I had lunch with a local restaurant owner last week, and took the opportunity to ask him where he buys meat and seafood. I mentioned that I had bought some shrimp for paella from the local mercado, and he immediately piped in “I’ll bet it was bland, soggy and tasteless, right?”  And yes, he was right, so obviously I asked where to get the best shrimp in town.

“I get mine at the freezer section of SuperMaxi,” he replied.  ☺

“Huh???” was my immediate intelligent question…  He told me that the frozen shrimp are flash frozen on the boat, and therefore as fresh as possible.  On the other hand, the shrimp at the mercado came to shore, was trucked from the coast to Cuenca, and then sat in a pot on the counter waiting for me to buy it.  The flash frozen wins hands-down every time.

Of course, this had to be put to the test, so I bought a bag of frozen shrimp the next day at SuperMaxi, and decided to make some spicy shrimp pasta with it.

Gotta say, this is the best pasta I have ever made, and the shrimp was indeed far better than the mercado.  This recipe quickly found itself into my ‘favorites’ list, and will be made again for guests in the future.  I got the original recipe from the Food Network website, but as always, have made my own modifications.

This recipe does have quite a lot of ingredients.  However, the primary spice mix can be made in a larger batch and then the unused portion can be stored for future meals.  The main spice mix consists of:

• Paprika, 2-1/2 tbsp
• Salt, 2 tbsp (I use “Slap Ya Mama” spice mix in lieu of plain salt)
• Pepper, 1 tbsp
• Garlic Powder, 1 tbsp
• Onion Powder, 1 tbsp
• Ceyene Pepper (aka “red pepper”), 1 tbsp
• Thyme, 1 tbsp
• Oregano, 1 tbsp

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.  I then store this in a small spice bottle, which I label “spicy shrimp mix.”

The main ingredient list then includes:

• Spicy Shrimp Mix, 2 tbsp  (see above for how to make this)
• Olive Oil, 2 tbsp
• Butter, 4 tbsp
• Minced Garlic, 1 tbsp
• White Wine, 1/2 cup
• Lime Juice, 1/4 cup (here in Cuenca, I always use fresh-squeezed)
• Salt, 1/2 tsp  (I again use “Slap Ya Mama” here)
• Pepper, 1/4 tsp
• Red Pepper Flakes, 1 tsp
• Spaghetti, 1 pound 

1. Cook spaghetti according to its directions.  Meanwhile:
2. Start by tossing the shrimp in the Spicy Shrimp Mix until coated.
3. Place olive oil and half the butter in a large skillet over high heat.
4. Add the shrimp in a single layer.  Cook for 2 minutes.  Turn shrimp over.
5. Add garlic.  Cook for 30 seconds.
6. Add wine, lime juice and remaining butter.  Cook for approx 1-1/2 min, or until shrimp is pink.
7. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Add the pasta and red pepper flakes.  Toss well and serve hot.

We have also found that this meal is fantastic as left-overs.  We add a small amount of water, then microwave covered until hot.  Tastes almost as good as the first day.