Camarones Ahumados en Recado Negro
(kah-mah-ROH-ness ah-oo-MAH-dohs en reh-KAH-doh NEH-groh)
The Grandmother's Glossary: Foundations & Hacks
If you've ever marveled at the impossibly deep, pitch-black sauces in high-end Mexican restaurants, you were likely eating recado negro. The secret to that campfire-like depth isn't a smoker; it's a traditional Mayan paste made by burning dried chilies to ash. Making it from scratch at home is a hazardous, tear-inducing process, so a real Yucatecan grandmother simply buys a block of it at the market. By simmering fresh shrimp in this store-bought black gold, thickened with a quick masa slurry, you get a stew that tastes like it spent twelve hours over fire but takes twenty minutes on a Tuesday night.
Ingredients
- fresh shrimp1 1/2 lb
- pork lard or unsalted butter2 tbsp
- white onion1/2 large
- Roma tomatoes2 med
- cloves garlic2 med
- recado negro paste3 tbsp
- chicken or seafood broth2 cup
- dried epazote1 tsp
- masa harina1 1/2 tbsp
- Kosher saltto taste
Method
- 01
Sauté the aromatics to build the flavor base.
In a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat the lard or butter over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes, then add the garlic and tomatoes, cooking for another 3 minutes until they begin to break down.
- 02
Bloom the recado negro paste.
Turn the heat down to medium, add the recado negro paste to the skillet, and use the back of a wooden spoon to smash and fry it into the vegetables for one minute to awaken the roasted garlic and chili ash flavors.
- 03
Simmer the black broth.
Slowly pour in the broth, stirring continuously to fully dissolve the black paste. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stir in the dried epazote, taste for salt, and let it simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
- 04
Thicken the sauce with a masa slurry.
Whisk the masa harina with 3 tablespoons of warm water in a small bowl until smooth, then slowly pour this slurry into the simmering black broth, stirring constantly until it transforms into a velvety, glossy sauce that smells faintly of toasted corn.
- 05
Gently poach the shrimp in the hot chilmole.
Reduce the heat to low, drop your peeled shrimp into the gently simmering sauce, and cook just until they turn pink and opaque, about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not overcook them; the residual heat of the thick sauce will finish them.
Notes
Source the right paste.
Never substitute recado rojo (achiote paste) or standard mole for recado negro. They are completely different flavor universes. Buy the black paste at a local Hispanic grocer or online.
Do not skip the epazote.
If you absolutely cannot find dried epazote, you can substitute a quarter cup of chopped fresh cilantro and a tiny pinch of dried oregano, but the epazote is what makes it taste like the homeland.