Category: Appetizers

  • Battered Fried Shrimp

    Battered Fried Shrimp

    Battered shrimp, so so good. Crispy outside, juicy tender inside… Serve with a tasty jalapeño tartar dip and a mayo ketchup dip… Mmmm. A glass of sauvignon blanc is a great pairing to round out this dish. Enjoy!
    https://mexicanappetizersandmore.com/camarones-empanizados/

    Ingredients

    Shrimps and Batter










    Jalapeño Tartar Sauce







    Mayo/Ketchup Sauce Dip




    Directions

    Jalapeño Tartar Sauce

    Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

    MayoKetchup Sauce Dip

    Crush the garlic with a mortar and pestle or mince finely with a knife.Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.

    Prepare Shrimps

    Rinse shrimps under cold water.Peel and devein shrimps. (I like to keep the tails on but you can choose to peel them off)Add the shrimps to a bath of cold water with a few ice cubes as you peel, devein and butterfly shrimps.Rinse shrimps under cold water.

    Peel and devein shrimps. (I like to keep the tails on but you can choose to peel them off)

    Add the shrimps to a bath of cold water with a few ice cubes as you peel, devein and butterfly shrimps.

    To Butterfly Shrimp (optional)

    With a paring knife or a regular knife, carefully slice down the back of the shrimp from the top, down the middle, towards the tail. Just deep enough so the body divides into two halves but is still connected. (You can kind of see this in technique in some of the shrimps in the recipe post)

    Marinade Shrimps and Make the Batter

    Drain shrimps from the ice water.
    Add the oil, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper to the peeled and deveined shrimps.
    Let shrimps marinade in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes.

    Add the egg, flour, water and salt to taste in a medium size bowl. Mix well. You should have a “pancake” like batter.
    Note: If the batter is too thick, add a little bit of water at a time to thin it out a little.
    If it’s to thin add a little more flour at a time to thicken.

    Fill a bowl with flour and place bowl beside the bowl of batter.
    Have an empty plate or bowl also beside the other two bowls.

    Dunk individual shrimps into batter one by one.
    Lift shrimp from batter and let the excess batter drip off shrimp.
    Next dunk shrimp into bowl of flour and shake the excess flour off.
    Place shrimp on empty plate.

    Repeat this process with all the shrimps.

    Frying Shrimps

    Once all shrimps are coated now they are ready to be fried.
    Add 1/2 inch of vegetable or canola oil to a saucepan or a pan.
    Heat oil over medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes.

    Add a few shrimps to the pan at a time. (These will cook fast so pay attention to them)
    Once they are golden brown on one side, flip over with a fork or spatula.

    Allow to cook until golden brown on the other side.
    Drain shrimps on paper towels to drain any excess oil off.

    Use one lime wedge and sprinkle shrimps with fresh lime juice.
    Serve shrimps with the dips and lime wedges.
    Enjoy!

  • Elotes Dip

    Elotes Dip

    Corn season, for sure! Stop what you’re doing, and make this elotes dip. It’s made with the same ingredients as Mexican street corn. Serve this creamy corn dip alongside some tortilla chips, it’ll be gone in no time. So good!
    https://littlespicejar.com/creamy-mexican-corn-dip-elotes-dip/

    Ingredients





    Directions

    Base

    Whisk together the melted butter, lime juice, and mayonnaise in a medium bowl. Season with garlic powder, salt, and ancho chili powder.

    Everything else

    Add the corn, cilantro, jalapeños, Cotija cheese and using a rubber spatula, stir to combine. Taste and adjust with additional seasonings as desired.

    Serve

    Allow to cool for several hours (it intensifies the flavors even more) or serve immediately along with tortilla chips.

  • Papas Rellenas

    Papas Rellenas

    Papas Rellenas…. Yummy!. Just can’t say no to crispy potato balls stuffed with ground beef. Serve alongside your favourite hot sauce, oh my!

    https://www.cookedbyjulie.com/papas-rellenas/

    Ingredients

















    Directions

    Start by peeling the potatoes and rinsing them in cold water. Chop them into quarters and place them in a large pot. Cover with water and cook for 25-30 minutes or until fork-tender.

    Once the potatoes are fork-tender, drain well. Pass hot potatoes through a ricer into a large bowl. Add the egg, butter, granulated garlic, and salt. Season generously. Let the potato mixture cool completely.

    While the potatoes cool, prepare the ground beef mixture. Heat some oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown completely. This should take about 10 minutes. Add the onions and tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, adobo, sazon, bay leaf, tomato sauce, and olives. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes. Allow the beef mixture to cool completely.

    Measure out about 1/4 cup of the potato mixture onto the palm of your hand. Flatten the potato mixture with an indentation in the center. Add about 1-2 tbsp of the beef mixture to the center and roll the potato into a ball. You can make these as small or big as you like.

    In a bowl, whisk 3 eggs. Add the plain breadcrumbs to a separate dish and season with salt and pepper

    Dip the balls into the egg mixture and then roll in the breadcrumbs. Repeat this process twice or until the potato balls are completely coated. Place the potato balls on a lined baking sheet with parchment paper and freeze for 30 minutes.

    Heat some oil and fry the potato balls for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. It’s important to flip the potato balls frequently for even coloring.