Shrimp and Avocado
Shrimp and avocado are a match made in heaven.
Here’s a nice spring brunch dish. Feel free to mix and match elements. Just make marinated shrimp, and skip the avocado and bread. Skip the marinade if you want, and feel free to sub an different dressing for the homemade vinaigrette. (The vinaigrette is best saved for summer anyway, when local tomatoes are in season.)
Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Open-Faced Sandwich
• 12 large shrimp (approximately 3/4 lbs.), cleaned and
deveined
• 3 Tbsp. Spicy Marinade (recipe below)
• 4 slices crusty whole wheat bread, 1/2” thick
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 2 ripe Fresh California Avocados, peeled, seeded and
diced
• 2 cups loosely packed arugula leaves, cleaned
• 1/2 cup Heirloom Tomato Vinaigrette (recipe below)
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
1. Place the shrimp in a bowl and coat with the marinade. While the shrimp are marinating, preheat your grill.
2. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush each slice of bread with olive oil. Place the bread on the grill just long enough to lightly toast the bread. Remove the bread from the grill. While the bread is hot, rub one side of each slice of bread with the garlic clove. Set bread aside.
3. Place the marinated shrimp on the grill and turn periodically. Once cooked through, cut each shrimp into thirds on the bias and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the avocado and arugula leaves and toss with the Heirloom Tomato Vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. To assemble sandwiches, place the grilled bread slices on a platter and top each slice of bread with the grilled shrimp and avocado mixture. Pour any remaining Heirloom Tomato Vinaigrette over the sandwiches.
Spicy Marinade
Makes 1/4 Cup
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
1. Gently heat the olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir to coat with the olive oil. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
2. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Heirloom Tomato Vinaigrette
• 2 heirloom tomatoes
• 3/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp. sweetened rice wine vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. slivered scallions, bias cut
• 1 Tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Cut the tomatoes in half and coat with one-third of the olive oil.
3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the tomatoes on the parchment paper, cut side up. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and black pepper, to taste.
4. Place the tomatoes in the oven and cook until the tomatoes soften and begin to char, about 10 minutes.
5. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and cool to room temperature.
6. Once cooled, transfer the tomatoes to the bowl of a food processor. Add the mustard and vinegar. With the food processor running, emulsify the ingredients and gently stream in the remaining olive oil.
7. Transfer the vinaigrette to a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Stir in the slivered scallions and cilantro.
Nutrition Information Per Serving: Calories 600; Total Fat 46 g (Sat 7 g, Trans 0 g, Poly 5 g, Mono 32 g); Cholesterol 165 mg; Sodium 600 mg; Potassium 740 mg; Total Carbohydrates 25 g; Dietary Fiber 9 g; Total Sugars 5 g; Protein 23 g; Vitamin A 1117 IU; Vitamin C 21 mg; Calcium 97 mg; Iron 5 mg; Vitamin D 0 IU; Folate 107 mcg; Omega 3 Fatty Acid 0.6 g
Recipe and photo courtesy of California Avocado Commission. Recipe created by chefs Mike Fagnoni and Molly Hawks.
