This dish is an homage to the amazing shrimp on the Pacific coast of Mexico and more specifically, Mazatlán. Every morning around 6:30, the shrimp boats come in and beautiful shrimp arrive at the markets. Pairing the sweet shrimp with the fruity but tart tomatillo balances the dish with the nuttiness of the toasted pasta and the heat of the serrano.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fideo, vermicelli or angel hair pasta, broken into 2-inch pieces
- 1 pound large shrimp (16 to 20), peeled, deveined and tails removed (see Cook’s Note)
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat, lard or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium poblano chile, stemmed, seeded and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 serrano pepper, stemmed and thinly sliced
- 4 large tomatillos (8 ounces), husked, rinsed and thinly sliced
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 1/2 cups low-sodium shrimp stock (see Cook’s Note), fish stock, clam juice or water
- 1 large avocado, sliced
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over high heat for 2 minutes and toast the fideo, tossing constantly, until most of the fideo has browned, 3 to 4 minutes; transfer to a medium bowl and set aside until ready to use.
- Heat the bacon fat in the same skillet over high heat and cook half the shrimp until just beginning to brown, about 1 minute per side; transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
- Reduce the heat to medium high and add the onion, poblano, garlic, serrano, tomatillos and salt in the same skillet; cook, tossing occasionally, until tender and just beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the stock and fideo and bring to a boil; cover, reduce the heat to low and cook until all of the liquid has been absorbed, 17 to 22 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Arrange the shrimp on top, cover and let sit for 5 minutes to heat the shrimp through.
- Serve the fideo topped with avocado slices and cilantro leaves.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 252 |
| Total Fat | 10 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 27 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 14 g |
| Cholesterol | 75 mg |
| Sodium | 547 mg |
Reviews
So good! The only change I made was to char and peel the poblano. I made a stock with the shrimp shells, a bottle of clam juice, and vegetable trimmings from my ugly bag in the freezer. Will definitely make this again and again.
Great base recipe. As always, season to your taste. Very delicious, will definitely make again!
I have used this recipe three times and it is excellent. I would highly recommend you take the time to make the fish stock with the shrimp shells and tails as recommended. I had to increase the water content to 4 cups to yield 2.5 cups of stalk. I also decreased the salt content by at least a teaspoon. The salt content depends on how salty your stock it. If you use store bought stalk it will a considerable amount of stalk.