Shellfish in a Spicy Creole Sauce

This chile pepper gets its name from its origin. In Spanish, serrano is an adjective meaning “from the mountains” which is where it originated-in the mountains of Hildalgo, Mexico. The serrano is normally about twice as hot as Jalapeno (about 10,000 to 15,000 Scoville units). It is the second most popular chile pepper in Mexico. This chile is used mostly for salsas but can also be used in soups, sauces, chili or stews. Try these as a hotter substitute for Jalapeno.

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Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
5 colves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 3/4 cup)
1 large green bell pepper, chopped fine (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 to 2 serrano peppers, seeded and minced
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried oregano leaves, crushed
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 large canned pimentos, blended
1 (16-oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup beer
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 lb scallops
1lb large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 1/2 lbs (three 8-oz) lobster tails, shelled and cut into 4 pieces each
Finely chopped Italian parsley
Lemon slices

Instructions:

Preparing sauce: Heat the oil in a pot over medium high heat. Saute the garlic until slightly golden. Add the onion, bell pepper, serrano peppers, bay leaves, oregano, and thyme. Cook for 3 minutes. Pour in the blended pimientos, tomato sauce, beer, salt, and sugar. Mix well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens slightly.

Add the scallops, shrimp, and lobster to the sauce. Cover and cook 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Remove the bay leaves. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve garnished with lemon slices.

Serves 6.

From Celebracion by Regina Cordova.