Background: It’s really, really, really hot where I live most of the year. I used to make this with peeled, deveined, precooked, prechilled spicy seasoned shrimp from a fish counter that I trusted. I’ll still do that in a pinch, but it’s so much cheaper to do it this way. This is one of my go-to meals in the hot months.
- Make the Chipotle Ketchup 1000 Island Dressing mentioned in mod #2 of the Super Sauce move. You can keep it on hand for a while. When you feel like having something cold and satisfying, do the rest of this move.
- If you trust your seafood source, get some fresh shrimp. If you are unsure, get frozen. A small handful of large or extra large shrimp per person will work well. I get shell on, tail on, but EZ peel.
- Get an avocado, a lime, and a head of romaine lettuce.
- Put an inch of water in the bottom of a pot and put it on the stove on high. Then, use an electric tea kettle to boil more water quickly.
- Add the kettle of boiling water and the shrimp to the pot at the same time.
- Quickly make two ice baths.
- When the shrimp are pink and floating, use you spider strainer to move the shrimp from the boiling water to the ice bath.
- Take them out of the ice bath one at a time, peel and devein, and put in a fresh ice bath.
- Toss the shrimp in the Chipotle Ketchup 1000 Island Dressing.
- Arrange romaine leaves on a plate, spread sliced avocado on top of the lettuce, put a good spoonful of the shrimp salad in the center, and give it a squeeze of lime.
Why It Works
- This dressing is made mostly from shelf-stable ingredients, comes together quickly, and keeps for a longish time in the fridge.
- Frozen shrimp these days are often flash frozen on the boat and will emerge from the ice bath tasting “fresher” than poorly handled fresh shrimp.
- You need a hearty lettuce to stand up to the shrimp salad and avocado. Spring mix and baby lettuces don’t have the structure and crunch to stand up to the other ingredients.
- Or just boil water as you normally do. I do it this way to not heat up the kitchen as much.
- The key here is to add the shrimp to already boiling water so that they don’t overcook.
- Time is of the essence because, depending on the size and the state (fresh or frozen) of your shrimp, they could cook very quickly.
- This stops the cooking and starts the chilling process, even before you’ve started peeling them.
- Shrimp have an open circulatory system and absorb flavors. So it’s important that your water and ice are filtered and clean for both ice baths.
- I like to toss the shrimp alone in the sauce. They are now essentially preserved and can be chilled in the fridge for service. I wouldn’t necessarily eat them three days later, but it’s fine to make ahead for a dinner party.
- Sometimes I just toss in a big red bowl and sometimes I make a composed, plated salad. It depends on the context and my mood. But as long as your lettuce is sturdy and crunchy, it should work.
Mods:
- Use a wedge of iceberg and make it a wedge salad.
- Add Corn Crisp Strips like you would croutons.
- Garnish with cilantro.
- Throw some chilled roasted corn on top.