Chiles Güeros Rellenos de Queso y Camarón

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 10-inch cast iron or steel skillet for frying
• •Stand mixer or hand mixer for beating egg whites
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan for draining
• •Sharp paring knife for slitting and seeding the chiles
• •Slotted spoon or kitchen spider

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the güero chiles

   Rinse the chiles and pat them dry. With a small paring knife, make a single lengthwise slit from just below the stem down to about half an inch from the tip. Do not cut all the way through. Keep the stem intact. Carefully open the slit and use the tip of the knife or a small spoon to scrape out the seeds and white veins. Leave a few seeds if you want more heat. The chile güero is mild on its own, but it has bite enough to be interesting.

   Wear gloves or wash your hands well after seeding. The güero is gentler than a serrano but it will still find your eye if you forget.
2. 2

   Cook the shrimp filling

   Heat the lard in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for two minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more. Stir in the diced tomato, oregano, half the salt, and the black pepper. Cook for three minutes until the tomato breaks down and most of the liquid evaporates. The mixture should be dry, not soupy. Wet filling will steam the chile from the inside and your batter will slide off.

3. 3

   Add the shrimp and finish

   Add the chopped shrimp and the remaining salt to the skillet. Cook for two to three minutes, stirring, until the shrimp turns pink and opaque. No longer. Overcooked shrimp turns rubbery and there is no recovering. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice off the heat. Spread the filling on a plate to cool to room temperature. Stuffing a chile with hot filling melts the cheese before it ever sees the pan.

4. 4

   Stuff the chiles

   Slide a baton of queso asadero into each chile through the slit. Spoon a tablespoon of cooled shrimp mixture in alongside the cheese. Press the slit closed with your fingers. The chile is forgiving. It will hold itself together as long as you do not overstuff it. If you have a few wooden toothpicks, you can pin the slit closed, but a properly filled chile does not need them.

   Asadero is the cheese for this dish. It melts in long ribbons and that is the visual signature when you pull one open at the table. Oaxaca cheese is acceptable. Mozzarella is a compromise. Cheddar is wrong. No me vengas con atajos.
5. 5

   Make the egg batter

   Separate the eggs into two clean bowls. Beat the whites with the salt for the batter on medium-high until they hold soft peaks, about three minutes. Add the yolks one at a time and beat just until incorporated. Sprinkle the tablespoon of flour over the top and fold it in gently with a spatula. The batter should be light, glossy, and hold its shape on a spoon. This is the capeado that defines a Sinaloa-style fried chile. Treat it like meringue and it will reward you.

6. 6

   Heat the oil

   Pour the vegetable oil into a heavy skillet to a depth of about half an inch. Heat over medium until the oil reaches 350F. If you do not have a thermometer, drop a bit of batter into the oil. It should sizzle and float to the surface within a few seconds, browning gently. Too cool and the batter absorbs oil. Too hot and the outside browns before the cheese melts.

7. 7

   Dredge and fry

   Spread the half cup of flour on a plate. Roll each stuffed chile lightly in the flour, tapping off the excess. The flour gives the egg batter something to grip. Hold the chile by the stem and dip it into the egg batter, turning to coat completely. Lower it gently into the hot oil. Fry two or three at a time, never crowding the pan, for about two minutes per side, until the batter is deep golden and crisp. Use two spoons to baste hot oil over the top if it does not fully submerge.

8. 8

   Drain and serve

   Lift each chile out with a slotted spoon and let it drain on a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Paper towels make the bottom soggy. The rack keeps them crisp on all sides. Serve immediately with salsa, lime halves, and mayonesa con limón if your guests want it. The cheese should pull in long ribbons when you cut one open. That ribbon is the test. Asi se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •The güero chile is the dish. If your market does not carry them, ask. They go by different names depending on where you shop: güero, caribe, largo, carricillo. They are pale yellow to light green, four to five inches long, with a slight bend. Do not substitute jalapeño. The wall is too thick and the heat is wrong for this preparation.
• •Queso asadero is what makes the cheese pull in ribbons when you bite in. Oaxaca cheese (quesillo) is an acceptable substitution and behaves similarly. Mozzarella will work in a pinch but lacks the slight tang. Cheddar is wrong for this dish and wrong for most Mexican dishes. La manteca es el sabor and the right cheese is the sabor too.
• •The capeado batter is fragile. Do not make it more than 15 minutes before frying. The whites lose their lift quickly and the batter goes flat. Beat your eggs while the filling cools, then go straight to the pan.

Advance Preparation

• •The shrimp filling can be made up to one day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before stuffing.
• •Stuff the chiles up to two hours ahead and hold them on a plate in the refrigerator. Bring them to room temperature for 15 minutes before battering.
• •The capeado batter does not hold. Beat it just before frying, not before.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 210g)