I am sitting, swathed in blankets, in a many-coloured but icy living room in Washington, D.C.

I drove here, if you can believe it, to make a dish.

I had planned 20 coffee creme brulees with candied pecans for a seated birthday dinner. Which somehow turned into two pounds of shrimp, buffet-style, in a smoked paprika broth. (I did make 10 creme brulees, but they were an orange-flavoured favour to a rushed caterer and for an entirely unrelated party. It’s a long story.)

I used to make this dish at the restaurant at school, but as I’ve prepared it at home it’s become steadily less French-with-a-Spanish-accent and decidedly more Southeast Asian. Last night, competing at an unusually skillful potluck with some very strong Thai and Indonesian contenders–a stick-to-your-ribs oxtail soup, chicken satay and bubur sumsum among them–the dish gave only the faintest nod to its European roots and decamped directly to the Straits.

I’ve upped the lime and ginger, used jalapeños in place of sweeter mirasols, and introduced a deep-fried shallot garnish as a nod to my grandfather, who used the smoky, crunchy shreds to lift the flavour of mushy rice steamed with mustard greens.

Tom Yum Cordoba (Shrimp with ginger and jalapeños in a smoked paprika broth)–Serves as few people as you think can take down 2 lbs. of shrimp

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. shrimp, unpeeled

32 oz. chicken stock
1 carrot, sliced thin
1 onion, sliced thin
bunch cilantro leaves, minced and stems reserved
2 jalapeño peppers, deseeded and julienned
1 2-inch knob of ginger, julienned
2 tbsp. Spanish smoked paprika (pimenton de La Vera, dulce)
1/2 stick butter
juice of 2 limes
2 limes, cut in wedges

2 large shallots, sliced thin
vegetable oil for deep-frying

METHOD

Peel and devein shrimp, reserving shells for stock.

In a small saucepan, submerge sliced shallots in cold oil and slowly brown on very low heat. When shallots are dark golden brown, drain and rest on absorbent kitchen towels.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, sautee the carrot and onion in vegetable oil until very brown. Add shrimp shells and brown. Cover with chicken stock, add cilantro stems and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

Strain broth and return to a high heat, reducing by half. Add smoked paprika and check seasoning. Dissolve butter in broth and set aside.

Sweat ginger and jalapeños in deep sautee pan until tender and starting to colour. Add shrimp to pan and sautee until not quite cooked through. Cover with paprika broth and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in minced cilantro and lime juice.

Before serving, sprinkle liberally with deep-fried shallots. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing.

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