Rare Treat: Mexican Amarillo de Camarón Recipe

Amarillo is a traditional Oaxacan mole (sauce) most often prepared with a chicken stock base. Here, I’ve switched it up by using dried and fresh shrimp to bring it that hot weather, coastal vibe.

8 June 2016 by Niki Nakazawa

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Duncan Welgemoed recently travelled to Mexico where he cooked with Niki Nakazawa, who moved to Mexico City in 2007 where she founded the experimental pop-up restaurant and catering company (Pichón) with two friends. Pichón produces culinary experiences that connect diners to an exploration of what it means to eat local in Mexico City.

Niki-Nakazawa-Mexican-Amarillo-de-camaron-recipe-Adelaide-Review

March and April are two of my favorite months in Mexico City. Jacaranda trees have just come into bloom, it’s hot outside, the first rains are about to hit and you can start seeing piles of all sorts of gorgeous wild mushrooms and foraged greens turn up in the markets. There is something about the arrival of that first wave of heat that makes everyone feel real sexy and optimistic, and this mole is about celebrating that.

B O O Z E M A T C H

Highly recommended accompaniment to this spicy coastal mole is a michelada, the classic Mexican beer cocktail. In Mexico City, a michelada is a pretty simple affair and consists of a cold salt-rimmed glass, a shot of lime juice and a beer. The lime makes the beer go down real easy and when it’s hot out, you can pretty much keep on drinking them all day until the sun goes down.

If you want something a little more savoury, you can level up to a Cubana which is just a michelada doctored up with salsa Maggi, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and Tajin (a sour dried chilli powder). You can look into suggested proportions for the Cubana salsa mix, but I usually just go for the trial and error method, sipping, stirring and shaking out the salsa until it tastes just right.

M U S I C M A T C H

While testing this recipe, I was feeling pretty joyful from the hot weather and all the beautiful toasted chilli smells wafting through my apartment, and so clearly I fell into a YouTube disco vortex. Two recommendations: Kashif’s I Just Got to Have You (Lover Come Turn Me On) and Loose Joints’ Is it All Over My Face.