Adán Medrano’s Camarón con Fideos de Calabacita (Shrimp and Squash Noodles)

This recipe, an example of Texas Mexican comida casera, is adapted from Don’t Count the Tortillas: The Art of Texas Mexican Cooking by Adán Medrano. It is featured in our August 2020 story about Medrano, a chef, filmmaker and scholar.

If you use shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico in the dish and you can find tatuma squash (they look very much like zucchini, but they’re a bit squatter, lighter-colored and more striated), you’ll be cooking with ingredients that are all native to the Texas Mexico region that Medrano writes and talks about as a culinary region of Mexico, even though a good part of it is north of the national border. Don’t worry if you can’t find tatuma; zucchini, which is so similar in texture and flavor, is a perfect sub.

Cutting the squash into fideos is a little time-consuming; you might want to use a mandolin to slice them into thin planks.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 large yellow onion, sliced thin

1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch wedges

2 chiles de arbol, seeds removed and ground into a fine powder in a molcajete, other mortar or spice grinder

1 3/4 teaspoons salt (divided), or to taste

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

3 large tatuma squash or 4 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into long straws or noodles that are about 1/8 inch X 1/8 inch or slightly thicker

1 1/4 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined

Instructions

1. Heat a large, deep skillet or sauté pan over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the sliced onions. Lower the heat to very low and cook the onions, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until they are very soft and translucent, but not browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, ground chile and 1 teaspoon of the salt, raise the heat to medium-high and cook uncovered for five minutes, stirring now and then. The mixture should be soupy and watery. If it is too dry, add 1/4 cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil.

3. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.

4. In a separate large skillet or sauté pan, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the squash and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cook until the squash is tender but not falling apart, stirring to ensure even cooking, about 7 minutes.

5. About two minutes after the squash starts cooking, add the shrimp to the tomato mixture and stir to combine. Cook, uncovered, until the shrimp is just cooked through and become opaque, about 3 to 4 minutes.

6. To serve, place a mound of the squash noodles on each of four plates. Top with the shrimp and some of its sauce and serve immediately.