Deborah Cooke: Author

Mr. C. travelled and worked a great deal in Mexico, and every once in a while – often when it’s cold, dark and snowy here – he misses it. He had travelled there before, but when you work in a place, you see a different side of it. He loved the culture and the food before, but had a chance to spend more time with people, and he had a wonderful time. Several people in the office “adopted” him on weekends and took him on roadtrips, to show him what they thought was special about their home. I went down for a few weeks, too, and loved it just as much as he did.

One of his favourite meals in the hotel where he lived was Gambas al Ajillo – Shrimp in Garlic Sauce. I finally found a good recipe in a book called TAPAS: THE LITTLE DISHES OF SPAIN by Penelope Casas. These are appetizers, and this recipe makes four appies – I use it as a main course instead and serve it over basmati rice, cooked with saffron. When we lived in the city and he was feeling nostalgic, I’d go down to the fishmonger at the St. Lawrence Market and buy shrimp. There’s no fishmonger where we live now, so he was doubly nostalgic this week.

But I found a solution. All shrimp in Canada is previously frozen – if it’s not frozen at the fishmonger, that’s because he has thawed it for you. Given that, I went freezer diving at the grocery store and came up with a couple of those bags of frozen uncooked shrimp.

Don’t buy the super jumbo ones because it’s hard to tell when they’re cooked. Don’t buy the teeny ones either. Large here apparently means 16 to 20 shrimp per pound and that’s what I bought. One bag makes two good servings – enough even for one person who is feeling nostalgic! Thaw them in the fridge overnight or in a bowl of water, shell them, and – as Penelope advises – rub them with sea salt and let them stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. She says this gives them the taste of the sea again – never having had fresh shrimp, I’ll have to take her word for it.

This is her recipe – I’ve put my changes in brackets. She’s making four appetizers, remember, not dinner for two. Use a skillet instead of the ramekins. Because this cooks so quickly, I make the rice first so it’s ready to go.

8 tbsp olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped (I used one bulb only)
1 dried red chili pepper, stem and seeds removed, in 2 pieces (optional – you can also use red pepper flakes)
1/2 tsp paprika, preferably Spanish style (sweet not hot)
1 tbsp minced parsley
coarse salt

Heat the oil in four ramekins or one shallow 8-inch casserole, preferably earthenware. Add the garlic and chili pepper, and when the garlic starts to turn golden – be careful not to overcook – add the shrimp. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, for about 2 minutes or until the shrimp are just done. Sprinkle in the paprika, parsley and salt. Serve immediately, right in the cooking dish if possible. Provide lots of good bread for dunking.

So, there you go! Maybe you need a bit of warm-weather cooking this winter – or a break from turkey this weekend. If you need more inspiration, pick up a copy of Penelope’s cookbook. It’s wonderful.