Camarones en Salsa de Tamarindo

Camarones en Salsa de Tamarindo (Prawns in Tamarind Sauce)

A Mexican coastal dish of plump prawns simmered in a glossy, sweet-sour tamarind sauce enriched with butter, garlic, onion and fresh coriander. Serve with white rice and warm tortillas.

Prep

15 min

Cook

20 min

Total

35 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •680 g (1½ lb) raw prawns, shell on, head-on if possible; thaw fully if frozen
• •15 g (1 Tbsp) tamarind pulp (seedless block), or 60 g / ¼ cup tamarind paste/concentrate
• •250 ml (1 cup) hot water
• •60 g (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter
• •1 medium white onion, finely chopped
• •4 cloves garlic, minced
• •1 serrano or jalapeño chili, minced, seeds removed for mild; optional
• •30 g (¼ cup) fresh coriander, chopped (stems and leaves)
• •5 g (1 tsp) salt, or to taste
• •2 g (½ tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• •5 ml (1 tsp) vegetable oil
• •5 g (1 tsp) sugar (optional), only if tamarind is very tart

Steps

1. 1 Prepare the tamarind base: place the tamarind pulp in a bowl, pour over 250 ml (1 cup) hot water and let steep 5 minutes. Mash with your fingers or a spoon, then press through a fine-mesh sieve; discard fibers and seeds. You should have about 200 ml (¾ cup) smooth tamarind liquid. (If using commercial paste, skip and stir it directly into the pan later.)
2. 2 Peel and devein the prawns, leaving the tails on if desired. Pat them very dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
3. 3 Heat the vegetable oil plus half the butter (30 g / 2 Tbsp) in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter foams, add the chopped onion and cook 3–4 minutes until translucent.
4. 4 Add the minced garlic and chili and cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant but not browned.
5. 5 Pour in the strained tamarind liquid, bring to a gentle simmer and reduce for 3–4 minutes until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Taste; add the teaspoon of sugar only if the sauce is sharply sour.
6. 6 Add the prawns in a single layer, nestle them into the sauce and simmer 2 minutes on the first side.
7. 7 Flip the prawns, add the remaining butter (30 g / 2 Tbsp) and most of the chopped coriander. Stir gently so the sauce turns glossy and emulsified. Cook another 1–2 minutes until the prawns are just opaque and curled into a loose C-shape.
8. 8 Doneness cue: prawns are safe and perfectly cooked when the flesh is opaque all the way through, springs back lightly to the touch, and reaches an internal temperature of 63 °C / 145 °F; pull them off the heat immediately at this point so they do not turn rubbery.
9. 9 Taste the sauce and adjust salt. Spoon the prawns and sauce onto a warm platter, scatter the remaining coriander over the top and serve straight away with white rice and tortillas.