Enchilado de Camarones — Cuban Shrimp in Tomato Sauce

Remove the shells and heads from the shrimp. Score the backs with the tip of a knife and remove the dark vein. To make stock for the sauce, simmer the shells in 300 ml water for 10 minutes, then strain. Pat the cleaned shrimp dry and refrigerate them.

Cook the finely chopped onion in olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring. Add the diced peppers and sauté for 4 more minutes. Add the grated garlic, cumin, thyme, and ground red pepper; cook for 1 minute, until fragrant but before the pepper darkens.

Add the tomato paste and sauté for 1 minute. Add the grated tomatoes, bay leaves, chopped hot pepper, water, and salt. Cook uncovered over medium-low heat for 14 minutes. The sauce is thick enough when a line drawn through it with a spoon stays open for 1 second. Adjust the salt and acidity now.

Raise the heat to medium-high and arrange the shrimp in a single layer in the sauce. After 2 minutes, turn them and cook for 1 more minute, then turn off the heat. The shrimp are done when they change from gray to orange and curl into a C shape; if they curl into an O, they are overcooked.

Remove the bay leaves, squeeze in the lime juice, and stir in the chopped cilantro. Serve immediately with hot white rice.