Our preferred way of ringing in the New Year is with a gathering of friends and family. To do it right, there needs to be a variety of good food and drink to enjoy, also. For this holiday, we lean towards cocktail & appetizer parties. Everyone contributes something and no one person is overwhelmed with preparing a multi-course meal and tons of dirty dishes. It is a more casual & relaxed atmosphere than what we do at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I found the perfect appetizer for this year’s festivities over the summer.
One of my favorite summertime programs is Food Network Star. For those of you who have not seen the show, it is a reality television competition between chefs. Twelve contestants try to cook and bake their way through the summer without being eliminated to earn a show of their own on the network. In the first episode this season, one of the contestants made a shrimp appetizer that Eric & I both thought sounded delicious. I got on the website the next day to download the recipe. We tried it that weekend and it was fabulous. Eddie Jackson (the contestant who prepared the dish) went on to become the season’s winner of the competition. And we went on making and enjoying his creation for the rest of the year. It is a fitting dish to ring in 2016.
Chipotle Shrimp with Avocado Cream
Chipotle Shrimp with Avocado Cream (adapted from Eddie Jackson on Food Network Star, Season 11, Episode 1) Makes 10 servings
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 can chipotles in adobe sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive or coconut oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- drizzle of honey
- 3 avocados, diced
- 6 tablespoons lime juice (3 limes if using fresh)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon adobo powder
- 3 jalapenos, diced
- olive or vegetable oil, for pan
Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine half of the red onion, a handful of chopped cilantro, 2 teaspoons adobo sauce, the olive or coconut oil, chopped garlic, and the drizzle of honey.
The shrimp gets marinated in the onion, chipotles, cilantro & garlic.
Add the shrimp and some salt & pepper, mixing it all together. Marinate the shrimp in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Add in the shrimp.
In the cup of a wand blender, combine the avocados, lime juice, sour cream, adobo powder, jalapenos, and the remaining onions. Blend it until you have a smooth paste.
A wand blender combines the ingredients for the avocado cream quickly.
Set a saute pan over medium-high heat and coat it with olive or vegetable oil. Add the marinated shrimp mixture, cooking it until the shrimp are pink throughout.
Saute the shrimp with the onion mixture.
Spread the avocado sauce on a serving platter, arrange the shrimp on top and finish it off with a handful of fresh cilantro. Serve.
Shrimp dishes make perfect appetizers.
Looking forward to preparing (and eating!) more good food in 2016! ~Linda
Chipotle Shrimp with Avocado Cream (adapted from Eddie Jackson on Food Network Star, Season 11, Episode 1) Makes 10 servings
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 can chipotles in adobe sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive or coconut oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- drizzle of honey
- 3 avocados, diced
- 6 tablespoons lime juice (3 limes if using fresh)
- /2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon adobo powder
- 3 jalapenos, diced
- olive or vegetable oil, for pan
Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine half of the red onion, a handful of chopped cilantro, 2 teaspoons adobo sauce, the olive or coconut oil, chopped garlic, and the drizzle of honey. Add the shrimp and some salt & pepper, mixing it all together. Marinate the shrimp in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
In the cup of a wand blender, combine the avocados, lime juice, sour cream, adobo powder, jalapenos, and the remaining onions. Blend it until you have a smooth paste.
Set a saute pan over medium-high heat and coat it with olive or vegetable oil. Add the marinated shrimp mixture, cooking it until the shrimp are pink throughout. Spread the avocado sauce on a serving platter, arrange the shrimp on top and finish it off with a handful of fresh cilantro. Serve.