Camarones Rellenos Envueltos Con Tocino
This dish was featured in the January 27, 2002 Pacific Northwest Seattle Times Magazine in an article written by my friend and colleague Greg Atkinson, then Canlis Restaurant executive chef and author of The Northwest Essentials Cookbook (Sasquatch Books, 1999). It is a dish that I often serve for parties and it is always well received and worth the effort.
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 3 chiles chipotles en adobo, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon of the adobosauce from the canned chiles
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon minced lime zest
- 12 medium-thick slices lean bacon, cut in half crosswise
- 24 large shrimp, peeled, deveined and butterflied with tails attached
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Manchego, Monterey Jack or other good melting cheese
- About 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
In a bowl or food processor, combine the mayonnaise, chiles, and adobo sauce, garlic, lime juice and lime zest and stir or process to mix well.
Lay as many bacon slices as will fit in a single layer in a large, heavy frying pan and cook over medium-low heat until opaque but still soft, about 5 minutes. Press down with a spatula to keep the bacon flat. Transfer to absorbent paper to drain. Wipe out the pan and cook the remaining bacon in the same way.
Dry the shrimp with paper towels. Sprinkle with pepper and stuff with cheese. Push the sides together and wrap with cooked bacon slice, covering all the cheese so it won’t melt out. If necessary, secure with a toothpick. In the same frying pan over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add a few of the bacon-wrapped shrimp and fry, turning frequently and adding more oil as needed to prevent sticking, until the bacon is browned and the shrimp are pink, about 10 minutes. Transfer to absorbent paper. Repeat until all shrimp are fried.
Serve the shrimp on plates and accompany with the chipotle mayonnaise.
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