Leo Gong
Recipe by Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza, Barrio Café, Phoenix AZ; courtesy of California Avocado Commission (californiaavocado.com)
Makes 12 servings
Aguachile Sauce (recipe follows)
72 shrimp (approx. 3½ lbs. 16/20 count), cleaned, butterflied
3 cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced into half rounds
1 red onion, peeled, cut in half, thinly sliced
3 fresh California avocados, peeled, seeded, sliced*
The Aguachile Sauce:
Makes 3 cups
2 c. fresh lime juice
6 T. cilantro, chopped
3 jalapeño peppers, stemmed and seeded
¾ c. cucumber, peeled and diced
½ t. kosher salt
To make the sauce: Place all sauce ingredients in a blender and quickly pulse, leaving the sauce chunky. Season to taste with extra salt.
When sauce is done, place shrimp in a large container, sprinkle with salt, and pour the aguachile sauce over the shrimp. Refrigerate for about one hour until the shrimp are pink and appear “cooked”.
To assemble the salad: Divide the cucumber slices among 12 plates, shingling them on each plate. Top each with 6 shrimp. Pour about ¼ cup of the aguachile sauce over the shrimp on each plate. Garnish each plate with ¼ of an avocado that has been sliced, and a few red onion slices. Serve with saltine crackers or tortilla chips.
* Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger avocados, adjust the quantity accordingly.