Sometime last year a recipe similar to this appeared in Bon Appetit. I clipped it out. It called for fillets of striped bass or white fish. Well, I’d defrosted shrimp, so I figured why not use them anyway. It probably took me 45 minutes or more to make the dinner, and it was fantastic! The original recipe – from a Mexico City restaurant named Pujol – is no longer available at the magazine’s website. I don’t know why. Only a couple of people out there in cyberspace have blogged about the recipe, and mine, printed below, is my own rendition of it and certainly not true to the chef’s original one. Al Pastor is a Mexican phrase used to describe “in the shepherd’s style,” so it’s likely a peasant kind of dish.
Pasta was not part of the original, for sure, and the pineapple, instead of being in little chunks as I used, was puréed as a sauce. I wanted more texture, so left the pineapple in small pieces instead. I suspect the restaurant would have served it with rice, but I wanted pasta. I chose angel hair, but you could use your own choice – just make it linguine, spaghetti or something like that rather than penne or short, stubby shapes.
For some of you this recipe may be a little on the fussy side. You do have to make the marinade with guajillo chiles (or something similar) and marinate the shrimp in some of the sauce for awhile. You do need to cut up the pineapple and make a very simple heated mixture with lemon juice and a little butter. And you have to make the cilantro sauce – it’s easy – and you can make it in the same bowl (blender or food processor) as you did the guajillo marinade (just rinse out the workbowl). And, of course, you must cook the pasta too. None of the component parts of this recipe is difficult, but you do have to make them separately. This isn’t exactly a throw-together one pot meal. But it was worth the time, and it sure was pretty on the plate. The most complex flavors come from the marinade – probably the guajillo chiles provide it – that umami taste. That’s why I’d pass the extra marinade at the table if you or your guests want more of that flavor. The marinade contains the chile, garlic, orange juice, raw onion, tomatoes and achiote paste.
In case you don’t have achiote paste – well, I don’t know what you could substitute. It comes from the annatto seed (the main ingredient and gives anything you cook with it a red hue), another of the Central or South American spices used to enhance food taste in that part of the world. But the annatto is mixed with a variety of other spices like Mexican oregano, cumin, ground cloves, cinnamon, garlic, etc. to make the achiote. We can buy it in our local supermarkets. It’s not truly a paste – it’s not wet – it’s a dry, clumpy powdery kind of mixture. You can buy it online: El Yucateco Achiote Red Paste, 3.5 oz.
If you’re a shrimp lover, this will definitely give you all the bells and whistles. We each had three shrimp on a very small bed of pasta and we used all the cilantro sauce and a little of the guajillo sauce on the pasta. Great taste! Be prepared for a pile of dirty dishes, though. I used more than I even thought I would making all of it!
Shrimp Al Pastor with Pineapple and Cilantro Sauce on Pasta
Recipe By: Loosely based on a Bon Appetit recipe.
Serving Size: 4
NOTES: This concoction originated in a Mexico City restaurant named Pujol, was for fish, not shrimp and was probably served with rice, not pasta. I changed the recipe around a bit to suit my tastes. You will have some of the guajillo sauce left over, and you can toss it with the pasta if you like the flavor. I didn’t do that, but next time I probably would.
MARINADE:
1 whole guajillo chile pepper — dried
1 clove garlic — unpeeled
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup onion — chopped
2 small tomatoes — quartered
2 tablespoons achiote paste
PINEAPPLE:
2 1/2 cups fresh pineapple — diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
CILANTRO SAUCE:
1 bunch cilantro — about 1 1/2 cups once stems are cut off
1/4 cup onion — diced
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
PASTA:
6 ounces angel hair pasta — or pasta or your choice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
SHRIMP:
1 pound shrimp — extra large
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1. Gently open the dried guajillo chiles and remove the seeds and the stem. In a large nonstick frying pan (large enough to use for cooking the shrimp), toast the guajillo chile with the clove of garlic over medium heat until the garlic clove has begun to blacken in spots. Turn chile pieces and garlic over to prevent burning. This will take about 5 minutes or so.
2. Allow garlic to cool, then remove papery skin and stem. Cut up the chile in bite-sized pieces and add to blender container, with the garlic, orange juice, onion, tomato and achiote paste. Puree until the sauce is almost smooth. Season with salt to taste.
3. Place shrimp in a small flat plate or container (one layer thick) and pour some of the sauce over. Turn shrimp so it’s coated well. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours. When you remove the shrimp from the marinade, discard that part of the marinade as it’s been in contact with raw fish.
4. CILANTRO SAUCE: Make this within a hour before serving as the cilantro will turn dark. Combine in a blender or food processor the cilantro, onion, water and oil. Blend, scraping down the sides, until it’s turned to a smooth sauce. Set aside.
5. SHRIMP: Melt butter in frying pan (the pan used in step 1). Remove shrimp from marinade, leaving any residual sauce on the shrimp and add to the pan. Cook over medium heat, turning once or twice, until shrimp is cooked through, 3-4 minutes (depends on the size of the shrimp). Add a little bit of the marinade if the pan begins to run dry, drizzling it on the shrimp itself.
6. Heat pineapple, lemon juice and butter in a small saucepan and keep warm.
7. Prepare pasta to al dente, drain and place serving sizes on each plate. Drizzle with a little of the reserved guajillo sauce. Place hot shrimp on top, spoon the piineapple in the middle, then drizzle the cilantro sauce around the shrimp. Serve immediately and pass the guajillo sauce on the side if desired.
Per Serving: 563 Calories; 24g Fat (36.5% calories from fat); 30g Protein; 63g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 219mg Cholesterol; 496mg Sodium.
A year ago: Australian Potato Salad
Two years ago: our son’s recipe for Coconut French Toast with Mango Lime Sauce
Four years ago: Ina Garten’s Zucchini Gratin
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