Spirited Cocktails

Editor’s Note: We have a special treat this Friday. Katy, our guest-blogger and chef d’cuisine, brings us a recipe for Shrimp Ceviche – the perfect accompaniment for summer cocktails! Enjoy.

Josh’s recent posts on strawberry daiquiris and pisco sours reminded me that the hot, hot days of summer are soon upon us. A cool shrimp ceviche is a great pairing to both drinks and is simple to make.

Ceviche is a traditional South American seafood dish in which fish is marinated in a combination of fresh lime juice and lemon juice. The fish “cooks” due to the acidic combination of lemon and lime juices. Ceviche is traditionally made with red snapper, but can be made with almost any white fish.

This recipe uses shrimp that is lightly pre-cooked. I know, food purists will say that it’s not really ceviche if it’s cooked. While the marinade cooks seafood, it doesn’t kill the bacteria. This isn’t much of an issue with raw fish (think sushi), but it can be with shellfish like shrimp or scallops. So, for safety reasons, it’s a good idea to lightly pre-cook the shrimp.

Note: If you find the ceviche a little too acidic, drain out some of the juices after the marinating, add a little more avocado and/or a little more salt.

Ingredients

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Tbsp salt
3/4 cup lime juice (juice from 4-6 limes)
3/4 cup lemon juice (juice from 2-3 lemons)
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1 Serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cucumber, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 avocado, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

Method

1) In a large pot, bring to a boil 4 quarts of water, salted with 2 Tbsp salt. Add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute to 2 minutes max, depending on size of shrimp. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.

2) Drain the shrimp. Cut each piece of shrimp in half, or into inch-long pieces. Place shrimp in a glass or ceramic bowl. Mix in the lime and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for a half hour.

3) Mix in the chopped red onion and Serrano chile. Refrigerate an additional half hour.

4) Right before serving, add the cilantro, cucumber, and avocado.

5) Mix and serve.

Serves 4-6.

Tags: ceviche, shrimp, small plates

This entry was posted on Friday, May 8th, 2009 at 9:15 am and is filed under Food. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.