INGREDIENTS
- 6 medium (about 12 ounces) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- Fresh hot green chile to taste (usually 1 jalapeño or 2 serranos), stemmed
- 1 cup roughly chopped, loosely packed fresh sorrel leaves (if sorrel is out of season, wild arugula and wild watercress from the farmers market also work)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1¼ to 1 ½ pounds (30 to 35) medium-large shrimp, peeled (leaving the final tail segment on for appearance sake) and deveined if you wish
- 1 medium onion, sliced ¼-inch thick
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the broiler and adjust the shelf to its highest position. Spread the tomatillos, garlic and chiles on a baking sheet, slide under the hot broiler and roast until the tomatillos are soft and lightly blackened in spots (about 5 minutes per side—the garlic and chiles should be done in about the same amount of time). Cool to room temperature, scoop into a blender jar (including any juices from the tomatillos), add the sorrel and pulse until you have a puree that’s nearly smooth. Add a little water (usually about 2 tablespoons) to give the salsa an easily spoonable consistency. Taste and season with a little salt if it needs it (believe it or not, sometimes it doesn’t need any).
In a wok or very large (12-inch) skillet set over medium-high, heat enough oil to coat the bottom (it takes less oil for wok cooking and I like the texture of the shrimp better from a wok). Add the onion and stir-fry until richly browned but still crunchy, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt, add them to the onions and continue to stir-fry until the shrimp are just barely cooked, about 5 minutes more. If they’re still a tiny bit translucent in the middle, they’ll coast to perfect doneness as you divide them between warm serving plates. Spoon the salsa over the shrimp and you’re ready to serve.
