A hearty, garlicky shrimp and vegetable stew in a smoky guajillo-tomato broth, a coastal Mexican classic.
Caldo de camarón is a staple along Mexico's Pacific coast, a warming, chili-red stew built on a base of dried guajillo chiles blended with tomato and a generous amount of garlic, simmered with potato and carrot before shrimp go in at the very end. It's the kind of dish fishing communities make with whatever's fresh from the boats that day, stretched with vegetables and a flavorful broth. Toasting the dried guajillo chiles briefly before soaking and blending brings out their fruity, slightly smoky character, and straining the blended sauce removes any tough bits of chile skin that would otherwise make the broth gritty. A generous hit of garlic, both blended into the base and added again toward the end, keeps its flavor present and distinct rather than mellowing into the background. Shrimp, including the shells if you have them, add the most flavor when simmered briefly rather than boiled hard — overcooked shrimp turn rubbery fast. Served with lime, warm corn tortillas, and a bit of hot sauce on the side, this is comfort food built for a cold or rainy day along the coast.
Serves 4
Toast guajillo chiles in a dry skillet 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Soak in hot water 15 minutes to soften.
Simmer reserved shrimp shells in the water or stock for 15 minutes to build flavor, then strain and discard shells.
Blend soaked guajillos, tomatoes, half the garlic, and onion with a splash of the shrimp stock until smooth. Strain through a sieve.
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Pour in the strained sauce and simmer, stirring, for 8-10 minutes until slightly darkened and thickened.
Add remaining shrimp stock, potatoes, carrots, and salt. Simmer 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Mince remaining garlic and stir in along with the shrimp. Simmer 3-4 minutes until the shrimp are just pink and cooked through.
Stir in lime juice, garnish with cilantro, and serve hot with extra lime wedges and warm tortillas.
Simmer the shrimp shells in the stock first if you have shell-on shrimp — this builds significantly more flavor than using plain water.
Strain the blended chile sauce through a sieve to remove any tough bits of skin, which otherwise leave a gritty texture in the broth.
Add the shrimp last and simmer only a few minutes — they cook fast and turn rubbery if left in the hot broth too long.
Add clams or a firm white fish along with the shrimp for a mixed seafood version.
Use pasilla or ancho chiles instead of guajillo for a milder, slightly sweeter broth.
Add a chopped chayote squash along with the potato and carrot.
Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2 days; reheat gently on the stove, adding fresh shrimp if reheating more than once since the original shrimp will overcook.
Caldo de camarón is especially associated with Mexico's Pacific coast states like Sinaloa and Nayarit, a traditional fishing-community dish built to stretch fresh shrimp with vegetables in a warming, chili-based broth.
Yes — thaw fully and pat dry before adding; if the shells are still on, use them to make the stock the same way you would with fresh shrimp shells.
A mix of ancho and a couple of dried New Mexico chiles gets you a similar fruity, mild-to-medium heat profile.
The chiles may have been over-toasted or their seeds weren't fully removed — toast just until fragrant, not until they smoke, and make sure to seed them thoroughly before soaking.
Per serving (420g / 14.8 oz) · 4 servings total
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