BajaNomad

Jesse´s Shrimp Ceviche

JESSE - 8-11-2009 at 07:31 PM

Ok for a little backround on this recipe, i love Shrimp, i hate Shrimp Ceviche. Fish and its delicate texture, seems to marinate perfectly with lime juice, but Shrimp having a more complex texture than Fish, doesn´t seem to "release" its full flavors in a lime marinade. Having tried many recipes and failed at finding one that resolve this problem, i gave up trying to find a recipe a long time ago and started on working on a new complete way of achieving this. So lets see:

1.-I want a Shrimp that marinates good with Lime BUT that also releases its full (Shrimp) flavor.
2.-Raw Shrimp and Lime are simply not too great of partners.
3.-Cooked Shrimp cannot be marinated in lime as the Texture becomes too tight to absorb the lime properly.

Three years later and i found the solution, its been selling like crazy at the Restaurant so i am going to share it with the board.

INGREDIENTS

4 large Shrimp, devained, cleaned, tail on.
1 Tablespoon diced Onion.
1 The Juice of one or two Limes.
1 Tablespoon diced Cilantro.
1 Table spoon Olive oil.
1 Table spoon Ponzu sauce or a Light soy sauce.
1 Large Pepperoncini.
1 Large Ziploc bag.
6 to 8 Cherry Tomatoes halved.
Sea salt.
Pepper.

1.-Butterfly the Shrimp and place inside one corner of the Ziploc bag.

2.-With a large knife or a Mallet, carefully pound the Shrimp inside the bag until it becomes a Carpaccio, not too thin, not too thick. Tail must not be pounded and left inside the bag attached to the Shrimp.

3.-Add another Shrimp at the other corner of the Bag and repeat, do the same until all four Shrimp are in the bag.

4.-Fill medium sized pan halfway with ice cold water.

4.-In another medium sized pot, fill until half with water and heat.

5.-Turn off before it boils and remove from Range.

6.- Now, close the Ziploc bag foil until it fits the medium sized pot and sumerge for 3 to 5 minutes.

7.-When the Shrimps gets white, remove and inmediately place in Ice cold water.

8.-Get a large serving plate, with a sharp knife slice the bag open and carefully remove the Shrimp. Place the Shrimp in the plate and get ready to finish them.

9.-First add Lime juice, if you add Oil first it will coat the Shrimp and won´t allow the Lime Juice to really get in and cook it.

10.-Then add salt and pepper to taste.

11.-Add Olive oil, Onions, Tomatoes, Cilantro and Pepperoncinis.

12.-At the very last put just a little bit of Ponzu sauce on the Shrimp to bring out more flavors (Not too much or will end up tasting Oriental).

I find by carefully cooking the Shrimp this way, it brings out their full flavor, but the process is stopped right before the meat gets tough. Thinly pounded Shrimp are also easier to marinate, wich would otherwise would be impossible to do if they where whole. You get a fresh tasting Ceviche, the full flavor of Shrimp, and a very classy presentation.

woody with a view - 8-11-2009 at 08:21 PM

besides jurel, it would seem JESSE has a way with mariscos....

when Bia and i ever get that far downstream, we are going to ask for the Nomad discount and pay it forward... if you know what i mean!!!

keep the recipes coming, amigo!!!!!!!!

Yummm!

Gypsy Jan - 8-11-2009 at 08:34 PM

Can't wait to try out this recipe.

Thank you, Jesse for sharing your chef secrets (I promise that I won't open a competing restaurant in La Paz, I will just wow our friends in Baja norte.)

[Edited on 8-12-2009 by Gypsy Jan]

bajajudy - 8-11-2009 at 09:56 PM

Jesse
A chef friend of mine gave me this hint about anything you want to do with shrimp

Soak shrimp in water with ice cubes and sea salt(not regular salt) for at least 30 minutes before using in any recipe. This will plump the shrimp and bring back the flavor that was lost making their way to you.

I look forward to trying this recipe!



[Edited on 8-12-2009 by bajajudy]

Alan - 8-12-2009 at 06:40 AM

I still hoping you'll share your recipe for cabrilla :bounce:

BajaNuts - 8-12-2009 at 10:11 AM

Any particular reason you use Pepperoncinis instead of fresh jalapeno? Are they the pickled pepproncinis?

can't wait to try it! I'm going shopping today.

JESSE - 8-12-2009 at 10:16 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaNuts
Any particular reason you use Pepperoncinis instead of fresh jalapeno? Are they the pickled pepproncinis?

can't wait to try it! I'm going shopping today.


Pickled Pepperoncinnis provide a nice mild kick without obscuring the flavor of the Ceviche. Also, many people do not like spicy foods, so in general, i create dishes taking this in mind. But of course you can add Jalapeño or Serrano slices if you like your Ceviche more picante.

BajaNuts - 8-12-2009 at 11:01 AM

and the Ponzu...is that a brand name?

up here we have soy sauce, light soy sauce (less salt) and something call tamari, which is as I understand it a premium quality soy sauce.

edit for spelling

[Edited on 8-12-2009 by BajaNuts]

Cypress - 8-12-2009 at 11:32 AM

Other than oysters, I preferr my seafood cooked. Sushi is an exception. Ceviche? Think maybe I got sick after eating a batch of it.;D

Bajahowodd - 8-12-2009 at 11:55 AM

Underaged ceviche is a definite hazard. Not too long ago, I was actually pleased when ordering ceviche at a Baja restaurant that I was dissuaded from having it served to me by a conscientious owner-chef who warned me that it had not been marinating in lime juice long enough.

BajaNuts - 8-12-2009 at 01:37 PM

Thanks for pointing that out, howodd.

I just got back with my ingredients. I also bought some scallops, but after your post I think I'll stick with just shrimp for the first batch. Jesse's instructions to flash cook/flash cool the shrimp sounds to me like it significantly reduces the under-marinated risks.

Bajahowodd - 8-12-2009 at 02:56 PM

Correct Nuts. But when using fish, I can't believe anyone would cook it first.

BajaNuts - 8-12-2009 at 03:13 PM

no., I wouldn't cook a fish ceviche, I was just thinking to keep the cooked shrimp separate from the uncooked scallop ceviche, since I don't know how long the scallops would take to marinate/cook and basically the shrimp are ready to eat right now. Flavor-wise, it needs to sit for a while though.

I just came back on to check the recipe, will post pics later...

btw.....no garlic in this recipe?!?

tripledigitken - 8-12-2009 at 03:25 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaNuts
and the Ponzu...is that a brand name?

up here we have soy sauce, light soy sauce (less salt) and something call tamari, which is as I understand it a premium quality soy sauce.

edit for spelling

[Edited on 8-12-2009 by BajaNuts]


Bajanuts,

It's a type of Japanese sauce, I believe it is a mixture of citrus and soy. It is served with many sushi dishes. You should find it in any large market.

Ken

BajaNuts - 8-12-2009 at 04:44 PM

Thanks, Ken,

How long is this supposed to marinate for? I got it in the fridge right now. I figure....30 minutes? Zero Minutes?

JESSE - 8-12-2009 at 04:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaNuts
Thanks, Ken,

How long is this supposed to marinate for? I got it in the fridge right now. I figure....30 minutes? Zero Minutes?


Eat ir right away.

BajaNuts - 8-12-2009 at 05:37 PM

OK I'm back!

MAN was that good!:!:

check this out-


The shrimp I had were mediums (21-25 count, frozen) so when I tried to flatten them, they mushed. So I just butterflied them. Ended up with 2 bags, one bag of mushed, one bag of butterflied. They both cooked up fine! One bag just wasn't as pretty as the other.


the presentation........


the enjoyment..........



the aftermath........... (notice the wine is still full...)


WOOOHOOO! my first ceviche, and I actually liked it ALOT!

Thanks for sharing, Jesse. If my bumbling attempt tasted this good, I can't wait to try yours!

PS- That trick of cooking the shrimp in a bag is AWESOME! I hate boiling shrimp, they always turn out soggy. With this method, they turn out just barely cooked, but still have that soft texture. Not tough at all. I could see using that for other recipes also. Put the shrimp and the spices in the bag, hot water/ice water...soft flavorful non-soggy shrimp!