Seasonal Fare with Flair: Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail, known as Cóctel de Ca- marónes, is a little different from an American shrimp cocktail as it is like a salad in a glass, full of crunchy vegetables and shrimp in a spicy tomato citrus sauce. It’s just the right balance of sweet and tart, and it’s a great sauce for any seafood, such as scallops or crab.

Recipe serves 6.

Ingredients
• 1⁄2 medium white onion, finely diced
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1⁄2 cup ketchup
• 1⁄2 cup clam juice, or use shrimp cooking broth
• 2 to 3 Tbs. fresh lime juice (or to taste)
• 1 to 2 Tbs. Mexican hot sauce, or to taste, such as Cholula
• 1 cup diced English cucumber or peeled jicama (or 1⁄2 cup of each)
• 1 Roma tomato, diced
• 1 firm-ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and chopped
• 1⁄2 cup chopped cilantro, loosely packed
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Lime wedges, for serving
• Cilanro sprigs, for serving
• Saltines (for a very authentic touch) or tortilla chips, for serving

Directions

Place onion in a sieve and run under cold running water; drain.

Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add shrimp, turn off heat and let sit 1 minute or until shrimp are pink and cooked through. Drain and let shrimp cool. Cut into bite-sized pieces.

Combine ketchup, clam juice, lime juice and hot sauce.

In another bowl, fold cooled shrimp, diced onion, jicama, cucumber, tomato, avocado and cilantro. Pour dressing over shrimp and vegetable combination, toss to coat. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve in large, wide-rimmed (like martini or Margarita) glasses. Garnish with a lime wedge and cilantro sprigs.

To plan ahead: Cook shrimp, cool and refrigerate. Dice cucumber, jicama, tomato and onion and combine in a bowl and refrigerate. Combine sauce ingredients and refrigerate. When ready to serve, dice avocado, com- bine with remaining ingredients, portion into serving glasses, garnish and serve with chips or saltines to enjoy alongside.

~ From Puerto Morelos, Mexico

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Ken Davis

Ken Davis is the Co-op's senior copywriter. Email him at kdavis@coopfoodstore.com.