I think we’re obligated to treat ourselves to some proper summer days this season. Lazy days with sunshine, iced tea, and a cool breeze if we can get it.
I had a proper Summer Sunday this past weekend, and I have the pink toasted skin to prove it. I tend to be really bad at sitting on the beach with loads of free time and not even one bar of cell service, but the shores of Mississippi are slowly teaching me a thing or two about slowing down and unwinding. I’m also re-reading Emily Freeman’s A Million Little Ways which is very much like food for the soul.
Speaking of food… that’s why we’re here, right?
Hot summer days calls for light and fresh foods… and beignets, but that’s always.
I have been craving a shrimp cocktail dish that doesn’t involve cocktail glasses filled with sweet ketchup and dangling pink shrimp. I found this recipe for something called Mexican Shrimp Cocktail that combines my love for avocado and salsa with my love for shrimp cocktail. It’s fresh and spicy and I totally used store bought Pico de Gallo because all of that chopping would work up an unnecessary sweat.
Ketchup adds a sweet base to this shrimp-y cocktail. Pico de Gallo is a mixture of tomato, onion, and jalapeño… which adds a nice spice to balance the sweet. I added lime juice and hot sauce, too. A generous amount. Fresh cilantro. Fresh avocado. Salt and pepper to taste!
It’s too easy (in the best way ever).
I served this Avocado and Lime Shrimp Cocktail chilled with freshly fried corn tortillas. Extra lime wedges for a kick. Extra salsa for jazz hands. Serve with super cold beer if you know what’s what.
Happy Summer to us!
Avocado and Lime Shrimp Cocktail
makes 4 large or six smaller servings
1 pound chilled peeled, deveined and steamed shrimp and tails removed
2/3 cup ketchup
2/3 cup Pico de Gallo
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons hot sauce (like Tabasco or Crystal)
sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
1 ripe avocado, sliced into chunks
1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
tortilla chips for serving
lime wedges for serving
In a medium bowl, stir together ketchup, Pico de Gallo, lime juice, olive oil and hot sauce. Taste a bit of the mixture and add more hot sauce, salt and pepper to your taste.
Add the steamed and chilled shrimp, the avocado, and the cilantro. Stir to combine. Taste again and season accordingly.
Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Serve chilled with crisp tortilla chips.
Recipe adapted slightly from The Hot Sauce Cookbook.
Rachel
i’m really going to have to try this, as in the uk a shrimp/ prawn cocktail is something totally different, made with a marie rose sauce (https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4602/classic-prawn-cocktail), so this is is a totally new concept for me!