This is a quickie fix-me-up dish—with a little bit of rum spirits. Easy enough to prepare: the shrimp is stir-fried just to doneness and smothered in onions. That’s it. And it goes great with rice or crusty bread. The only time consuming part of this thing is peeling the shell from the shrimp. Today you can find shrimp already peeled and deveined. If you’re purist, like me, it will be raw shrimp that has to be deveined. To each his own. The results will still be glorious.

Now, as to the rum used. You can use any good quality rum, preferably añejo. Let it be known that, as a Boricua, I prefer Puerto Rican rum. Let me add that if you’re a teetotaler, there is no fear of imbibing alcohol. While cooking, the alcohol dissolves and only the sweetness of the rum taste remains.

 

CAMARONES CON CEBOLLA
(Shrimp with Onions)

Ingredients:

¾ cup olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced into rings
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 pounds raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 tablespoon rum, white or gold
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon dried tarragon
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet or frying pan. Add onions and garlic, and sauté over moderate heat until onion is limp and transparent.
  2.  Add shrimp, rum, lemon juice, tarragon, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly until shrimp turn pink (3 to 4 minutes).
    Yield: 4 servings.