Pan Seared Shrimp with Romesco Sauce

Great dip and awesome meal!

My camera has started to act weird so I have no pictures!

Ingredients for sauce:

1 small ancho chile, stemmed and seeded (we used a poblano chile)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup whole blanched almonds

1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, smashed

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning

Freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

3/4 cup roughly chopped jarred, drained piquillo peppers (we used roasted red peppers)

1/2 slice stale bread

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

Toast the ancho chile in a small dry skillet over medium high heat, turning and flattening with a spatula, until fragrant. Put the chile in a medium bowl, cover with very hot water, and set aside until soft.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and cook, stirring until toasted. Transfer the almonds to a plate, leaving the oil in the skillet. Add the softened chile, the onion, garlic, the 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until onions are lightly browned. Add paprika and cook until fragrant. Scrape onion mixture into a sieve set over a bowl; reserve 3 tablespoons strained oil.

Pulse the onion mixture, almonds, piquillo peppers, bread and vinegar in a food processor until coarse. With the motor running, drizzle in the reserved oil. Scrape the sauce into a bowl and set in a warm place until shrimp is cooked.

Ingredients for Shrimp:

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and patted dry

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Spread shrimp on a pan or a piece of aluminum foil. Heat 2 large skillets over medium heat. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the shrimp. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to each skillet and increase the heat to high. Add the shrimp seasoned side down, taking care not to crowd them. Cook the shrimp until they turn golden brown on the bottom.

Dip Shrimp in Sauce and Enjoy!