Every Filipinx family has their own take on kare-kare, but they generally include peanut butter, achiote (annatto) seed, and often a fermented shrimp paste called bagoong for extra flavor in the stew. Old-school Filipinx cooks make the sauce for it from scratch, but you can find powdered or jarred versions, the best of which is Fila Manila Kare-Kare. It’s the star of this dish, where it cooks down with garlic, thyme, chicken broth, butter, lemon juice, and hot sauce into a glossy sauce for seared shrimp. This peanut-y sauce is perfect with virtually any shellfish—try it with head-on prawns or lobster if you want to go all in. —Harold Villarosa
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What you’ll need
Large Skillet
$90 At Amazon
Citrus Juicer
$20 $15 At Amazon
Whisk
$12 $10 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 Servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Season shrimp on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook shrimp until bright pink and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer shrimp to a platter and wipe out skillet (any browned bits left in the pan are okay).
Step 2
Cook garlic and thyme in same skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in broth, scraping up any browned bits stuck to bottom of skillet, then add kare-kare sauce and whisk until smooth. Add butter a piece at a time, whisking constantly and incorporating completely before adding the next piece. Once all of the butter has been incorporated, whisk in hot sauce and lemon juice. Taste kare-kare butter and season with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Spoon kare-kare butter over shrimp and top with chives. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.
