East meets west, and red meets green in this beautiful Shrimp Tempura Cocktail video recipe from Blue Ginger chef Ming Tsai, filmed at this years Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. Served in a cocktail glass over a romaine lettuce chiffonade, an avocado puree is topped with a smokey chipotle (smoked Jalapeno pepper in adobo sauce, found in a can in most grocery stores. Have extra sauce? Mix it with sour cream and lime and save for an amazing chip dip later) and tomato puree. Tortilla chips are placed into the purees, and shrimp tempura using Ming’s special club soda and rice flour batter are hung on the side of the glass. The end result literally yields red and green Christmas colors in a glass. We can’t imagine a more perfect appetizer for your holiday party!
[pro-player width=’550′ height=’353′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv2oihELkfA[/pro-player]
Shrimp Cocktail With Avocado and Tomato Purees
Chef Ming Tsai
Tomato-chipotle puree
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chiles*
Avocado puree
* 2 large ripe avocados, peeled, pitted
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
* 1/4 cup minced shallots
* 2 tablespoons minced jalapeño chiles
Shrimp tempura
* Vegetable oil (for deep-frying)
* 2 cups rice flour**
* 2 cups club soda
* 24 uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail shells left intact
* 4 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
Prep:
For tomato-chipotle puree:
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until very brown, about 6 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, and chipotle chiles. Cook 1 minute. Transfer mixture to blender; puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer puree to bowl. Cover and chill until cold.
For avocado puree:
Combine all ingredients in processor; puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer puree to bowl. Press plastic wrap onto surface of puree; chill at least 20 minutes and up to 3 hours.
For shrimp tempura:
Add enough vegetable oil to heavy large pot to reach depth of 3 1/2 inches. Heat over medium-high heat to 375°F.
Whisk rice flour and club soda in large bowl to blend. Working in batches, dip shrimp into batter and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to paper towels.
Divide romaine among 8 stemmed cocktail glasses. Simultaneously pour 1/4 cup tomato puree and 1/4 cup avocado puree over romaine in each glass, letting purees meet in center. Hang 3 shrimp over rim of each glass.
*Chipotle chiles canned in a spicy tomato sauce, sometimes called adobo, are available at Latin American markets, specialty foods stores, and some supermarkets.
**Rice flour is available at specialty and natural foods stores.
