Central Mexican Guiso de Camarón con Chipotle y Guajillo

• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 2 chipotle chiles in adobo
• 4 roma tomatoes, cored
• 1 white onion, quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, finely diced
• 1 tsp Mexican oregano, dried
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• sea salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1. 1

   Heat a dry comal or cast-iron pan over medium-high. Char the tomatoes and quartered onion, turning occasionally, until blistered and soft in spots, about 10 minutes. The blackened patches are where the flavor lives — don't rush past this step.

2. 2

   Toast the guajillo chiles on the same comal for 15 to 20 seconds per side, pressing them flat with a spatula. They go from toasted to burnt very fast, so keep them moving. Once fragrant and slightly darkened, transfer immediately to a bowl of hot water and soak 10 minutes until pliable.

3. 3

   Blend the soaked guajillos, chipotles in adobo, charred tomatoes, charred onion, and garlic with a splash of the soaking liquid until completely smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve for a silky sauce — this is the base of the whole dish, so take the extra minute.

4. 4

   Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wide pan over medium. Add the diced raw onion and cook until translucent and just beginning to golden at the edges, about 5 minutes.

5. 5

   Pour in the blended chile sauce. It will sizzle and darken immediately — let it fry for 2 minutes, stirring constantly so the bottom doesn't scorch. Add the Mexican oregano and 1/2 cup of water. Simmer until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon, about 8 minutes.

6. 6

   Pat the shrimp dry and season with salt. Nestle them into the simmering sauce in a single layer. Cook 2 minutes per side — they curl tight and turn pink-orange fast, and overcooked shrimp turn rubbery, so pull the pan off the heat the moment they're just opaque through.

7. 7

   Off the heat, squeeze the lime juice over the shrimp and scatter the chopped cilantro. Taste the sauce and add more salt if needed.

8. 8

   Serve immediately with warm corn tortillas. The sauce should be thick enough to cling to the shrimp and soak into the tortilla in the same bite.

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