Chile-Rubbed Shrimp with Avocado Corn Cocktail

Chile-Rubbed Shrimp with Avocado Corn Cocktail

Adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chile-rubbed-shrimp-with-avocado-corn-cocktail-2315400

Last night was our monthly rotation group dinner. Margaret and Chris hosted. Food theme: “Grill it or Chill it!”

I found a recipe that I could both grill and chill: Chile-rubbed shrimp with avocado corn. This recipe serves four people using jumbo shrimp and served in martini glasses. For the group dinner, I decided to make this as a large salad. It was a hit.

16 jumbo shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and deveined

1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Avocado and Corn Salsa (see below)

Rinse the shrimp under cold running water, and then blot them dry with paper towels.

Place the chili powder, garlic salt, coriander, oregano, cumin, and pepper in a mixing bowl and whisk to mix. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Stir in the olive oil. Let the shrimp marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Cook the shrimp, following the instructions below for any of the grills, until just cooked through. When done the shrimp will turn pinkish white and will feel firm to the touch.

Spoon the Avocado and Corn Salsa into 4 large martini glasses or serving bowls. Drape 4 of the hot shrimp over the edge of each glass or bowl and serve at once. Or for a cold shrimp cocktail, let the cooked shrimp cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the shrimp, covered, until they are chilled before serving them with the salsa. The cooked shrimp can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

My changes and comments: I used smaller shrimp, two pounds. I didn’t have ancho chili powder, so I used regular chili powder. I also didn’t have garlic salt, so I did a combo of garlic powder and salt.

This salad was delicious and it went very quickly. I really liked the flavors of the rub, which can be used on meats.  

 

Avocado and Corn Salsa

1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 ripe red tomato, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 ear sweet corn, shucked
1 scallion, both white and green parts, trimmed and finely chopped, or 3 tablespoons diced sweet onion
1 to 2 jalapeño peppers or serrano peppers, seeded and minced (for a hotter salsa, leave the seeds in)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

 Place the avocado in the bottom of a nonreactive mixing bowl and gently toss it with 2 tablespoons of the lime juice. Spoon the tomato on top of the avocado.

Cut the kernels off the corn. The easiest way to do this is to lay the cob flat on a cutting board and remove the kernels using lengthwise strokes of a chef's knife. Add the corn kernels to the mixing bowl. The salsa can be prepared to this stage up to 2 hours ahead. Refrigerate it, covered.

Just before serving, add the jalapeño(s) and cilantro to the mixing bowl and gently toss to mix. Taste for seasoning, adding more lime juice as necessary and season with salt and pepper to taste; the salsa should be highly seasoned.

My changes: I doubled the ingredients with the exception that I only used half of a large jalapeño pepper. I also grilled the corn on our grill, which gave the corn a nice smoky flavor.

Without the shrimp, this is a tasty summer salad.