Camerones al Mojo de Ajo
Simply put, shrimp in a rocking garlic oil. This past week I made a big batch of mojo de ajo, which translates to garlic sauce. Taking the time to break down the heads of garlic, and using some good extra virgin olive oil, yields something amazing. Something really wonderful that is just out of this world. Hands down some of the best garlic oil that you can use to saute anything in.
After making a batch and letting it sit in the refrigerator, I wanted to use the garlic oil and make shrimp with fettuccine for my wife’s birthday. A pound of fettuccine, a pound of shrimp, and about a half cup of mojo de ajo, brought some serious pleasure to the table. I sat back and watched the entire table consume, bowl after bowl, of this wonderful pasta and shrimp with garlic oil.
Ingredients:
- 4 heads of garlic, skins removed, smashed with a knife
- 2 cups of good extra virgin olive oil, or enough to cover all of the garlic in a small 11×7 roasting pan
- juice of one lime
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 chipotle peppers, diced
- 1/2 lb of large uncooked shrimp, shell removed up until the tail, deveined
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Begin by breaking down all of your garlic. Add the garlic to roasting dish, and add in all of the oil, making sure all of the garlic is covered. Carefully move the pan to the oven, and cook for roughly 30 minutes. If you do not have a roasting pan, you can do this on the stove, on medium to low heat, just until the oil lightly bubbles, for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, carefully remove from the oven, and stir in the salt and chipotle peppers, and add in the lime juice. Stir, and place back in the oven for another 30 to 40 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven, and let cool before placing it in a storage container that you can put in the refrigerator.
To make the shrimp, add about 1/4 cup of the oil, and some pieces of garlic to a large skillet. Bring to a medium-low heat, and add in the shrimp, and cook for a few minutes on each side, or until fully cooked. Plate and serve.
My kids loved the garlic shrimp so much, that they wanted me to make a plate the following day. The oil stays good in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, which allows your imagination to go wild.
7 Comments
Hugh Morton
mojo de ajo…means wet with garlic. a good one… will have slow sauteed garlic slices, that are cooked until browned. They are then removed. the shrimp or fish is sauteed off, the garlic rewarmed, and immediately served. My favorite dish in all of Mexico.
the additon of a chile make it al ajillo. but normally that would be a guajillo chile and not a chipolte.
Both dishes are excellent.
yours also sounds delicious.
daxphillips
Hugh, thanks for the details on mojo de ajo and thanks for stopping by.
ButterYum
Oh my – this looks WONDERFUL! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
🙂
ButterYum
ButterYum
Quick Question – can I use canned chipotle peppers?
daxphillips
Yes, feel free to use canned chipotles, but do not add any extra adobo sauce.
carol
how long will this keep in the fridg. can i freeze it, or just leave it on the counter. thank cc
Dax Phillips
Carol, I would avoid freezing cooked shrimp or fish as it will typically dry out and be more difficult to eat when thawed and reheated. Your best bet is to serve this fresh, after cooking, and store in the refrigerator for up to two days for best results.