Shrimp with Spicy Tomato Sauce
Creating recipes gives me great satisfaction, especially when the results are surprisingly good. When I cook I let my intuition take over, but I’m never sure until I add the final ingredient as to how the dish will taste. For this shrimp dish I wanted a spicy sauce. I had bits of limp herbs, leftover red wine, and a few black olives on hand. They went into a sauce that turned out very piccante, a perfect foil for the shrimp. Serve this over spaghetti or rice.
Serves4
CostModerate
Total Timeunder 1 hour
Recipe Coursemain course
Dietary Considerationegg-free, gluten-free, lactose-free, peanut free, soy free, tree nut free
Mealdinner
Type of Dishpasta sauce, sauces
Ingredients
- 1 pound (about 30) medium shrimp, in the shell
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
- 8 large basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 28-ounce can chopped plum tomatoes (3½ cups)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup dry red wine
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons diced oil-cured black olives
- 1 pound spaghetti
Instructions
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In a medium saucepan, bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the shrimp, lemon juice, and bay leaf. Boil just until the shells turn pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the shrimp, let cool, then peel, devein, and set aside.
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Place the onion, basil, and garlic on a cutting board and, with a knife, chop the ingredients together until fine, making a battuto. Set aside.
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In a saucepan, heat the olive oil, add the onion mixture, and saute over medium heat until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, sea salt, pepper, oregano, wine, and water. Cover the pan, lower the heat, and simmer for about 25 minutes.
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Uncover the pan, stir in the shrimp and olives, re-cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Set the sauce aside and keep warm.
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In a large pot, bring 4 to 6 quarts of water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain and place on a platter. Pour over the sauce, mix gently, and serve immediately.
1993 Mary Ann Esposito
