Tag: appetizer
Shrimp Stuffed Avocado
Shrimp Stuffed Avocado
Stuffed avocados are a popular appetizer and snack all over Colombia and South America. These avocados are stuffed with a simple shrimp salad made of red onion, cilantro, parsley, salsa rosada, and obviously shrimp. Serve these as is or over shredded lettuce. These are even great as a main course.
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 8 cooked shrimp 31/40 count, peeled and deveined
- 3 tbsp red onion finely diced
- 2 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
- 2 tbsp parsley finely chopped
- 1/4 cup salsa rosada
- juice of half a lime
- cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Mix together all of the ingredients that are going into the avocado.
- Slice the avocado in half. Remove the pit. Squeeze a little lime juice on each half and season with salt and pepper.
- Equally distribute the shrimp salad over each of the halved avocado. Garnish with more cilantro.
Salsa Rosada
Salsa Rosada, aka pink sauce, is popular all over Colombia and South America. It is used as a dipping sauce and pairs well with seafood. It is kind of similar to a remoulade sauce. Try dipping fried plantains in it.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tsp tabasco
- 1/4 tsp lime juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients together.
Thai Egg Salad
Thai Egg Salad
When you think of an egg salad, you think of the plain hard boiled eggs and mayo. Well, that’s lame as fuck. When Thai people think of egg salad, they think of this amazing appetizer of hard boiled eggs sliced in half then topped with a simple mix of shallots, lemongrass, cilantro, green onion, and dried shrimp. A sweet/sour/salty/spicy dressing is then spooned over the eggs. They look almost like fancier deviled eggs, but light years better.Here’s a couple of tips when boiling your eggs. Make sure that there is enough water in the pot to completely cover the eggs. Get the water boiling before the eggs are added in. Lower the eggs one by one into the water with a large spoon. Once the eggs are in the boiling water, set a timer for 8 minutes; no more no less. As soon as the eggs are done boiling, immediately run cold water over the pot in the sink for 10 minutes. You can add them to an ice bath of water if you want to go that route. The easiest way to peel hard boiled eggs is to put them back in the pot. Shake them in the pot, allowing the shells to crack into one another. Do this for 10-15 seconds. Believe it or not, the shells peel off in 1 piece. Sounds crazy, but it works. Haven’t found an easier way, especially when you have a large amount to peel.So give this egg salad a try. You’ll never want the mayo version again and you’ll change the way you think about deviled eggs.
Ingredients
- 3 chicken or duck eggs hard boiled
- 2 tbsp shallots finely chopped
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp lemongrass finely chopped
- 2 tbsp dried shrimp pulsed in a spice grinder
- 1 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
Dressing
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp palm sugar finely chopped
- 2 thai chilies finely chopped
Instructions
- Mix the dressing ingredients together. Set aside.
- Mix together the shallots, lemongrass, cilantro, green onion, and 1 tbsp of the ground dried shrimp.
- Cut the hard boiled eggs in half
- Add the salad on top of each of the eggs. Spoon the dressing over each of the eggs. Sprinkle the remaining tbsp of ground dried shrimp over the top.
Five Spice Pressed Tofu
Five Spice Pressed Tofu
Tofu has become my most recent obsession. My former Meat team employees will be giving me such a hard time once they read this because in my previous career as a butcher, I talked mad shit about tofu and the people that ate it. So did the rest of my team. I promoted this type of ignorance, without ever really trying tofu. This was a butcher’s mentality. How very wrong and close minded I was. Fast forward to 2+ years later. Man, do I fucking love tofu. This is a great way to prepare it without any frying. The point of pressing is to squeeze out as much moisture as possible before braising it to add the five spice flavor. So firm or extra firm tofu is what you will want to use. The tofu will get it’s dark color from the dark soy sauce.After the braising the tofu is then baked in the oven to dry up the liquid. While it is optional, I added toppings to the tofu squares. In the same braising liquid, I added sliced mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and chopped up the ginger that was currently in there. I simmered the toppings for 10 minutes to get them infused with the liquid. Then the last 15 minutes of baking, I evenly distributed the toppings on each of the tofu squares. After they have been baked, the toppings get slightly caramelized.These tofu squares can be eaten as an appetizer or as a main course. If you aren’t going to put the toppings on, the tofu can be used as a meat substitute in various stir fries and other dishes or be eaten cold. The pressed tofu will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 2 blocks extra firm tofu
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
- 1/4 cup shaoxing cooking wine
- 1/2 tsp five spice powder
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 5 slices ginger
Toppings (optional)
- 2 button mushrooms sliced into 4 pieces each
- 2 shallots sliced in half horizontally
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 5 ginger slices from the tofu simmer minced
Instructions
- Wrap the tofu in either cheese cloth or multiple layers of paper towel. Place on a rack on a baking sheet.
- Place a cutting board or another pan on top of the tofu. Weigh down with something heavy, like a gallon of water, cast iron pans, etc. Press the tofu for 4 hours.
- When the tofu is done being pressed, cut each brick into either 2 or 4 pieces.
- In a medium sized pot, add all of the ingredients except the tofu. Bring to a boil.
- Add the tofu and reduce to medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. The tofu should always be submerged on all sides.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a bak9ng sheet with parchment paper. Place each of the tofu squares on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While the tofu is baking, add the topping ingredients into the same braising liquid that the tofu was in. Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes, until the toppings turn the color of the liquid.
- Take the tofu out of the oven. Flip to the other side. Take 1 slice of mushroom from the braising liquid and place on the top of each of the tofu squares. Then evenly distribute the rest of the toppings from the braising liquid to the tofu. Bake for another 15 minutes.
- When finished, the tofu should be free of an liquid. The toppings slightly caramelize.
