How To Make Camarones a la Diabla

Camarones a la Diabla is a classic dish with Mexican flavors combining dried chiles and fresh shrimp. We found a fish market in the Puerto Vallarta Romantic Zone where a kilo of shrimp is about $12. We’ve made this dish twice here so far and we have more plans for recipes with shrimp! We paired this with some fresh pineapple from a local produce store and the sweet acidity elevated the flavors to a new level.

This recipe is naturally gluten free.

Watch a Video

Here is a video of 2 Cooks in the Kitchen making Camarones a la Diabla:

The Chiles

The chiles we used for this recipe are 2 Anchos, 1 Pasilla, 1 Morita and 2 de Arbol. If you want to make this spicier you can add more de Arbols and Moritas. We found the anchos and pasillas at a local supermarket and they are the best dried chiles we have ever worked with. These chiles are very supple and fragrant. Even the Morita, which we found at a small fruit and vegetable market, has a lot of life to it.

Remove Stems and Seeds From The Anchos and Pasilla

We need to remove the stems and seeds from the Anchos and Pasilla. Since we will be blending them we don’t have to worry about keeping them whole. It makes the job easier when we can just tear them to get at the seeds. We’ll keep the seeds in the Morita and de Arbol chiles for the heat. Put the cleaned pieces in a pan.

Cut the Tomatoes

We also need to cut our tomatoes into quarters and add them to the pan.

Add Water and Boil

Next we will add enough water to the pan to just cover the chiles and tomatoes. We are going to bring the pan to a boil and then let it cook for 10 minutes.

Blend the Chiles and Tomatoes

After they have cooked for 10 minutes we want to put the chiles and tomatoes into a blender with about 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Blend this until you get a smooth mixture and then set the Diablo sauce aside.

Peel and Deveine the Shrimp

Now that our sauce is made we can get the shrimp ready. Since we are making 2 servings we want to use 16 shrimp. If you want to make this recipe for more people just double everything. They need to be peeled and deveined. You can find videos on how to devein shrimp. We didn’t think to video the process this time but we will in the future. Basically, there is an intestine-like thing full of sand running down the back of the shrimp that needs to be removed along with the shells. We do this by cutting down to it and pulling it out.

Dice Onion and Garlic

While we are preparing our ingredients we can cut up the onions and garlic as well. We want both to be a fairly small dice so they will incorporate into the sauce as they cook down. A few chunks of garlic are always good so you don’t need to worry about getting them too small.

Cook the Shrimp In Butter

Now that all our ingredients are ready we can start cooking. We’ll put some butter in a large skillet and heat it up over a medium flame. Then we’ll put in the shrimp. You’ll want to work quickly so nothing gets overcooked.

45 Seconds On the First Side

We’ll cook the first side for about 45 seconds and then turn the shrimp over. We don’t want to cook these all the way as they get cooked again with the sauce and we want tender, juicy shrimp and not dry overcooked shrimp.

30 Seconds On the Second Side and Remove From the Pan

We’ll give the second side about 30 seconds to cook and then remove the shrimp from the pan and set it aside.

Add 3 Tablespoons of Oil

Next we will add about 3 tablespoons of oil to the same pan with the shrimpy butter. You want to build on the flavors in the pan from cooking the shrimp.

Add the Onions and Cook For 5 Minutes

Heat the oil over a medium flame and then we’ll add the onions. We don’t want to add the garlic yet so we give the onions a head start in cooking.

Add the Garlic and Cook For 5 Minutes

We want to let the onions cook for about 5 minutes and then add the garlic. Stir this often so it all cooks evenly. We’ll cook this for another 5 minutes or so.

Add the Sauce

Once the onions and garlic have had a chance to cook down fairly well we can add our sauce from the blender. Stir this in well and bring it to a low boil.

Add Salt

While we are waiting for the sauce to heat back up we can add the salt and cumin. This recipe doesn’t require a lot of salt and we don’t want to mask the taste of the chiles with too much cumin, so we’ll just use a half teaspoon of each.

Add Cumin

It was a little tricky to find the cumin in the grocery store here in Puerto Vallarta. We had to get out the translator app as it is labeled ‘Comino Molido’.

Cook For 15 Minutes

Now we want to let this cook for at least 15 minutes. Our sauce needs to reduce some and we want time for all the flavors to marry. When it has reduced to the desired consistency we can add the cilantro. How finely you cut the leaves is up to you. We just chopped them a little.

Add the Shrimp

Now we can add the shrimp back into to the pan. We just want to warm it back up and then our dish is ready to serve.

Serve Right Away

We like to serve Camarones a la Diabla with Mexican Rice. Put some rice on the plate and add the shrimp on top. Garnish with Cilantro leaves and enjoy your Camarones a la Diabla. We also really like this dish with fresh pineapple or pineapple salsa. The acidity and sweetness of the pineapple really elevates the flavors.

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Here are some other great Mexican Recipe Ideas:

• Enchiladas
• Molé Enchiladas
• Tinga de Pollo
• Molé Manchamanteles With Chicken
• Molé Amarillo With Chicken and Vegetables
• Al Pastor Tacos
• Pork Chile Verde
• Shrimp Stuffed Poblanos With Colorado Sauce
• Chile Rellenos

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