Albondigas de Camaron

Albondigas de Camaron (Shrimp Meatballs)
from Dishes from the Wild Horse Desert

Sauce
1 pound ripe tomatoes
2 or 3 serrano chiles
1 garlic clove
salt and pepper to taste

Albondigas
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 egg
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying

Heat a cast-iron or other heavy skillet over high heat with oil. Add the tomatoes and chiles and roast until they have blackened in a few places (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat, peel and core the tomatoes, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Remove the stems from the chiles. Place the tomatoes and chiles in a food processor and add the garlic. Process until the sauce is smooth. Pour the sauce into a small skillet, season with salt and pepper, bring to a simmer, and reduce the liquid to thicken the sauce - about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Place the shrimp in a food processor and pulse just until they become a chunky paste. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the egg, bread crumbs, cilantro, salt and pepper. Stir to combine well. The mixture will thicken slightly once the bread crumbs have absorbed some moisture, so let the mixture stand 2 or 3 minutes.

Add approximately 1 inch of oil to a 10-inch skillet and heat over medium heat until hot. Form walnut-size balls with the shrimp mixture and carefully place in the hot oil, cooking a few at a time, in batches. Fry one side until the shrimp turns pink, about 3 minutes, and then flip to the other side and fry for another 3 minutes. Remove the cooked albondigas to drain on paper towels. Serve hot with the sauce.

Notes: The spicy flavor of this one makes it a lovely way to use shrimp and get a little variation into the menu.

Posted by Jennifer at July 18, 2007 8:35 PM | TrackBack