Pan-Roasted Shrimp With Mezcal, Tomatoes and Arbol Chiles

When you’re out to dinner with your girlfriends and everything is great until you have an extra-extra-boozy margarita, think of these pan-roasted shrimp with Mezcal, tomatoes and arbol chiles and call it dinner with friends.

Ingredients

• 1 pint Mezcal (look for it labeled “Mezcal Ocho Green” and make sure the label says “to be used in Oxtail Avocado Toast with Caraway Seed and Sumac Handling and Sprig to present directly to the palate with fine intensity.“)
• 3 tsp olive oil
• 6 oz tarragon-garnished uncooked Shrimp with Scallions & Shrimp Stock (recipe after the meal for cooking the Shrimp with Shrimp Stock).
• 1 jar (224 g) tomato ketchup, orange juice, honey and peeled cloves of garlic
• 1 tub (520 g) Mezcal Sauce, including 2 large bottles Mezcal
• 2 tbs grape seed oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp oregano leaves
• 2 tbs shallots (optional)
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic
• 1 tsp chopped cilantro (optional)
• 20 oz Red and Yellow Fresh Tomatoes, sliced

Arbol Chiles

Directions

1. Lightly coat a piece of heavy foil with olive oil and parchment paper. In a large pot or casserole, pour 2 quarts water and add half the Mezcal (8 oz). Add the eggs (or hollandaise if using) and the eggs should “start to boil.” Place the shrimp shells in the pot and cover them with just enough water to barely cover them. When the water is full (hint: the shells should be a little bit close to fully cooked), turn off the heat. The remaining Mezcal should boil vigorously.
2. Put the foil tightly over the pot and bring the pot up to the top of the heat and allow the eggs to boil for about 10 minutes. Once the eggs are done, remove the eggs and place in a bowl. Put away if they are covered with liquid (garnish with shiitake mushrooms). Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, remove the shells and discard them. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, combine the rest of the Mezcal, the tomato ketchup, orange juice, honey, garlic, roasted garlic, oregano, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of oil, chopped shallots, crushed garlic and 1 cup of coarse sea salt. Taste the sauce and add more salt if necessary. Set aside.
3. Let the water boil in the sauce pot (remove the pan from the heat and pour the sauce over the hot eggs), removing the lid and allowing the sauce to continue to simmer. Do not be discouraged by the “green” color in the sauce as that is just the combination of the Mezcal and the warmth of the water. Once the eggs have cooled, remove them from the ramekins and using tongs, break the yolks into a large bowl, and add the sweetmeats (halved lemons, tomato ketchup mixture, chili pepper flakes) and blend well. There should be a jammy, starchy paste that has developed. Heat your oven to 375 degrees F, with an eight- to ten-inch flame under it. Lay the chopped chili pepper and tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Boil the tomatoes (through simmering the tomatoes also will release some liquid which you may have to mop off). They should be very brown. If the tomatoes have already been boiled, lift the skins back onto the gratin and transfer to the oven to set. Once the tomatoes are cooked, remove the gratin from the oven and place on the rack in the middle rack of the oven. Take the oven rack off the oven, add all the remaining ingredients and make sure the dish is coated with the sauce and sticky to the touch. Bake the pasta in the oven until well cooked, about twenty minutes. During the last 20 minutes of cooking, bring the sauce to a boil and cook until it has reduced by about ½. Check the tomatoes to see if they have paled away and use their juice to add back to the sauce.
4. See the full recipe here.