Equipment
Ingredients
Seafood
- 450 g large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
Sauce Base
- 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic, minced
- 2 g red pepper flakes
- 800 g canned crushed tomatoes
Flavor Enhancers
- 150 g roasted red peppers, drained and thinly sliced
- 30 g capers, drained but not rinsed
- 5 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
- 10 g fresh basil, torn
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Mince the garlic and slice the roasted red peppers into thin strips on a cutting board using a chef's knife.
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes, sauteing until deeply fragrant but not browned.
Pour the crushed tomatoes into the skillet. Use a wooden spoon to mix the tomatoes thoroughly with the garlic and oil.
Stir the sliced roasted red peppers, capers, kosher salt, and black pepper into the tomato mixture.
Bring the sauce to a low simmer. Let it cook uncovered, allowing the tomatoes to reduce slightly and the flavors to concentrate.
Pat the shrimp completely dry with paper towels, then nestle them evenly into the simmering tomato sauce in a single layer.
Simmer the shrimp gently in the sauce until they turn completely opaque and curl into a C-shape, reaching an internal temperature of 63 degrees Celsius or 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove the skillet from the heat immediately. Garnish by scattering the torn fresh basil leaves evenly over the top, and serve warm directly from the skillet.
Chef's Notes
- Always pat your shrimp completely dry before adding them to the sauce. Excess moisture on the surface of the seafood will thin out your beautifully reduced tomato base.
- For the best texture, purchase raw shell-on shrimp and peel them yourself. Pre-peeled shrimp are often treated with sodium tripolyphosphate which can give them an unnatural, bouncy chew.
- Adjust the red pepper flakes according to your heat tolerance. The traditional purgatory style is meant to be quite spicy, but a milder sauce will still beautifully complement the briny capers.
- Do not rinse the capers if you want maximum briny impact. The residual brine acts as a crucial background seasoning component for the rich, robust tomato sauce.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container. Reheat very gently on the stovetop to avoid overcooking the shrimp.
