I reverse engineered this from Azteca Restaurants Shrimp Diablo Chowder. I think it’s pretty close, and very delicious!

Shrimp Tequila Chowder

• 1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed, and cut into fourths
• 1/2 cup tequila, divided
• Juice of 2 limes
• 3 cloves garlic, put through a garlic press
• 3 tablespoons oil or butter
• One onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 3 tablespoons flour (use sweet rice flour for gluten-free)
• 4 cups gluten-free chicken stock
• 1 can Rotelle (tomatoes and peppers)
• 1 can crisp summer corn, drained
• 1 lb red potatoes, cubed
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon chipoltle
• 1/2 teaspoon dried cumin
• 3 tablespoons corn starch, dissolved into 3 tablespoons chicken stock
• Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

1. Combine 1/4 cup tequila, lime juice, and garlic in a small bowl. Toss with shrimp and set aside.
2. Heat oil or butter in a soup pot.
3. Add onions, jalapeno, and carrots. Saute until carrots are soft, about 5 minutes.
4. Add flour and stir until raw flour flavor is gone – about four minutes.
5. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup tequila, scraping up any bits on bottom of pan.
6. Add chicken stock, Rotelle, corn, potatoes, cream, cumin, and chipoltle.
7. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender.
8. Stir in corn starch slurry.
9. Remove shrimp from marinade and stir into soup.
10. Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper, and additional chipoltle to taste.

Here’s the chowder with a paleo makeover (although tequila is not technically paleo). If you’re watching carbs, this version has about 12 grams of carbs per serving (it serves 8). Leave out the celeriac and it has about 10 grams of carbs per serving.

• 1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed, and cut into fourths
• 1/2 cup tequila, divided
• Juice of 2 limes
• 3 cloves garlic, put through a garlic press
• 3 tablespoons fat (I use duck fat)
• 1 pound grass fed chorizo (I use bison chorizo from US Wellness Meats)
• One onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 4 cups homemade chicken bone broth
• 1 can organic, sugar-free tomatoes and peppers (or organic canned crushed tomatoes plus 1 small can organic diced jalapeños)
• 1 lb celeriac, peeled and cubed
• 1/4 teaspoon chipoltle
• 1/2 teaspoon dried cumin
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder, dissolved into 1/4 cup water
• Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

1. Combine 1/4 cup tequila, lime juice, and garlic in a small bowl. Toss with shrimp and set aside.
2. Heat fat in a soup pot.
3. Add chorizo and cook until it is browned. Remove it from the fat with a slotted spoon and set it aside on a platter.
4. Cook the onions, jalapeno, and carrots in the fat that remains in the pan. Saute until carrots are soft, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup tequila, scraping up any bits on bottom of pan.
6. Add chicken broth, tomatoes and peppers, celeriac, cumin, and chipoltle.
7. Bring to a simmer and cook until celeriac is tender.
8. Stir in the arrowroot slurry.
9. Remove shrimp from marinade and stir into soup. Return the chorizo to the pot.
10. Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper, and additional chipoltle to taste.