Some Like It Hot!!! – Healthy Recipe, Hot Haitian Shrimp

Healthy Recipe, Hot Haitian Shrimp

Ti-Malice is a character in Haitian folklore who tries to make a sauce hot enough to scare off a greedy uninvited visitor. But the plan backfires when the visitor deems the sauce delicious and tells everyone. This is how “Sos Ti Malice,” a Haitian condiment, got its name. Lesley Enston prefers it as a sauce for seafood, and shows how  in “Belly Full: Exploring Caribbean Cuisine Through 11 Fundamental Ingredients.”

This slight adaptation allows more leeway for reducing the heat level of the fiery Scotch bonnet pepper the traditional recipe calls for. If you can’t find them, habaneros are a close substitute; a few shots of hot sauce would also work.  This dish’s complex flavors are reminiscent of a lighter, brighter Creole gumbo, with only a few tablespoons of added fat. Serves 4-6. – Susan Puckett

Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup diced yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons diced shallots
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ½ cup diced green bell pepper
• ¼ cup diced red bell pepper
• ½ to 2 Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, minced (seeds & ribs removed for less heat)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or ½ teaspoon dried)
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 cup water
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Shrimp:

• 1 pound peeled medium to large shrimp
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• White rice for serving

1. Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, shallots, and garlic and sauté until they begin to soften, 3 or 4 minutes.
2. Add the green and red bell peppers, Scotch bonnet, tomato paste, and thyme, and cook for 3 minutes, until the tomato paste is dark and fragrant.
3. Add the vinegar, lime juice, water, salt, and several grindings of black pepper. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes, until the mixture has thickened and the flavors have melded. Remove from the heat.
4. Prepare the shrimp: While the sauce simmers, place the shrimp in a bowl, sprinkle with lime juice, and season them lightly with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
5. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until the butter has melted. Add the seasoned shrimp and cook until mostly pink, about 2 minutes per side. Add 3/4 to 1 cup of the sauce, stir to coat, and cook until the shrimp is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately over rice.

Susan Puckett is an Atlanta-based food writer and cookbook author.