Mexican Style Shrimp Cocktail

Just as our Brown Sugar and Citrus Cured Salmon has become a tradition at our winter celebrations, this sweet-and-spicy shrimp cocktail based on an octopus recipe from the Rick Bayless cookbook has proved to be an immensely popular item at our parties during the warmer months. The first time we served this dish, our guests finished the entire bowl before E.S. even got to try one shrimp! Also like the cured salmon, this recipe is very simple.

Unlike your traditional shrimp cocktail arrangement – in which cooked shrimp are hung on the edge of a container of cocktail sauce – this recipe calls for the shrimp to be tossed in the sauce ahead of time, which allows the flavors of the sauce to penetrate the shrimp. Don’t add the shrimp to the sauce more than three hours before serving the cocktail, or the shrimp will start to get soft.

Tomatoes charred under a hot broiler, and a large quantity of hot sauce form the base of the cocktail sauce. I prefer Valencia or Cholula brand hot sauce for this recipe, as both have a subtle horseradish kick that compliments the shrimp nicely. Brown sugar and sherry vinegar provide a sweet contrast that balances the spice in the hot sauce.

Using precooked shrimp purchased from your local fishmonger makes this recipe a breeze. Just whip up the sauce in your food processor, chill in the refrigerator, and then toss in the shrimp. It’s that easy. Of course, if you want to cook your own shrimp, that will work too. Either way, be sure to remove all bits of shell and tail from your shrimp.

Serve this shrimp cocktail as part of a buffet in a large bowl, or as a plated first course in small glass bowls, topped with freshly sliced avocado and chopped cilantro.

Mexican Style Shrimp Cocktail

Ingredients

1 red onion, sliced thin
1 pound ripe tomatoes (2 large or 6 plum)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ cup Mexican hot sauce (such as Valencia or Cholula brand)
2 ½ pounds cooked shrimp, shells and tails removed
1 ripe avocado, cut into small chunks
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro


Instructions

1. Roast the whole tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet about four inches below a very hot broiler until splotchy black and thoroughly soft, at least 5 minutes per side. Remove and cool.

2.While the tomatoes are cooling, set the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spread the onion and whole garlic cloves on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to combine. Place in the oven and roast until richly browned, about 15 minutes, stirring a few times to ensure even browning.

3. Pull the blackened skins off of the tomatoes, and scoop them into a food processor. Pulse several times to chop them into small pieces. Scrape into a medium bowl.

4. Scoop the onion and garlic into the food processor (don’t bother to clean the bowl of the food processor between uses). Pulse until finely chopped and add to the bowl with the tomatoes.

5. Add the sherry vinegar, brown sugar and hot sauce to the bowl and combine with the chopped vegetables. Season to taste with salt (I usually add about 2 teaspoons). Chill the cocktail sauce in the refrigerator.

6. An hour or two before you want to serve the shrimp cocktail, add the cleaned shrimp to the bowl and toss to combine. Try a shrimp to see if the cocktail needs additional salt or hot sauce. Once you are satisfied with the seasoning, return the bowl to the refrigerator.

7. When ready to serve, transfer the shrimp and sauce to an attractive bowl and top with the avocado and cilantro. Alternatively, divide the shrimp and sauce among small glass bowls and top each bowl with a few chunks of avocado and some chopped cilantro. Serve with high quality tortilla chips.

Related: Look at our Chilled Cucumber and Avocado Soup recipe to see how to pit an avocado.

Frogmore Stew

Not really a stew at all, but rather a boil of potatoes, corn, shrimp and spicy-smoked sausage, frogmore stew is a very traditional Southern dish, indigenous to the Carolinas but common along the Gulf coast as well. Traditionally, all of the ingredients are boiled in heavily-seasoned water, strained and eaten family-style. My mom likes to make frogmore stew for dinner at the height of summer. It’s a great way to highlight the amazing corn available in July and August, and the heat in the dish can make even the hottest summer night seem cool by comparison.

My version of frogmore stew is a bit more refined than the original. To build my boiling liquid, I start with a base of chicken stock and water, which I slowly simmer with onions, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, herbs and spices until dark and heavily flavored. Because I put so much work into my boiling liquid, I figure it would be a shame not to serve it. So I serve individual portions of the corn, potatoes, shrimp and sausage in wide bowls with some of the boiling liquid ladled over.

I recommend Andouille sausage for this recipe. You can substitute another spicy sausage for the Andouille, but make sure whatever sausage you use is spicy enough to sufficiently flavor the boiling liquid. If using a milder sausage, add additional red pepper flakes to the broth in step 3. Similarly, I recommend using head-on shrimp for this recipe. The heads add great flavor and brine to the boiling liquid. If you’re not using head-on shrimp, consider adding some additional salt to the boiling liquid in step 4.

Serve with crusty bread and remember to put out an extra bowl for shells and corn cobs.

Frogmore Stew

Ingredients

2 pounds Andouille sausage, or other spicy sausage

2 large red bell peppers

olive oil

8 cups chicken stock

8 cups water

2 medium onions, peeled and halved end-to-end

1 large tomato, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks, or 1 16 ounce canned-diced tomatoes, drained

6 garlic cloves, smashed

10 sprigs fresh thyme

6 bay leaves

1 tablespoon whole black pepper corns

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

10-12 small new red potatoes, halved

4 ears corn, husks and silver threads removed and broken into 2-3 pieces each

2 pounds shrimp, shells and heads on

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and pre-heat oven to 425F. Poke each link of sausage several times with the twines of a fork, and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Lightly oil the peppers with the olive oil, and place on the baking sheet with the sausages. Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, or until the peppers are beginning to blister and the sausages are deeply browned.

2. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the peppers and sausages to cool. When cool enough to handle, cut the sausages on the bias into 2-inch pieces and set aside. Cut each pepper into 6 or 8 pieces, making sure to remove any seeds, and set aside.

3. Put the chicken stock and water in a large stock pot, along with the onions, tomato, roasted peppers, garlic, thyme, bay, black pepper corns, red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Place over medium high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface.

4. Strain the boiling liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Discard the solids. Taste the boiling liquid to make sure that it is heavily seasoned. Add additional salt as necessary.

5. Wipe out the stock pot and then strain the boiling liquid through a fine mesh strainer back into the stock pot. Straining twice will result in a cleaner liquid. The boiling liquid can be set aside at this point for several hours until you’re ready to prepare the stew.

6. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil over medium to medium-high heat. Taste the liquid again. If it seems over-reduced, thin it out with a little water. Add the potatoes to the liquid, partially cover the pot and boil for 15 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain a gentle boil.

7. Add the corn and sausage to the liquid, partially cover the pot and boil for 10 more minutes, or until the potatoes are fully cooked.

8. Add the shrimp to the pot and cook, covered, for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until the shrimp are just cooked.

9. Place one piece of corn in each of four wide bowls, along with a few pieces of potato, a few pieces of sausage, and several shrimp. Ladle a little of the boiling liquid over each bowl, and serve immediately.

Tomato and Avocado Ceviche

You can use almost any whitefish in this recipe, though we've had very good success with halibut. Other fish suggestd include tuna, salmon, sea bass, sole, sea scallop and shrimp. The recipe suggests thin fish such as sole, flounder or tilapia as easy because they do not need to be cut width-wise (which should be no thicker than 1/3 inch for even cooking). The important part is to keep the pieces of fish approximately the same size cubes so that they cook in the citrus at the same rate. Because we are essentially cooking the fish with the acid from the citrus and not applying any heat, it's important to use fresh (from the store that day, not frozen, etc) fish and fresh lemons and limes. The brightness of the lemons and limes are the key to the flavor of the dish. Don't worry, it cooks, and will turn opaque to prove it. You actually can overcook things with citrus, so don't leave it in the marinade too long.

Be sure to pat all seafood dry with paper towels so that any moisture does not water down the marinade. To prep in advance, you can mix all the citrus marinade ingredients together (jalepeno, red pepper, garlic, lemon, lime, etc.) in one bowl, the cut seafood in another, and the added veggies minus avocado (scallions, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, oil, and sugar) in another. When it is time to start marinating, add the fish to the citrus. Add the avocado just before serving to prevent it from breaking down, turning brown, or making everything green. This will serve a generous 4 portions for a first course or a smaller 6 portions.

Tomato and Avocado Ceviche

Ingredients

1 pound extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), large sea scallops, skinless fish fillets, or a combination

1teaspoon grated lime zest from 1 lime

1/2cup juice from 4 limes

1/2cup juice from 4 lemons

1small red bell pepper , stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine

1-2 jalapeno chile (small), stemmed, seeded, and minced

1 medium garlic clove , minced or pressed through a garlic press

Salt

1/4cup extra-virgin olive oil

4-6 scallions , sliced thin (about 1 small bunch)

1cup cherry tomatoes , quartered

3tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves

1/2teaspoon sugar

1 ripe avocado , pitted and diced fine

Ground black pepper

Instructions

1. If using shrimp, peel them completely, devein, and slice each shrimp in half lengthwise using a paring knife (through the deveined groove in the back). If using scallops, remove the side tendon and slice into 1/3-inch-thick rounds. If using fish, remove any bones and slice into 1-inch squares about 1/3 inch thick.

2. Stir the lime zest, lime juice, lemon juice, bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a medium bowl. Gently stir in the seafood, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until the seafood is firm, opaque, and appears cooked, 45 to 60 minutes, stirring halfway through the marinating time.

3. Place the mixture in a fine-mesh strainer, leaving it a little wet, then return to the bowl. Gently stir in the oil, scallions, tomatoes, cilantro, and sugar followed by the avocado. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.