Photo by Sophia Villarreal
Shrimp Salad (Ensalada de camarón)
This Delitefully Mexican© recipe hails from Veracruz and is quick, easy, light, and versatile. In dishes like this, garnished with raw onion, I really value the freshness of Mexican onions. You can use bulb or spring onion. Red onions make a good substitute, especially the kind that are new-looking and shiny, without papery skins.
Ingredients
- 6 cups fish stock or water
- 1 small white onion unpeeled
- 2 cloves garlic unpeeled
- 3 bay leaves
- 10-12 black peppercorns
- 1½ teaspoons salt, or to taste divided
- 1 pound medium shrimp sold as 16-20 count in the shell
- Juice of 1 lime
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 fresh white bulb onion see above or 1 medium-small red onion, sliced into thin half moons
- 3 jalapeño chiles seeded if desired (to mitigate the heat — I don’t bother) and finely julienned
- 1 ripe Mexican-type avocado finely diced
- 10 sprigs cilantro leaves only
Instructions
- Place the fish stock or water, white onion, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium-sized saucepan or small stockpot. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes to infuse with the flavors.
- Add the shrimp and cook, uncovered, for about 2 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink.
- Quickly cool by removing the shrimp into a colander set under cold running water. Drain thoroughly. (You can strain and reserve the broth for another use.)
- Peel and cut shrimp lengthwise into halves.
- In a small bowl, combine the lime juice and olive oil with a generous grinding of black pepper and about ½ teaspoon more salt.
- Place the shrimp in a large bowl with the bulb onion, chiles, avocado, and cilantro.
- Pour the lime-juice dressing over the salad ingredients and toss to distribute evenly. Taste for seasoning and add a little more salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve at once.
Notes
Variations: The same recipe works well with virtually any kind of seafood, though each has to be cooked to its own optimum timing. For squid salad (ensalada de calamares), start with about 1-1½ pounds squid (cleaned weight). Peel off the outer membrane and cut the mea into ½-inch chunks or rings. Cook as directed for shrimp, or until tender. Continue as directed.
Nutrition
Calories: 374kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 32gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 286mgSodium: 2926mgPotassium: 792mgFiber: 5gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 546IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 303mgIron: 4mg
