Alambre de Camarones blends spicy and sweet undertones to create a special and satisfying meal.  Picking up subtle smoky flavors from the grill, the shrimp become juicy and fragrant while the peppers and onions caramelize.  Finish off the dish with a salad for a light lunch or add rice and black beans for a heartier meal.  This recipe, among many other delicious, authentic choices, can be found in Rosa's New Mexican Table by Rosa Mexicano's Executive Chef Roberto Santibañez. 

Alambre de Camarones

From "Rosa's New Mexican Table" by Roberto Santibañez and Christopher Hirsheimer, Artisan 2007

Serves 4 makes (4 skewers with 6 shrimp each)

• 24 large, peeled and veined shrimp (approximately 1 Lb.) 
• 1 small red onion
• 1 medium size Tomato
• 8 Serrano peppers
• 4  10 inch bamboo skewers soaked for 20 minutes
  

For the shrimp marinade

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  

In a mortar with pestle crush to a paste, garlic cloves with oregano, black pepper and salt.

Add lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, and olive oil.

Place shrimp in a bowl and mix well with marinade let sit for 10 minutes while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Make the skewers

Clean the 2 first outer layers of the onion and cut in 16 half moon shaped pieces.

Cut tomato in half, scoop out all the seeds and cut in 12 half moon shaped pieces.

Start skewering with a Serrano pepper, follow with a piece of onion and a piece of tomato, one shrimp and keep alternating the ingredients until you have 6 shrimp on the skewer and have finished with a Serrano pepper (see picture for suggested technique).

Season the skewers with a bit more salt and proceed to grill them.

Heat a cast iron skillet grill or any other griddle available to medium high heat and cook the shrimp skewers for 2 minutes on each side.

Serve with pico de gallo or the salsa of your preference.

For garnish you can serve white rice, black beans or a salad of mixed field greens with a pomegranate dressing.   

About Rosa's New Mexican Table and Rosa Mexicano

A fresh, exciting, accessible approach to Mexican cooking, in glorious full-color, by the highly respected chef of the wildly popular Rosa Mexicano restaurants.  Rosa Mexicano has been named Best New York City Mexican Restaurant by New York Magazine, The Village Voice, CitySearch, and Zagat. Rosa's chef, Roberto Santibañez, has been featured everywhere from Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, and Bon Appétit to Us and Life. Together, this chef and these restaurants are at the very pinnacle of Mexican food-a mediagenic star and his extraordinarily popular restaurants that serve more than 1 million (!) customers a year. Rosa's contemporary approach-lighter, easier, more accessible-is a much needed breath of fresh air for Mexican cooking.  For more information about the cookbook or the restaurant itself, visit www.rosamexicano.com.

Rosa Mexicano has locations in Atlanta , GA, New York City, Washington DC, and Palm Beach, FL.

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