Tequila Shrimp with Chipotle Compound Butter

Hello and welcome! This week we have a few quick and easy summertime recipes. Today’s recipe is a great appetizer-type dish; alternatively, serve it over rice or grilled bread to soak up the delicious melted Chipotle Compound Butter. Rich flavors, with tons of cilantro, fresh tomatoes and peppers, it’s a little spicy and the shrimp is sweet and delicious. Let’s get right to the recipe, it’s Tequila Shrimp with Chipotle Compound Butter.

Compound Butter

We will start with the compound butter. A compound butter is softened butter mixed with herbs and spices; it’s simple to make and has so many great uses. It’s always nice to have one stored in the fridge to use in recipes like this, or to spread on good crusty bread. Mix it in with eggs for breakfast or dollop it on a grilled steak, it brings rich flavor and is super versatile.

Mix the butter with the chipotle, garlic, cilantro and lime zest. Taste for salt and pepper. Add Kosher salt and pepper accordingly. You want the butter super soft so it’s easy to really incorporate the ingredients. Add more of anything you think it needs: more cilantro, or the chipotle peppers, salt and pepper. The chipotle peppers are smoked jalapeños, most often they come in a can with adobo sauce. The peppers aren’t super hot and that adobo sauce is so flavorful – bringing a deep savory flavor to this compound butter.

Tequila Shrimp

I have one jalapeño, a Cubanelle pepper (a type of sweet green pepper), three scallions and 1 tomato. Everything is diced and the scallions are sliced thinly. The shrimp is 16/20 shrimp, meaning there are about 16/20 pieces per pound, so they are pretty large. I have peeled and washed the shrimp, so that’s ready to go. It’s important to have everything prepped and ready because the shrimp cooks very quickly. Feel free to replace the Cubabelle pepper with another type of sweet pepper, or you can do another jalapeño for extra heat.

Heat a dry skillet over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. You want to use a stainless steel or cast iron skillet for this because of the high heat. This would be a perfect recipe for pulling out the cast iron. When the oil begins to smoke, add the shrimp, peppers and half of the green onions. Stir and cook shrimp for about 1-2 minutes, just until it starts to turn opaque and slightly pink.

Flame the Tequila

Then, lift the pan up and away from the heat of your burner. Pour in the 1/4 cup of tequila. Place the pan back on the heat, and if you have a gas stove tilt the pan slightly away from you to flame the tequila. We will use the fire to burn off the alcohol. If you have an electric range, use a long lighter or a butane torch, and hold the flame close enough to everything in the pan to light the tequila aflame.

It sounds scary, and looks really cool, but it will only take about 5-10 seconds to burn off the alcohol and the fire will die off by itself. You can carefully shake the pan to move everything around while the flame is doing its work. When the flames die off, add a heaping spoon full of the compound butter.

Give the butter good stirs to coat everything in the butter and when it’s mostly melted, turn off the heat and add the diced tomato. Give it a good stir to incorporate the tomato and that’s it!

Finishing Touches

Finish with some Kosher salt and pepper, the remaining scallions and more chopped cilantro.

Tequila Shrimp with Chipotle Compound Butter

The rich Chipotle Compound Butter is so savory, it adds such great smoky flavor to the shrimp. Like I mentioned at the top, serving this with rice or thick crusty, grilled bread would be great for sopping up all that butter sauce. For all its rich butteriness, this dish is light and refreshing thanks to the peppers, fresh tomato, scallions and cilantro.

Don’t be intimidated by flaming the tequila! I know it’s scary because a fire on your stovetop is the last thing we instinctively want. It’s correct to be mindful and careful while doing this, but like I said, as soon as the alcohol is burned off, the flames will extinguish themselves. And remember, do not use a nonstick skillet! Use a cast iron or stainless steel skillet when doing this.

Thank you all for joining me today for Tequila Shrimp; I hope you give this a try, it’s really delicious! Pin this one for the next time you have friends over for dinner, I think it would be a great appetizer, or to top some steaks – for a little surf and turf. I have a few other shrimp recipes you should try, like Shrimp and Grits, or Mexican Shrimp Cocktail. Do let me know if you give this one a try and how it goes for you! Take care and be well, everyone! xo Kelly

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Tequila Shrimp with Chipotle Compound Butter

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Dinner, Main Course, Appetizer – American

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 5 Minutes – Total Time: 25 Minutes

Rich flavors, with tons of cilantro, fresh tomatoes and peppers, it's a little smoky, a little spicy and the shrimp is sweet and delicious.

Ingredients

• Chipotle Compound Butter
• 1 cup Unsalted Butter, very soft
• 1-2 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
• 2-3 Cloves Garlic, pressed or minced
• 3 tbsp. Chopped Cilantro
• Zest from 1 Lime
• Kosher and Pepper, to taste
• Tequila Shrimp
• 1 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
• 1 lb. 16/20 Shrimp, peeled, rinsed and dried
• 1 Jalapeño, diced
• 1 Cubanelle Pepper (or other sweet pepper), diced
• 3 Scallions, sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup Tequila Resposado
• 1 Roma Tomato, diced
• 1 Heaping spoon full Chipotle Compound Butter

Instructions

Chipotle Compound Butter

1

Mix the butter with the chipotle, garlic, cilantro and lime zest. Taste for salt and pepper. Add Kosher salt and pepper accordingly. Spoon the compound butter into a small jar or ramekin, cover and place in the fridge until ready to use.

Tequila Shrimp

2

Heat a dry cast iron or stainless steel skillet over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

3

When the oil begins to smoke, add the shrimp, peppers and half of the green onions.

4

Stir and cook shrimp for about 1-2 minutes, just until it starts to turn opaque and slightly pink.

5

Then, lift the pan up and away from the heat of your burner. Pour in the 1/4 cup of tequila.

6

Place the pan back on the heat, and if you have a gas stove tilt the pan slightly away from you to flame the tequila.

7

If you have an electric range, use a long lighter, and hold the flame close enough to everything in the pan to light the tequila aflame.

8

It will only take about 5-10 seconds to burn off the alcohol and the fire will die off by itself. You can carefully shake the pan to move everything around while the flame is doing its work.

9

When the fames die off, add a heaping spoon full of the compound butter.

10

Give the butter good stirs to coat everything in the butter and when it's mostly melted, turn off the heat and add the diced tomato. Give it a good stir to incorporate the tomato.

11

Finish with some Kosher salt and pepper, the remaining scallions and more chopped cilantro.

12

Serve over rice, or grilled bread – or make this as a steak topper.