Cast Iron Pan-Seared Shrimp with Romesco Sauce
By Russell SelanderPublished on July 12, 2017
Time
55 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Note that the cooking time listed here is for jumbo shrimp (16 to 20 per pound). If using smaller or larger shrimp, be sure to adjust the cooking time as needed.
Instructions
- Cook bread, almonds, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and garlic in 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bread and almonds are golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer bread mixture to food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 5 pulses. Add red peppers, vinegar, honey, ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and pulse until finely ground, about 10 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer sauce to bowl and set aside for serving.
- Wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Adjust oven rack to middle position, place now-empty skillet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Meanwhile, combine paprika, sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and cayenne in bowl. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and sprinkle with paprika mixture.
- When oven reaches 500 degrees, using potholders, remove skillet from oven and place over medium-high heat; turn off oven. Being careful of hot skillet handle, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and heat until just smoking. Add half of shrimp to skillet in single layer and cook, without moving them, until well browned on first side, about 2 minutes. Flip shrimp and continue to cook until lightly browned on second side and shrimp are opaque throughout, 30 to 60 seconds.
- Transfer shrimp to serving platter and tent with aluminum foil. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels and repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and remaining shrimp. Serve with sauce.
Time
55 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Pan-searing shrimp often results in shrimp that are either dry and flavorless or pale and gummy. We wanted shrimp that were well caramelized but still moist, sweet, and tender. Brining peeled shrimp inhibited browning, so instead we seasoned them with a flavorful mixture of paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne, and sugar, which brought out their natural sweetness and aided in browning. We cooked the shrimp in batches in a large, piping-hot cast-iron skillet. The cast iron's great heat retention helped us get perfectly even browning all over the shrimp. To accompany the shrimp, we created a batch of quick, classic Spanish romesco, which is made with roasted red peppers and traditionally served with fish. We started with a base of extra-virgin olive oil, hearty sandwich bread, and almonds, which we toasted for added richness and texture. To keep things simple, we skipped roasting our own red peppers and stuck with boldly flavored jarred roasted red peppers.
Before You Begin
Note that the cooking time listed here is for jumbo shrimp (16 to 20 per pound). If using smaller or larger shrimp, be sure to adjust the cooking time as needed.
Instructions
- Cook bread, almonds, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and garlic in 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bread and almonds are golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer bread mixture to food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 5 pulses. Add red peppers, vinegar, honey, ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and pulse until finely ground, about 10 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer sauce to bowl and set aside for serving.
- Wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Adjust oven rack to middle position, place now-empty skillet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Meanwhile, combine paprika, sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and cayenne in bowl. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and sprinkle with paprika mixture.
- When oven reaches 500 degrees, using potholders, remove skillet from oven and place over medium-high heat; turn off oven. Being careful of hot skillet handle, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and heat until just smoking. Add half of shrimp to skillet in single layer and cook, without moving them, until well browned on first side, about 2 minutes. Flip shrimp and continue to cook until lightly browned on second side and shrimp are opaque throughout, 30 to 60 seconds.
- Transfer shrimp to serving platter and tent with aluminum foil. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels and repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and remaining shrimp. Serve with sauce.
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