INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. 16/20 Shrimp, deveined 3 cups Jasmine Rice
½ cup Cuervo Gold Especial 5 cups Chicken or Clam Stock
¼ cup Fresh Lime Juice 1 each Vanilla Bean, cut in half crosswise
¼ cup Salad Oil 1 tbsp. Garlic, chopped
3 tbsp. Fresh Cilantro, chopped 1 tbsp. Shallots, chopped
4 each Garlic, pressed 1 tbsp. Annato Seeds, boiled, pureed with oil
1 each Serrano Chili, finely chopped 2 tbsp. Mulato Chili, chopped
2 tbsp. Brown Sugar 2 tbsp. Red Anaheim Chili, toasted and julienne
Salt and Pepper to taste 1 each Red Chili Pepper (optional)
Dash Cumin 1 cup White Wine
2 tbsp. Butter, softened 4 tbsp. Butter, softened to taste
2 tbsp. Butter, chilled Salt and Pepper

METHOD:
Tequila Shrimp:
Butterfly back side and thoroughly wash shrimp. Marinate for at least one hour in all ingredients except for ¼ cup tequila, a pinch of chili, garlic, cilantro and chilled butter. Drain shrimp and reserve marinade. In a sauté pan on high heat, cook shrimp on both sides in butter for about one minute. Remove from pan and keep warm. Add half of the marinade to sauté pan and reduce by half over high heat. Add cold butter and remainder of tequila and spices. Flambé. Incorporate by whisking together and serve over shrimp placed around a bed of rice.

Firecracker Rice:
This consists of two different rices - one is fortified with chilis and the other with vanilla bean. For the chili rice, sauté 2 tbsp. butter, 1 tsp. shallots, garlic and 1½ cups washed Jasmine rice in a heavy-bottom sauce pan. Add the Mulato chilis, Red Anaheim chilis and the Annato seed paste to the rice (add red chili pepper here if desired). Add 3 cups of chicken stock, cover and simmer on low until all liquid is absorbed.

For the vanilla bean rice, sauté 2 tbsp. butter, 2 tsp. shallots and one vanilla bean in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Add 1 ½ cups washed Jasmine rice and lightlysauté. Add 2 cups chicken stock and one cup white wine. Cover and simmer on low until all liquid is absorbed and season with salt and pepper.

Serve 3 ounce portion of each rice as a bed for the shrimp.