Camarones A Lo Marinero
"Sailor-Style Shrimp"
From the treasured pages of Mexican Cooking Notebook
Unknown Author
Camarones A Lo Marinero
"Se limpian los camarones en crudo, y se ponen a freir en manteca hasta que empiecen a dorarse. Se asan unos jitomates maduros y y despellejados se muelen bien; se frien con los camarones, se agrega un poco de vinagre, bueno o vino tinto, y un trozo de azúcar; se deja hervir hasta que consuma el caldo, y se sirven frios sacados de la manteca, o calientes sobre rebanadas de pan delgadas, doradas en ella."
English Translation
"Clean the raw shrimp and fry them in butter until they begin to brown. Roast some ripe tomatoes, peel them, and mash them well; fry them with the shrimp, add a little good vinegar or red wine, and a piece of sugar. Let it boil until the sauce reduces, and serve either cold, removed from the butter, or hot over thin slices of bread toasted in the same butter."
Note on the Original Text
Recipes from this era were written with brevity and assumed that readers had a certain level of kitchen experience. Amounts were rarely given; terms like 'un poco' (a little) or 'un trozo' (a piece) left much up to the cook's discretion. The spelling and style are informal; 'jitomates' refers specifically to the red tomato common in central and southern Mexico. The directions favor process and intuition rather than precise timings or measurements, reflecting both the resources available and the oral culinary tradition of the time.
Title
Mexican Cooking Notebook (1950)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Unknown
Era
1950
Publisher
Unknown
Background
A charming 20th-century manuscript brimming with Mexican culinary delights, this notebook collects recipes such as Apio a la Española, Ardillas guisadas, Barbo Marino, Barbada (Crema de licor), Biscochos soplados de Almendra, and Carnero Adobado—a flavorful journey through classic and inventive dishes.
Kindly made available by
University of Texas at San Antonio
This recipe is from an early 20th-century Mexican manuscript cookbook, a period when home cooks handwrote their favorite recipes for daily household use. These notebooks captured family, regional, and sometimes foreign culinary influences, reflecting a Mexico in transition—adopting European techniques but remaining proudly grounded in native ingredients and flavors. 'Camarones a lo Marinero' (Sailor-style Shrimp) is an example of Mexican adaptation: tomatoes and shrimp from coastal cuisine, but enriched with European elements like sugar, vinegar, and bread, possibly echoing Spanish or French inspirations. Recipes like this one show how Mexican cooks incorporated global influences while keeping the dish unmistakably local.
In the early 20th century, cooks would have used a simple wood or charcoal stove, with a heavy frying pan—likely cast iron or enamelware. Shrimp were cleaned by hand, and tomatoes roasted over open flame or a comal (flat griddle). A stone metate or a metal molino (mill) could be used to mash the tomatoes, or simply a sturdy wooden mortar and pestle. Bread would be sliced with a sturdy kitchen knife and toasted in the pan after the shrimp, soaking up the flavorful fat.
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings
4
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 3.5 ounces butter (can substitute lard or olive oil if preferred)
- 3 ripe tomatoes (about 10 ounces), roasted and peeled
- 2 tablespoons (1 fl oz) red wine vinegar or red wine
- 1/3 ounce sugar
- Salt, to taste
- Thinly sliced bread, for serving
Instructions
- Start by cleaning about 1 pound of raw shrimp, removing shells and veins if needed.
- In a large frying pan, melt 3.5 ounces of butter over medium heat.
- Sauté the shrimp in the butter until they just begin to turn golden.
- Meanwhile, roast 3 ripe tomatoes (about 10 ounces in total) until their skins are blistered, peel them, and then mash or blend until smooth.
- Add the tomato purée to the pan with the shrimp.
- Pour in 2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) of good-quality vinegar or red wine, and add a small piece (about 1/3 ounce) of sugar.
- Stir everything together and let it simmer until the juices reduce and thicken.
- Serve the shrimp hot over thin slices of bread, toasted in the same butter, or let them cool and serve chilled, drained from the butter.
Estimated Calories
200 per serving
Cooking Estimates
Preparing the shrimp and tomatoes usually takes about 15 minutes. Cooking everything together should take around 20 minutes. Each serving of this shrimp dish has about 200 calories. This recipe makes 4 servings.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
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