a boil and reduce heat to simmer uncovered for two minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour into the bottom of a serving bowl.
Toast the almonds in a small dry skillet over medium heat. Shake the pan regularly for about 5 minutes until the slivers are toasted and aromatic. Remove to a plate immediately so they don’t burn.
Devein the shrimp if necessary by using a small knife to remove the vein that stretches from the head to the tail on the shrimp’s back.
Sprinkle remaining salt over shrimp.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the remaining onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and stir for 3 minutes (for Pacific shrimp. Only cook for 2 minutes if using smaller Nordic shrimp). Place shrimp gently on top of the ague diabla or draped over the sides of the bowl. Decorate with banana slices and sprinkle toasted almonds over top. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro.
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