After having a whack of shrimp left over from a previous dinner, I was looking to experiment with a new dish and stumbled upon this recipe. I liked that it had few ingredients and was short on prep time, but was a little concerned about never having actually attempted to flambé anything before.
Armed with extra-long matches and my sturdiest cast iron pan, I gave it a go and it turned out great. The tequila adds a lot of interesting flavour, but avoids tasting like you marinated your shrimp in a summer cocktail. Don’t be alarmed at how long the liquor takes to burn off (or how high the flames are), just stand back and carefully shake the pan from time to time wearing a good quality oven glove.
Tequila Shrimp
1.5 lbs. large shrimp (think about 20 per pound), peeled and deveined
2 tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 cup tequila
1/2 cup sour cream or crème fraiche
1 bunch green onions, chopped on the diagonal
fresh cilantro
kosher salt and pepper
Toss shrimp with salt and pepper and set aside. Place coconut oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once melted, add shrimp and sauté until they’re pink and opaque, about five minutes.
Turn heat down low and slowly pour the tequila into the pan. Turn the heat back up to medium-high and use a long match to set fire to the tequila. Careful here – flames may be big and shoot up high. Stand back and carefully shake the pan as the flames die down.
Once the fire has subsided, remove the pan from the heat and add in cream. Mix well and sprinkle with green onions and chopped cilantro. Serve over brown rice and/or quinoa and enjoy!
Pot of Roses 