Tag: appetizer
Coconut Mango Shrimp Ceviche
Coconut Mango Shrimp Ceviche
There are 3 ways you can make this shrimp ceviche. You can make it exactly how it is in the recipe; omitting the mango and having it be just shrimp; or omitting the shrimp, adding 2 more mangoes and making the ceviche vegan. All are good, but I prefer everything in my ceviche. Serve the ceviche with tortilla chips.It is best to use shrimp sized 26/30 count or smaller. Shrimp that are larger may need to be cut in half. While the shrimp in this recipe are briefly cooked for 2 minutes, you can cut them into smaller pieces and marinate them raw in just the lime juice for a couple of hours before combining the rest of the ingredients.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 5 limes juiced
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- 2 tbsp coconut milk
- 1 tbsp aji amarillo paste
- 1 sweet mango diced
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook the shrimp for 2 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to completely cool.
- Add the mango to the shrimp. Set aside.
- Mix together the red onion, garlic, lime juice, parsley, coconut milk, and aji amarillo paste.
- Pour over the shrimp and mangos. Season with salt. Add 2 ice cubes. Serve immediately.
Tuna Empanadas
Tuna Empanadas
I’m a huge fan of empanadas and their various forms. These tuna empanadas are quite exquisite. There just isn’t any old can of tuna in the filling. I like to use this fancy Mexican brand of tuna that is actually whole chunks of yellowfin. It only costs $1 more than your Starkist or Chicken of the Sea and is light years ahead in quality. The dough to these empanadas has ancho chili powder in it. You can find ancho chili powder in your grocery store’s international aisle in the spice section. You can also use a whole dried ancho chili pepper and either grind it in a spice grinder or soak it in warm water for 25 minutes, then purée it in a blender. Either way is good. You can skip adding the ancho all together, but it does give the dough a nice color and some added flavor.You will need to use a tortilla press to flatten the dough. I like to take a gallon sized ziplock bag and cut it apart in 2 pieces to use as a barrier for the press. Place a dough ball in the center of the press on top of one of the plastic sheets. Place the other sheet over the top. Flatten the dough ball to a little less than 1/4” thick. Take off the top plastic sheet. Place 2 tbsp of the filling in the center of the dough. Using the bottom plastic sheet, fold the dough over in half, crimping the edges. Now you have an empanada. The empanadas only take 4 minutes a side to fry. Serve them on a bed of shredded cabbage with the hot sauce of your choosing. You can make large batches of the empanadas and freeze them down on a baking sheet. Store them in freezer bags.
Equipment
- tortilla press
Ingredients
Empanada Filling
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium white onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium tomato diced
- 1 can yellowfin tuna drained
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Empanada Dough
- 1 cup masa flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp ancho chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Heat up cooking oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add in the tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the tuna and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
- Mix together all of the dough ingredients. Roll into 6 equal sized balls.
Empanada Assembly
- Place a dough ball on the center of a tortilla press. I like to cut apart a gallon sized ziplock bag to use as a barrier for the press.
- Mash it down to 1/4” thick.
- Place a couple of tbsp of the filling in the center of the dough.
- Using the bottom piece of the ziplock bag, fold the dough over the center and crimp the edges.
- Make the rest of the empanadas and let sit on parchment paper.
- Heat up a 1/4” deep of vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Place the empanadas in the oil, making sure to not overcrowd the pan.
- Fry for 4 minutes a side.
Green Curry Spring Rolls
Green Curry Spring Rolls
This recipe combines 2 of the most popular Thai foods: spring rolls and green curry. They are a great appetizer that you can make in large batches and freeze down for later use. You can use either ground chicken or pork for the protein. The meat cooks down with the curry sauce, absorbing all of the liquid. Veggies are thrown in the last 2 minutes of cooking. A slurry is poured over the filling to help it thicken. Once cooled, place 3 tbsp of the filling across the bottom of the wrapper. Wet the top of the wrapper with warm water to seal the spring roll once rolled. Crimp the spring roll in the middle and cut in half. While my spring roll recipe yields 24 spring rolls, they are twice as big as traditional sized ones. It’s really your call on the size.You can either shallow fry or deep fry the spring rolls. I always prefer shallow frying. You use significantly less oil. I would only deep fry these if I was cooking for a large gathering. They will take about 3 minutes a side when shallow frying. 3-4 minutes total if deep frying. Drain the grease on paper towel. Serve with your favorite sweet chili sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
- 3 tbsp green curry paste
- 1 tbsp palm sugar
- 1 lb ground chicken thigh or lean ground pork
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 cup carrots grated
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper finely chopped
- 6 kaffir lime leaves finely julienned
- 1/2 cup Thai basil finely chopped
- 2 tbsp cornstarch dissolved into 4 tbsp of cold water
- 12 spring roll sheets 8”
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Over medium heat, reduce the coconut milk down for 5 minutes in a sauté pan or wok. Add in the green curry paste and palm sugar. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes until thick.
- Add in the ground chicken and fish sauce. Break up all of the lumps. Cook down for 10-12 minutes until all the liquid from the curry paste has cooked up. The meat should be almost dry.
- Add in the basil, carrots, peppers, corn, and lime leaves. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the cornstarch slurry and cook for 1 more minute. Let the filling cool before spring rolling.
- Place 3 tbsp worth of the filling across the bottom of a spring roll wrapper like so.
- Wet the top of the wrapper with warm water. This will seal the spring roll. Roll it up tight.
- Crimp the center of the spring roll.
- Cut it in half.
- You should yield 24 spring rolls.
- Heat up 1/2” of vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Fry the spring rolls in batches, making sure to not overcrowd the pan.
- Fry for 3 minutes a side until nice and crispy. Drain the grease on paper towel.
