Shrimp Cocktail, Veracruz Style
Ingredients
- 1 pound (about 1/2 kilo) fresh or frozen raw shrimp
- 1 medium-sized white onion finely chopped.
- 1 bunch of cilantro chopped
- 2 large avocados
- 4 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime juice (see note below)
- 1 & 1/2 cups tomato puree
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup lemon-lime soda pop
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- bottled hot sauce to taste preferably Mexican brands such as Búfalo, Tapatío, etc.
- juicy lime halves to squeeze at the table
- 12 salty soda crackers/saltines
Instructions
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Cook the shrimp in boiling water for a very few minutes, just until they turn pink. Immediately remove them from the hot water and place them in a bowl filled with very cold water to stop the cooking process. (Overcooked shrimp can have an unpleasant rubbery texture.)
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Peel the shrimp and remove the vein. Drain well and keep them refrigerated while you prepare the rest of the cocktail.
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Peel the avocados and cut them into cubes of approximately half an inch or one centimeter in size. Place the squares in a bowl and toss them with the lime juice to keep them green.
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Prepare the sauce: Combine the tomato puree, ketchup, orange juice, soda pop and salt and mix very well. The aim is to have a sauce that is thicker than the orange juice but looser than the tomato puree; add a little juice or puree, if necessary, to achieve the desired texture. If you wish, add a few drops of the bottled hot sauce—or you can omit it at this time and allow each person to add it to his or her liking.
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To serve your delicious Veracruz-style shrimp cocktail, place a portion of the shrimp in the bottom of a sturdy stemmed glass or goblet. Pour the sauce over it until the shrimp are well covered. Lastly, sprinkle on the chopped onion, cilantro, and avocado with the lime juice.
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Provide spoons and saltines to eat the shrimp with/on, and place bottled hot sauce and lime halves on the table for each person to squeeze into his or her cocktail to taste.
Recipe Notes
Be sure to use Caribbean limes (also known as Mexican limes or key limes) in this dish, not Persian limes. Learn more about the limes used in Latin American food.
Variations:
· Add a handful of crunchy lettuce, finely chopped, to each cocktail glass for an extra fresh element.
· If you like a more spicy preparation, finely chop a raw chile (serrano or jalapeño) or two and add it with the onion and cilantro.
· You can use orange soda to replace the orange juice and lemon-lime soda.
· For a lower carb—but still crunchy and very Mexican—version of this dish, swap out the crackers for thin slices of fresh jicama.