Chilean Style Prawns (Gambas Pil Pil)

Anaheim’s are very popular in Southwestern US Cuisine.Also called “New Mexican Chile”. These were developed by Dr. Fabian Garcia in New Mexico about 100 yrs ago who was seeking a chile pepper that was bigger, fleshier, and milder.

They got the name “Anaheim” when a farmer named Emilio Ortega brought these seeds to the Anaheim area in the early 1900’s. This chile can be roasted and peeled and used in recipes or stuffed to make chile rellenos just as the Poblano Chile.

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CHILEAN STYLE PRAWNS (GAMBAS PIL PIL)

Ingredients:

10 cloves garlic, peeled and slightly crushed
1/2 cup grapeseed oil or olive oil
1-1/2 pounds large shrimp (21/25), peeled and deveined
1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2″ pieces
3 Tbsp. pisco or brandy
salt to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving

Instructions:

Place the garlic cloves and grapeseed oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Let the garlic slowly turn golden brown as the oil becomes hot. Continue cooking until the garlic has turned golden-brown, and the oil is quite hot.

Add the shrimp and stir to coat with oil, then cook for 15 seconds before stirring in the chile pepper. Continue to cook until the shrimp is pink and firm. Pour in the pisco, and cook for 30 seconds to let the alcohol evaporate. Season to taste with salt, then pour the mixture into a serving dish. Serve sprinkled with cayenne pepper and garnished with fresh lime wedges.

Yields 6 appetizer servings.

Recipe from Thomas Gilman.