Shrimp in Smoky Almond-Pepper Sauce

• 500g raw shrimp, peeled (Argentine reds)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 30g raw almonds
• 1 slice bread, toasted and torn into pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp pimenton de la Vera, dulce
• 1 jar (12oz) roasted red peppers, drained
• 1 cup chicken or seafood stock
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp MSG (Accent)
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar, added at the end
• kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup rice, dry (about 55g per serving)

Method

1. 1
   Thaw the shrimp

   Thaw the shrimp in the refrigerator, or in a sealed bag under cold running water. Do NOT thaw them loose in water - Argentine reds are soft-fleshed and go mushy. Pat dry and hold in the fridge until the very end.

2. 2
   Make the picada

   Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium. Fry the almonds and the torn toasted bread until both are properly golden brown, 3-4 minutes, stirring so nothing scorches. Scoop them out and set aside, leaving the oil. This is the picada - it's the thickener, and it's where the body of this sauce comes from since there's no fat rendering and no collagen.

3. 3
   Garlic and tomato paste

   Garlic into the same oil, about 1 minute until fragrant but not browned. Push it to the sides, drop the tomato paste into the bare center and fry it undisturbed about 2 minutes until it darkens to brick red.

4. 4
   Bloom the pimenton

   Off the heat, stir in the pimenton for about 30 seconds. Smoked paprika scorches as readily as sweet - pull the pot off the burner rather than trusting your timing.

5. 5
   Simmer the base

   Add the drained roasted red peppers and the stock. Simmer 15 minutes, uncovered, to cook off the jar water and concentrate it. Jarred peppers are watery compared to dried nyoras - this step is doing real work.

6. 6
   Blend

   Blend the base together with the reserved almonds and bread until smooth (Vitamix, lid vented, start low - it's hot). This has to happen BEFORE the shrimp goes in; it's the one hard ordering constraint in the recipe. Return the sauce to the pot.

7. 7
   Season hard

   Off the heat: fish sauce, MSG, vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Taste and push it until it's slightly more aggressive than you want - the shrimp will mute it. Without shells there's no seafood backbone in the sauce, so the fish sauce is the savory floor, not a garnish. Start the rice around now.

8. 8
   Poach the shrimp

   Bring the sauce to a bare simmer, then kill the heat before the shrimp goes in. Add the shrimp, stir to submerge, and cover. 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Pull them while the centers are still slightly translucent and the body is a loose C - a shrimp curled into a tight O is overcooked. Carryover in a hot pot of sauce is significant.

9. 9
   Serve

   Serve over rice. Rice carries a smooth sauce better than pasta does.