Spicy Yum Shrimp with Avocado
Quick and easy, this recipe aspires to bring in the exciting flavor of a Thai-style yum salad with lots of fragrant, aromatic herbs, as a spicy twist to shrimp and avocado salad. This dish can be made in advance and served cold, though I recommend warm shrimp over chilled avocado for an interesting contrast. Prepping 10-15 minutes Cooking/Assembling 15-30 min.
45 m 2Ingredients
- 8-10 medium-size shrimps, peeled and deveined
- 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 c. lime juice
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce or fish sauce
- 2-3 pinches of paprika
- 1/2 tsp. Thai red chili powder (adjust to taste)
- 6 kaffir lime leaves, fold in half length-wise and cut into thin strips
- 1 stalk lemongrass, peel of the outer leaf, cut into small pieces
- 1 tsp. Adagio spearmint tea
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 2-3 cilantro stalks, chopped
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp. Cream of Rice cereal (or ground jasmine rice)
- 1 avocado, chilled
Directions
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, lime juice, paprika, and red chili powder. Add kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, spearmint tea, shallot, cilantro stalk, and green onion. Stir to mix well and set aside.
On a hot grill, grill the shrimp until lightly charred (2 min.). Immediately add shrimp to the mixture in first step and toss to mix.
In a small pan, begins toasting the cream of rice on medium heat. Stir continuously to prevent burning. When a wisp of white smoke starts to come out, turn off the heat, but continue to stir until the rice becomes golden brown. Depending on the pan used, this might take anywhere from 1-4 min. If the pan cools off too quickly, turn the heat on low again until the rice browns. Promptly add most of the freshly roasted rice (leave some on the side for garnish) to the mix. The heat from the shrimp and the rice will warm up the oil and help release the flavors from the herbs.
Prepare the avocado by cutting it in half and remove the seed. Squeeze some lime juice on the avocado meat to prevent browning. Use pairing knife to cut the meat into strips (still attached to the shell) length-wise before scooping it out with a spoon. Arrange on plate.
Spoon the shrimp and herb mixture onto the avocado. Sprinkle with paprika, roasted rice, and cilantro leaves.
