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Spanish Style Shrimp in Chocolate Sauce
Catalan cooks have long added bittersweet chocolate to savory dishes for earthy depth of flavor. This combination of seafood and chocolate offers a perfect balance to the richness in the sauce and subtle sweetness from tender shrimp. The Pavette Pinot Noir is fruity and easy drinking, pairing the Shrimp and chocolate work well with this wine.Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds unpeeled raw extra-large shrimp
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 Can Seafood Stock (you could sub vergtable broth for this: Aprox 12 oz)
- 1/3 cup slivered or blanched almonds
- 2 ounces 70% to 75% cacao dark chocolate baking bar, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup) OR Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (but a baking chocolate or tasting chocolate bar will melt more smoothly) - NOTE: I used chips and once they were heated they melted fine.
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Salt and pepper
- Cooked white rice for serving (optional)
- Peel and devein shrimp. Rinse, drain, and pat shrimp dry. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Transfer almonds to a blender; process until almonds form a fine texture, 10 to 15 seconds. Add chocolate, garlic, and half the can of the seafood broth (about 7 1/2 oz). Secure lid on blender, pocess until mostly smooth (some bits of chocolate will remain, especially if you use chips), about 15 seconds. Add as much stock to mixture in blender and process until liquid is very smooth and turns the color of milk chocolate, about 30 seconds. Set aside, covered, at room temperature until ready to use.
- Heat a large skillet over medium. Add butter to skillet, and heat until barely melted. Add peeled shrimp. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring often, until shrimp just start to curl and turn opaque, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer cooked shrimp to a plate. Repeat process if you have additional shrimp. Do not wipe skillet clean.
- Add chocolate sauce and parsley to the large skillet. Cook over medium, stirring often, until sauce is silky and thick, about 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; return shrimp to skillet, and cook, stirring often, until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add more salt to taste.
- Transfer mixture to 1 large, shallow bowl or 4 individual bowls or dishes, serving shrimp over white rice, if desired. Sauce will thicken as it sits. If needed, stir in water or more broth, 1 tablespoon at a time, to reach desired consistency. Top with fresh parsley.
Adapted from Food & Wine February 2023