Camarones ala Diabla-Devil’s Shrimp

Camarones ala Diabla (Devil’s Shrimp) ~ Shrimp in a spicy tomato based sauce with chipotle chilies in adobo, mushrooms, and onions and mildly sweetened using Coke de Mexico.It wasn’t too long ago that a dish like this would have never passed my lips in a restaurant, much less come from my own kitchen. Glad things have changed; that my tastebuds FINALLY grew up. My family and friends had been on me for years to at least try this dish. For me it had two negatives: it was seafood and it was spicy.

When I finally went over to the dark side and started to try seafood (thanks Ken and Barney for the public shaming), and started to at least give seafood a courtesy bite, well, let’s just say I became converted. I’m still a bit sketchy making seafood at home, but I got this shrimp thing down (except when I forget to remove the shells before cooking….)I’ve had a few versions of Devil’s Shrimp at various restaurants and once at a friend’s home. I broke the parts down and realized it was super easy to make. I like easy! A pinch of sugar is a very common thing to add when making any tomato based dish, in any culture, whether it’s Italian, Indian, or Mexican. The sugar makes the flavor of the tomatoes pop and the dish becomes very robust. But a pinch of white sugar just doesn’t work in this dish. You know what does?

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Yes, the non-soda drinker is here advocating the use of Coca-Cola. Heck, I’m not advocating, I’m downright telling you to use it. It’s the best!

I gave up soda in 2008. Shortly thereafter, I was in a hispanic market where I spied glass bottles that had these white stickers that said “Hecho en Mexico.” Intrigued why we were importing our own export product, I bought one….and now I regularly have Mexican Coke (as it is affectionately called in my house) in my pantry. It tastes the way Coca-Cola did when I was a kid, way back in the 80’s. This Coke de Mexico is a secret ingredient in many of my recipes.

I’ve been known to just simply drink the nostalgic taste right from the bottle when I’m not using it in a recipe. Plus, due to effective advertisement when I was kid, Coca-Cola and Christmas go hand in hand. Maybe it’s the red and white cans, or maybe the Coca-Cola Santa and Polar Bears are emblazoned in my mind.

Camarones ala Diabla-Devil’s Shrimp

Ingredients

• 2 lbs shrimp; deveined , shelled
• 2 limes; juiced (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 white onion; diced
• 8 oz . sliced mushrooms
• 2-14.5 oz cans diced tomates
• 2 chipotle chiles in adobo
• 1 tbsp adobo sauce
• 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro; plus more for garnish
• 3/4 cup Coca-Cola; Coke de Mexico
• 4 oz . tomato paste (2/3 of 6 oz. can)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Toss the shrimp with the lime juice and salt/pepper them, set aside while the remainder of the dish is prepared.
2. In a large 12″ or larger skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium high heat, once melted, add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until both are soft and cooked.
4. Reduce heat to medium, add the tomatoes, chilies, adobo sauce, and oregano. Stir well.
5. Once warmed through, add the cilantro and the Coca-Cola.
6. Taste and add salt and pepper, according to personal preference.
7. Allow to simmer on medium, allowing to bubble and the sauce to begin to reduce.
8. Add the tomato paste and mix in thoroughly, bring to a simmer again and then reduce the heat to medium-low.
9. Incorporate the shrimp, mix in well, allow to cook through.
10. Garnish with fresh cilantro and best served over rice.

I’ve used the bottles as mini-vases over the years, I have quite the collection now. I should do some creative Pinterest-quality art project, but let’s be realistic, I ain’t got those skills. I’d show up on Pinterest “Fails” or the sarcastic “Nailed It” websites.
Since I had so many bottles, 24 to be exact, I decided to use them as part of my holiday gifts. I knew I wanted to put together some holiday gift bags for those people I should give a small gift to, but what do I actually give them…you know who I’m talking about, teachers, service workers, babysitters, etc.

If your Sam’s Club doesn’t have the 24 bottle Coke de Mexico, please feel free to use their 4 pack of 2-liter bottles for $3.98, your gift recipients, I suspect, will be happy with a 2-liter of Coca-Cola.

With the help of Elizabeth (she picked out the contents) and my regular babysitter, who just happens to be my best friend’s daughter, we assembled bags to give the teenaged babysitters in my life. Money is always tight, so I had to stick to a budget because there are many people to whom I owe small tokens of gratitude to this year.

You will need:

• Old Christmas or holiday cards
• Plain gift bags in any desired color
• Double-sided tape/glue
• Tissue paper
• Curling ribbon or any item to tie bag together, I used jingle bells

Assembly:

1. Cut out the decorative design on old, received Christmas or holiday cards.
2. Use double-sided tape of glue to affix the card to the front of the bag.
3. Fill the bag with desired contents (see below for suggestions.)
4. Fill in the bag with tissue paper, fanning the top decoratively.
5. Tie the bag handles together using curling ribbon or jingle bells
6. Write to whom the bag is intended on the the front, either on the card or elsewhere.

Possible Bag Suggestions:

BabySitter Bags

• Candy (lots, and lots of candy)
• Nail polish in bold colors
• Coke de Mexico
• Candles
• Gift Cards

Teacher Bags

• Gift Cards-higher dollar amount and to NON-school places
• Coke de Mexico
• Candy (because everyone loves candy)
• Lotions and other beauty items
• Candles

Foodie Bag

• Coke de Mexico
• Local honey
• Local artisan foods like jams, salsas, candies
• Gourmet Coffee
• Cheese board, olive spoon, corkscrew and other food utensils

Service Person

• Coke de Mexico
• Gourmet Coffee
• Gift Cards to NON-home center stores, but to outdoor equipment places and the like
• Candy
• Game day/Entertaining snacks, like smoked sausages, gourmet popcorn, etc

I’m pretty sure my love for Coke de Mexico came through in this post but if not, let me just say again I love Coke de Mexico!

Does Coca-Cola strike feelings and memories of the holidays for you? If so, tell me how so in the comments below.