vasili & amy’s gulf shrimp chili verde

serves 4

1-1 1/2 lbs. large wild gulf shrimp (peeled and deveined, tails off- we sell shrimp knives to make this job easy!)

4 cups monahan’s fish stock

4 poblano peppers (seeded and cut into large pieces)

2 jalapeños (minced)

2 vidalia onions (cut into large pieces)

2 limes

1 can great northern beans (15 oz.)

1 can pinto beans (15oz)

1t ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 bunch fresh cilantro

6 cloves garlic (minced)

3 scallions (thinly sliced at an angle)

salt & pepper

avocado (sliced)

sour cream (optional)

red chili flakes (optional)

in a food processor, add half of the poblanos and onions and pulse (5-10 times) until finely chopped. set aside in a large bowl and repeat for the rest of the poblanos and onions.

over medium heat in a soup pot, sauté the peppers, onions, jalapeños, garlic, cumin and coriander until peppers and onions are tender (~5 minutes). season with salt & pepper. if you’d like, add some cooked andouille sausage or chorizo at this point.

add 1 cup of the sautéed mixture, 1 cup fish stock, 1 cup beans and a half-cup of chopped cilantro to the processor and purée for 20 seconds. return purée to the pot, add the final three cups of fish stock and bring to a boil. simmer for about 30 minutes without a lid until the base starts to thicken.

sauté the shrimp:

while the chili base is simmering, pat-dry the shrimp with a paper towel and set aside. heat a large sauté pan over med-high heat. once the pan is heated, add olive oil and then the shrimp (do this in batches if your pan is not big enough). you should hear a nice sizzle once they hit the pan.  sauté for 2 minutes and season with salt & pepper. flip the shrimp and sauté for another minute or until just opaque in the center, then add a generous squeeze of lime juice and transfer to cutting board. cut shrimp into 2-3 pieces each.

add the remaining beans and cooked shrimp to the chili and cook until beans have warmed (5-10 minutes). season with salt & pepper to taste.

serve in a soup bowl garnished with cilantro, avocado, scallions, chili flakes and a dollop of daisy sour cream. we also used a sharp white cheddar cheese shredded over top.