Tony Ortiz's Shrimp Chimichurri = A Perfect Spring Meal

Tony Ortiz's Shrimp Chimichurri = A Perfect Spring Meal
July 20, 2023

Our volcanic rock Molcajete is key to the best salsas and guacamole, but we love discovering alternative uses for this ancient tool. It simply and effectively pounds and marries garlic, herbs, nuts, aromatics, and spices; we've used it for salad dressing, pesto, flavored salt, and now, chimichurri. The Molcajete extracts the natural oils and flavors of a bounty of summer herbs, which form the base of this sauce by our friend Tony Ortiz (as pictured in this video).

Shrimp chimichurri mise en place


Tony calls this shrimp chimichurri dish, loosely inspired by camarones a la diabla, "a labor of love well worth the effort." He says "the result is a spicy and garlicky herb sauce with tart lemon juice and a lingering heat. The sauce is perfect to marinate jumbo shrimp or any other protein with. My favorite way of using this sauce is to saute shrimp with it."

He suggests serving it over basmati rice with corn tortillas for a perfect warm weather meal.

Molcajete
Shrimp Chimichurri

Shrimp Chimichurri

Tony Ortiz of Chile con Miel

Ingredients

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    • 1 loosely packed cup scallions, roughly chopped (green parts only)

    • 1 loosely packed cup cilantro with its tender stems, roughly chopped

    • 1 loosely packed cup dill with its tender stems, roughly chopped

    • 1 loosely packed cup basil leaves, whole

    • 2 large serrano peppers (more if you want it very spicy)

    • 1 cup high-quality olive oil

    • ½ cup lemon juice (from approximately 3 medium lemons)

    • 6 large garlic cloves

    • 2 tsp kosher salt, to taste

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    • 1lb de-veined jumbo shrimp, shells removed and tails left on

    • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika

    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt

    • 3 tablespoons olive oil

    • ¼ cup water

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    • Cooked basmati rice

    • Fresh corn tortillas

    Directions

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      1. Add chopped serrano and garlic into the Molcajete. Sprinkle salt over the chiles and garlic to assist the ingredient break down. Using the tejolote (pestle), smash ingredients in a circular motion until a paste. 

      2. Add scallion tops to Molcajete and repeat the process, smashing for approximately 3 minutes. Tip:  When breaking down herbs it is easier to use the tejolote to smash them using an up-and-down motion to start. Once the herbs are broken down, use the traditional circular motion to grind into a paste.

      3. Add the cilantro and repeat the above process until it forms a paste (about 3 minutes). Tip: Once one herb is ground into a paste, use the tejolote to push the paste to one side of the Molcajete’s bowl, leaving an empty side to process the next whole herb onto.

      4. Add the dill and repeat the above process until it forms a paste (about 3 minutes).

      5. Add the basil and repeat the above process until it forms a paste (about 3 minutes).

      6. Once all the herbs are incorporated and in paste form, add lemon juice into the Molcajete and mix it into the paste using a spoon. 

      7. Slowly drizzle 1 cup of olive oil into the mixture, incorporating with a spoon or fork. 

      8. Taste the finished sauce and season with more salt or lemon juice if needed. 

      9. Use this sauce to marinate meats or to saute shrimp. 

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      1. Marinate the shrimp by tossing it with paprika and salt, evenly coating all pieces. Let sit for 10 minutes. 

      2. Heat a large skillet over medium-low for about 5 minutes or until the surface is hot. Pour in 3 tablespoons of olive oil, allowing to heat for one minute.

      3. Toss in shrimp, making sure each piece lays flat against the skillet’s surface. If your skillet isn’t large enough, work in batches to avoid over-crowding.

      4. Cook shrimp on the first side for one minute, then flip and cook on the reverse side for one minute.

      5. Pour in ½ cup of chimichurri sauce and toss shrimp, cooking another two minutes until the shrimp begins to curl and turn pink.

      6. Add ¼ cup of water to create a pan sauce.

      7. Serve shrimp and pan sauce over basmati rice and/or alongside corn tortillas.

      3 comments

      TODD STANLEY |

      On a side note, I did use the left over salty sauce as a marinade on a flank steak and it was amazing!

      MASIENDA |

      Hi Todd! Thank you for pointing that out. You are right, it was a typo. The recipe should call for 2 teaspoons of salt, not 2 tablespoons. We have updated it now. We really appreciate your feedback and hope it turns out even better next time.

      TODD STANLEY |

      This was tasty, but I had to change the recipe a bit to mellow out the saltiness. I don’t know if the 2 tablespoons of salt in the sauce is a typo, but it ended up waaayyyy to salty. I ended up adding cream to the sauce to mellow it out which also took away the greenness. So take it really easy on the salt, you can always add more. I’m going to give it another go, because I’m sure it will be even better as intended.

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