THIS SUMMER I have tried my best to not turn on my oven and I have gone to great lengths to avoid turning on my stove. When it's that hot outside you just come up with every excuse to not go outside and want to eat cool things all day long.
Photo Copyright 2010, Dude Food
A window AC on the top floor of a walk-up just can't compete with this type of heat.
I had eight large shrimp in my freezer from a while ago. Since shrimp thaw very quickly under cold running water, I decided to figure out what I could do. About 45 minutes later I had nice large shrimp to work with.
This is where the problem started. I was torn between making shrimp cocktail and a shrimp ceviche.
Ceviche is the "cooking" of a fish, normally shellfish, in a highly acidic liquid. While not actually applying heat the proteins are still "cooked." The process only takes about 30 minutes, depending on the size you cut the meat.
These shrimp are U/10's, a term describing the number of shrimp per pound. For example: 20/25 count shrimp mean there is between 20 and 25 shrimps per pound. U/10's mean there are under 10 shrimp per pound. They're big.
This is the best size for shrimp cocktail. For one thing, the shrimp is large enough that it doesn't overcook quickly. But, most importantly, there is enough shrimp in each bite that you really get to appreciate that crunchy, sea water sweetness that makes shrimp cocktail the universal party favorite of celebrations across the country.
Hence my predicament.
Anyway, I couldn't decide so I did both, in a way. First, I peeled and deveined the shrimp, leaving on the tail. What is shrimp cocktail, after all, without the tail handle? Then, I poached them in hot water (180F) that was salted. You can tell shrimp is cooked when the flesh is no longer translucent and they are curling into themselves. They cook quickly and when they were done, I scooped them out and cooled them in an ice-water bath.
I changed up the classic cocktail sauce of ketchup and horseradish to suit my ceviche craving. Slicing up some cherry tomatoes before tossing it with the zest of a lemon's and it's juice, a minced shallot, diced cucumber and chopped cilantro gave it the acidic kick I was looking for.
While delicious, something was missing. So, I decided to toss in a heaping tablespoon of prepared horseradish for that classic cocktail sauce heat I was missing. Of course, you could always just make a classic cocktail sauce, see below for a recipe.
Treat yourself to this and you'll feel like you've got box seats if your just watching a baseball game at home. It's a cool and crisp snack that is perfect for a hot summer night. That's a good enough reason to celebrate with some shrimp cocktail for me!
Cheers!
Shrimp Cocktail with a Tomato Cucumber Salad
serves: 4 prep: 10 minutes
Ingredients
8 large (U/10) shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail-on
2 Tbsp. Kosher salt
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 shallot, diced
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and diced
1 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
1 lemon, juiced and zested
Slat and Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
4 lemon wedges, to garnish
Method:
- Bring a large pot of water to approx. 180F. Add 2 Tbsp. kosher salt.
- Meanwhile, combine cherry tomatoes, shallot, cucumber, horseradish, lemon zest and juice in a small bowl. Stir until well combined. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste.
- Add shrimp to hot water and poach until the shrimp are cooked, approx. 3 minutes. When cooked they will loose their translucency and curl into themselves.
- Remove from hot water and immediately plunge into an ice-bath.
- Remove from ice bath and chop 4 shrimp into large pieces, stir into tomato mixture. Stir in cilantro.
- Spoon into a martini glass until 3/4 full. Place a full shrimp on top and garnish with a lemon wedge.
If ceviche isn't your thing, and your hankering for a genuine shrimp cocktail, I've included a recipe for the sauce below.
Traditional Cocktail Sauce
Ingredients:
1/4 cup ketchup
2-3 Tbsp. Prepared horseradish, depending on preference
2 tsp. lemon juice
Method:
- Combine all ingredients into a bowl. Taste for seasoning. If too spicy add more ketchup, if too mild add more horseradish.
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