Is it just me, or do shrimp deserve some special treatment since most of us probably aren’t eating them on the reg? Guajillo Garlic Shrimp understand the assignment. These juicy shrimp get a garlicky, buttery bath before meeting their new best friend: guajillo chili. Dark and fruity with a hint of smoke, it brings plenty of flavor without too much heat.
Feel Good Vibes
- Shrimp give us lean protein along with selenium, vitamin B12 and iodine, nutrients involved in thyroid function, energy metabolism and antioxidant protection.
- Guajillo chilis and lime provide vitamin C to help support your immune system.
- Garlic contains sulfur compounds with antimicrobial properties.
Ingredient Substitutions
I’d love to be able to offer you some substitutions here, but some dishes just aren’t meant to be messed with. This is one of them.
Recipe Tips & FAQs
- Where to Buy:
- GA shrimp
- GA shrimp season opens mid-June and lasts through mid-January. The season doesn’t open until the GA Dept. of Natural Resources decides that the adult shrimp population is sturdy enough for a responsible harvest.
- Publix, Whole Foods and DeKalb Farmers Market all offer GA shrimp. You can also find GA Grown certified wild shrimp at the Atlanta State Farmers Market.
- GA shrimp
- Guajillo chilis can be found at your local supermercado or tienda as well as through Instacart.
- How do you devein shrimp without peeling them? Starting at the open end, use a paring knife to cut through the shell along the back of each shrimp, making a shallow cut into the flesh as you go. Use the tip of the knife to lift out the dark vein, then rinse or wipe it away. The shell stays on and the shrimp stay juicy.
- How do you know when shrimp are done? The shrimp will go from glossy and grayish to pink and opaque once they are cooked. Shrimp are done when they curl into a loose “C” shape. A tight “O” shape means they are overdone.
Guajillo Garlic Shrimp Serving Suggestions
- I recommend folding some cooked peas and diced carrots into this Carolina Gold Rice recipe and serving it on the side (à la Capitán Capitán style).
- Swap out the chicken with shrimp in this Southwestern Cobb.
- Get your veggies in with this very complementary Sofrito recipe.
Storage and Shelf Life
Make Ahead: The guajillos can be soaked, seeded and sliced up to 4 days in advance. Shrimp can be deveined a day ahead of time.
Refrigerate: Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Freezer: Not recommended.
Reheat Instructions
Best consumed immediately. If you have leftovers, eat them cold. Shrimp don’t reheat very well.
Final Thoughts
Image: At Capitán Capitán, Isla Holbox, 2020
Within an hour of landing on Isla Holbox in the Yucatán Peninsula, my husband and I stumbled on the most charming little beach club. It was brand new and scrappy, with a gutted old speedboat converted into a bar, a small shed for cooking and a couple of hammocks and deck chairs for sunbathing. It felt a little East Atlanta, if East Atlanta had a sandy beach. We loved the name: Capitán Capitán.
We ended up hanging out there every day for two weeks, getting to know the local family that owned it and the expatriates they had adopted as their own. Pretty soon we were out there helping stack the chairs at the end of the night too. When we left, we didn’t have much to discuss. We knew we’d get back there as often as we could. It felt like our second home.
When I’m at that beach club, there’s a routine. Hammock and a fresh coconut in the morning, a plate of Guajillo Garlic Shrimp for lunch, maybe a mango flower for dessert. Then I shower up in the afternoon and head back for atardecer (sunset) before dinner. Between the gorgeous island sunsets and these juicy, buttery Guajillo Garlic Shrimp, Capitán Capitán is pretty hard to beat.
I wish I could take you there and share the magic with you, but sharing this recipe is as close as I can get you without a plane ticket. If you do end up there someday, you know where to find me!
Have you tried this recipe yet? If so, tell us how it turned out in the comments below. I hear that leaving positive comments on recipe websites is an easy way to bank some good karma. And don’t forget to sign up for the Everyday Alchemy newsletter here.
Guajillo Garlic Shrimp
Special Equipment
- None
Ingredients
- 2 guajillo chilis
- 1 quart filtered water
- 1 pound shrimp shell on (size 16/20)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 fresh lime juiced
- Sea salt to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring 1 quart of filtered water to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat, add 2 guajillo chilis and cover with a lid. Let sit for 10 minutes, then remove the chilis. When cool enough to handle, remove the stems and seeds and slice the chilis into thin strips.
- Clean 1 pound of size 16/20 shrimp, leaving the shells on. Using a sharp paring knife, cut through the shell along the back of each shrimp from the open end to the tail. Make a shallow incision in the flesh along the same path, just deep enough to expose the dark vein. Use the tip of the paring knife to lift it out, then discard. Rinse the shrimp briefly and pat completely dry before cooking.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the shrimp once the butter starts to foam. Cook for 1 minute and then add 2 cloves of sliced garlic and the sliced guajillo chilis. Turn the heat down to low, stir the pan regularly and sauté for another 3 or so minutes, until the shrimp turn pink and start to curl up into a loose “C” shape. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste and squeeze the juice of 1 lime on top. Serve immediately.
Hi, I’m Julia.
I’m a chef and wellness advocate passionate about helping others live well through nourishing food. I trained at the Culinary Institute of America and now work as a personal chef and community food advocate in Atlanta.
Want to know what inspired me to start Everyday Alchemy? Click the link icon below to read more.