I know this sounds a tad odd, but you’re going to have to trust me.  It is delicious. First, I adore shrimp with pineapple, a citrus and some cilantro…it’s just a good combination.  And there was this half can of black beans leftover from a salad, so I thought, “why not?” Turns out, it worked and worked well.  I really liked the texture the beans added.  They enhanced some of the savory aspects, and their savory qualities were a nice balance for the sweetness of the pineapple and the orange segments.  If you don’t have the black beans, omit them or use thawed, frozen peas.  Either way, this will still be delicious.

If you don’t enjoy cilantro, use chives and I think mint could be even better!  You can find a “tutorial” on how to clean shrimp and make shrimp stock here.

So let’s begin.  Get everything together…do your mise en place.  When you’re cooking “fast” you need everything ready to go in the pan.  Think “stir-fry”.  Same principle applies.

To sauté the shrimp, after you place them in the hot skillet, leave them alone.  Let the shrimp cook, without moving them, for about 2 minutes.  You want a nice, brown shrimp.  They will begin to become slightly pink near the tail and on the edges.  Turn them.  See how nice and brown they are.  This is what happens when you don’t move food around…caramelization!  (Are you tired of me saying that yet?  Well, buck up!)So now you’ve turned the shrimp; leave them for 1 minute.  Then remove to a plate.  They won’t be cooked through, but you’re going to add them to the sauce and finish cooking them there.

Deglaze the skillet with the tangerine juice and wine.  Simmer until the liquid is reduced by about 1/3, 2-3 minutes.  Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil.  Cook for 45-60 seconds.  The mixture should be the consistency of heavy cream (go figure!).  Add the pineapple, tangerine sections, cilantro, guajillo flakes, black beans and shrimp.  Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes.  You want the shrimp to finish cooking and for everything to be heated through.

Serve immediately.  I put it over garlic rice, but you want the shrimp off the heat right after your combine everything or the shrimp will over-cook and we want to avoid that completely.  The whole process of cooking the shrimp and returning them to the sauce takes less than 10 minutes.

See how simple that was.  I will serve this with some lime wedges next time.  I didn’t use Cajun seasoning, because I didn’t have any, so I used something similar that I mixed up, but do use the guajillos or some smoked paprika.  You want some heat, or at least I do!

I love the way the sweetness of the pineapple plays up the sweetness of the shrimp and the guajillos.  The wine adds a nice bit if acid, but the cream tempers the wine’s acidity, so I think a bit of lime juice is necessary.  If you don’t have a tangerine, use an orange or just use some orange juice (about 3 tablespoons).  I used cumin in the spice mixture, so I didn’t use the cumin outright, but I made note of it in the recipe.  I think it would a be delicious; just use a large pinch; you don’t too much.

The other bonus…this is a quickie.  From start to finish, it took less than 30 minutes and that includes cleaning the shrimp, doing the mise and getting the rice on and cooked (I started the rice first).  This could absolutely be a mid-week meal, but it should be a meal, no matter when you prepare it.  Pour the wine and enjoy!