Traditional

Camarón a la Diabla

Name: Camarón a la Diabla
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8 tacos
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 10 Chiles de árbol; 3 Guajillo chiles, seeded; 2 Chipotles in adobo; 3 Roma tomatoes; 3 cloves Garlic; 1/4 White onion; 1 tsp Salt; 1 1/4 lb Large shrimp, peeled and deveined; 3 tbsp Butter; 8 Corn tortillas; 1/2 cup Mexican crema; 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped; 2 limes Lime wedges

The devil's shrimp of the Nayarit coast — plump camarones seared in butter and drowned in a scarlet salsa of chile de árbol, guajillo, and chipotle blended velvet-smooth. Crema on top is not garnish; it is first aid.

Time: 30 min
Heat
Yield: 8 tacos
Region: Nayarit

Ingredients

Salsa diabla

To build

Per-100g nutrition (9 ingredients verified)

Ingredient	kcal	Protein	Fat	Carbs
Chipotles in adobo	67	3.3 g	0 g	13.3 g
Roma tomatoes	24	0.7 g	0.3 g	4.7 g
Garlic	167	0 g	0 g	33.3 g
White onion	155	10.9 g	2.4 g	22.5 g
Salt	0	0 g	0 g	1330 g
Butter	714	0 g	78.6 g	0 g
Corn tortillas	188	3.1 g	1.6 g	40.6 g
Mexican crema	200	3.3 g	16.7 g	6.7 g
Cilantro, chopped	23	2.1 g	0.5 g	3.7 g

Values are per 100 g of the listed ingredient. Nutrition data: USDA FoodData Central (snapshot 2026-09-11). Ingredients without a verified match are omitted.

Method

Toast the chiles de árbol and guajillos in a dry skillet until deeply fragrant, about a minute — keep them moving so they don't scorch.
Simmer the toasted chiles with the tomatoes, onion, and garlic in just enough water to cover until everything is soft.
Blend the simmered vegetables with the chipotles, salt, and a splash of cooking liquid until velvet smooth. It should bite back hard.
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Pat the shrimp dry and sear them in the butter over high heat until barely pink, about a minute per side, then lift them out.
Pour the salsa into the same pan and simmer until it darkens and thickens enough to coat a spoon.
Return the shrimp and toss until glossed in salsa and just cooked through.
Warm the tortillas on a comal and fill with the shrimp, dragging extra salsa over each. Finish with crema, cilantro, and lime — you will want all three.