Camarones a la Diabla
By Jonathan ZaragozaPublished on July 25, 2026
Time
1 hour
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Salsa Huichol is a Mexican hot sauce that’s been made in Tepic, Nayarit, since 1949 and is famous for its earthy, spice-forward flavor that is different than the sharp vinegary taste of many American-style hot sauces. Look for it in some supermarkets, Latin grocery stores, or online. Chiltepínes, a tiny variety of chile with floral, vegetal flavor; nice acidity; and intense spiciness that doesn’t linger, are also worth seeking out, but it’s also fine to leave them out. Jugo Maggi is the Mexican version of the seasoning, but regular Maggi Seasoning will work as well. Serve with buttered white rice and sliced avocado seasoned with salt and pepper.
Instructions
- Heat comal over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add 25 grams chile guajillo, stemmed and seeded; 4 chiles de árbol; and ½ teaspoon chiltepínes, if using, and toast until they’re fragrant and slightly darkened, stirring and turning them almost constantly. (Chile guajillo will take about 1 minute, while chiltepínes and chile de árbol will take about 30 seconds.) Transfer chiles to heatproof bowl, then add boiling water to cover (chiles may float). Place bowl on top of chiles to submerge them and let them sit for 15 minutes until they’re tender. Strain chiles. [5 + 15 minutes soaking]
- While chiles soak, place 415 grams Roma tomatoes in center of empty comal, then place 165 grams ½-inch-thick sliced white onion and 50 grams unpeeled garlic on comal around tomatoes. Cook until everything is blackened and tender, flipping as needed to ensure even charring. (Tomatoes will take 15 to 20 minutes until they’re charred and softened, and onion and garlic should take 10 to 12 minutes until they’re charred and tender.) Once garlic is cool enough to handle, peel garlic.
- Transfer strained chiles, tomatoes, onion, peeled garlic, 80 grams minced chipotles en adobo, 70 grams ketchup, 20 grams Salsa Huichol, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder, ¼ teaspoon Jugo Maggi, ½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, 5 grams kosher salt, and 230 grams hot water to blender. Puree on high until smooth, about 1 minute. Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer, pressing on solids to extract as much sauce as possible (you should have about 3 cups); discard solids; and season sauce with salt to taste.
- Pat 907 grams shrimp, peeled and deveined, dry and season with remaining 5 grams salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat 25 grams neutral oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add 70 grams thinly sliced red onion and cook until just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add 50 grams unsalted butter and 50 grams minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add sauce and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until opaque throughout, about 3 minutes. Season with salt to taste and sprinkle with 15 grams chopped cilantro. Serve.
Time
1 hourYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
With its tender shrimp coated in a fiery, smoky chile-tomato sauce, camarones a la diabla is the kind of dish that belongs near cold beer, some arroz blanco, and sliced avocado (and a stack of tortillas or tostadas). You’ll see it especially along Mexico’s western coasts of Sinaloa and Sonora, but it’s also deeply at home on the east coast of Veracruz. There are lots of ways to achieve the blazing heat reflective of the dish’s name. Here, Jonathan leans into toasted dried chiles, charred tomatoes and alliums, and just enough pantry seasoning to make a sauce that feels round, hot, and deeply satisfying. After pureeing and straining the sauce, he amplifies its flavors by simmering it briefly with loads of garlic cooked in butter, then adds the shrimp to the pan.
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