ISO: Good Mexican/South American Fish or Seafood dish?

[browneye]

Well, my sis is coming for dinner tomorrow night, and she loves Mexican food and has requested that. Also, she mentioned she loves fish and seafood- so I was wondering if anyone out there has some really extra good seafood or fish dish that would work along with the obligatory enchiladas, etc.
I guess I could do crab enchiladas, but I was hoping for a really great shrimp or fish recipe that features Southwest/Tex mex/South American flavors! Any ideas? I'm drawing a blank here.
BTW, I already know how to do fish tacos, that wasn't really what I had in mind.

Thanks all you talented chefs in advance!

[RebeccaT]

Browneye, I am not sure where you live, but if you can get some decent shrimp maybe ceviche would be a good choice! It's shrimp (and often other seafood) "cooked" in a lime, tomato, and spice marinade, and it's oh so good!

I have a recipe at home in Rick Bayless' Mexico One Plate at a Time, and while this one from his Frontera website is different, it looks really good too!

http://www.fronterakitchens.com/cooking/recipes/shrimp_ceviche.html

Ceviche: tender morsels of the freshest fish or seafood gently pickled in lime juice to preserve the freshness of the catch a little longer, tossed with a variety of succulent summer vegetables. Ceviche is as much a place as a dish and the place is far from home. In the shade or full sun, it’s casual, spirited beach food. Food that makes folks feel the thick, salty-smelling coastal air with just one bite of its bracing freshness.

Serves 6 as an appetizer

About 8 bamboo skewers

1 generous pound peeled medium-size shrimp (about 24 pieces)

Olive oil

1/2 cup fresh lime juice, plus several lime slices for garnish

1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus several sprigs for garnish

1/2 cup ketchup

1 to 2 tablespoons bottled hot sauce (like Frontera Tangy Toasted Arbol Hot Sauce)

About 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional but recommended to smooth out sharpness)

1 cup diced peeled cucumber or jícama (or 1/2 cup of each)

1 small ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed

Salt, about 1/2 teaspoon

Tostadas, chips or saltine crackers for serving

Preheat the gas grill or prepare a charcoal grill. Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. Skewer the shrimp, about 6 per skewer; thread a second skewer through the shrimp so they won’t turn on the grill. Spray generously with oil. Grill, turning once until opaque, about 4 minutes total. Let the shrimp cool completely. Cut cooked shrimp into _-inch pieces and place in a large non-aluminum bowl. Toss with the lime juice, cover and refrigerate to chill.

In a small strainer, rinse the onion under cold water, then shake off the excess liquid. Add to the shrimp bowl, along with the cilantro, ketchup, hot sauce, optional olive oil, cucumber or jícama and avocado. Taste and season with salt, if you think it needs any. Cover and refrigerate, if not serving immediately.

Spoon the ceviche into martini glasses, juice glasses or small bowls; garnish with sprigs of cilantro and slices of lime. Serve with tostadas, tortilla chips or saltines to enjoy alongside.

[lindrusso]

Paula,

Here's a recipe that someone posted on this bulletin board (I'm usually good at noting who posted what but...) - maybe it was Lorilei??? - I have tried the Chipotle Butter part, but haven't had a chance to try the salsa. The butter was YUMMY!

SHRIMP BRUSHED WITH CHIPOTLE BUTTER SERVED WITH TOMATILLO SALSA

Chipotle butter:

2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup) softened
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped red onion
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Tomatillo Salsa:

10 medium tomatillos, husked and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons finely diced red onion
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper

48 large shrimp, shelled and deveined

1. For the Chipotle Butter: Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a small bowl. Can be refrigerated for 1 day, bring to room temperature before using.

2. For the Salsa: Combine all salsa ingredients in a medium bowl and add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Preheat grill to high. Grill shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, brushing with the butter every 30 seconds, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve on platter alongside Tomatillo Salsa.

[browneye]

THanks to both of you, those both sound absolutely great! :D

Rebecca- I'm in Seattle, so I can obtain good shrimp. Oh- now I have to make a choice!!!!!!

I'll definitely be trying one of them with the dinner. Perhaps the ceviche since it's kinda "appetizer" like, and we can start with that and then have the enchilada, etc. meal. I can also make it ahead, which will be nice.

Lindrusso- The shrimp with Chipotle butter sounds fantastic! I have some chipotles in the freezer, too. Well, lots of decisions, decisions. It's a definite keeper for the upcoming grilling season.

:D

[AzAnne]

lindrusso ,

thanks for the post. just bought some extra giant shrimp and was looking for something to do! Looks yummy :D

[browneye]

Well, I ended up making the Shrimp Ceviche because I made CL's Enchiladas de Pollo with the tomatillo sauceso I didn't want ttwo items with tomatillo sauce. I'll be checking that one out in the very near future! Thanks for the recipe, Lindrusso.

The Shrimp Ceviche was outstanding! Scrumptious! It was a huge hit, and was probably the most tasty item on the menu last night. We absolutely loved it. I gave it a 9.0 and dh gave it a 9.5! Very, very good stuff. I made it exactly as written, except I grilled the shrimp inside instead of bbq-ing it like the recipe said. This is a great recipe and very fit for company whether you are serving Mexican or not. The nice thing - it can be made earlier in the day. I made it in the afternoon and let it chill until dinner.
Now I am a Bayless convert- I've never made one of his recipes before, but this sure convinced me! I served it in some little martini-style glasses, garnished with a lime and cilantro-very pretty presentation! :D
Thanks so much Rebecca for posting that.

[RebeccaT]

oh, browneye, I am so glad you liked it! I will have to try that version, which, as I said, is a bit different than the one in my cookbook. I am really enjoying Mexico, One Plate at a Time, and I highly recommend it if you want to get to know more of Rick Bayless' recipes! It's a great "reading" book, the kind of cookbook you can read cover to cover like a novel since there's so much background information on the different traditional dishes!

Yay! I get so excited when someone enjoys a recipe I post! :D :D