SHRIMP COCKTAIL

(Coctel del Camarón)

A popular street food in Veracruz and Mexico’s other coastal towns, shrimp cocktail makes a refreshing summer snack. I prefer to eat it with tortilla chips, but more often than not, it’s served with Saltine crackers, which tend to get a bit soggy from the soupy sauce.

MAKES 8 APPETIZER SERVINGS

¾ cup ketchup

¼ cup Mexican hot sauce

2 pounds medium shrimp, cooked, peeled, and deveined

½ medium onion, finely chopped

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1½ cups tomato-clam juice

1 ripe, but still firm avocado

In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and hot sauce and set aside.

In a medium bowl, toss together the shrimp, onion, cilantro (leave a bit to use as garnish later, if you wish), lime juice, garlic, and about ¾ cup of the ketchup mixture. Add the tomato-clam juice and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until chilled and the flavors have had a chance to soak in (at least a couple of hours or preferably overnight).

Pit and slice the avocado. Divide the shrimp cocktail into small bowls and top each with avocado slices, a dollop of the remaining ketchup mixture and a bit of cilantro, if you wish, before serving.

VARIATIONS: If you want to add some kick to this dish, add a bit of finely chopped jalapeño pepper. You can also substitute a vegetable juice cocktail in place of the tomato-clam juice, should you desire.