Camarones Rancheros

Step 1

Place the red bell pepper on a cutting board, cut-side down. Slice straight down through the pepper into strips about 1/2-inch wide, discarding seeds. Turn each strip on its flat side and slice crosswise to create 1/2-inch cubes.

Step 2

Place the onion half cut-side down on the cutting board. Slice lengthwise from root tip toward the flat end into strips about 1/2-inch wide. Turn the strips and slice crosswise to create roughly 1/2-inch cubes.

Step 3

Mince the garlic cloves until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice—about the size of pencil-tip dots. Set aside on a small plate.

Step 4

Roughly chop the chipotle pepper into 3–4 pieces and place in a small bowl along with 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce it came in. Set aside.

Step 5

Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a 12-inch skillet and set over medium-high heat. Wait about 90 seconds until the oil shimmers and moves quickly when you tilt the pan.

Step 6

Add the minced garlic to the hot oil and stir constantly for 30 seconds until it smells strongly fragrant and turns light golden at the edges—do not let it brown.

Step 7

Add the diced bell pepper and onion to the skillet. Stir once every 30 seconds for 4 minutes, until the peppers and onions are soft and the edges look slightly caramelized.

Step 8

Pour the canned tomatoes with their juice into the skillet. Add the chopped chipotle and adobo sauce. Stir until everything is evenly mixed, about 30 seconds.

Step 9

Add the shrimp to the skillet and stir until all shrimp are coated with sauce. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 4 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

Step 10

Continue cooking for 2–3 minutes more until all shrimp are opaque pink on the outside and the meat inside is white when you cut one open—they should not feel mushy.

Step 11

Remove the skillet from heat. Taste a spoonful of sauce and add salt and pepper a pinch at a time until it tastes good to you.

Step 12

Scatter the fresh cilantro leaves over the top of the shrimp and sauce, distributing them evenly across the surface.