Flameado! Igniting the tequila in the skillet not only impresses onlookers - it also burns off the alcohol, leaving behind nothing but the spirit's famous bite.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp in shell (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup white or reposado tequila
- 3/4 cup crema or sour cream
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
Accompaniment: rice
Preparation
Toss shrimp with kosher salt and 3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper.
Heat butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then sauté shrimp, turning, until pink and just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat and add tequila, then increase heat to medium-high. Tilt skillet over gas burner to ignite tequila (or ignite with a long match; use caution, as flames may shoot up high). Cook, shaking skillet gently once or twice, until flames subside. Remove from heat and stir in crema. Serve sprinkled with scallion.
Yields 4 servings.
