This is just pure joy for the taste buds. Whether eaten as an appetizer, a main course, or a mid-day snack, it is among my all-time favorite dishes and it is a recipe I worked out all by myself. Tweak the ratios of Clamato, clam juice, and lime juice (or even add straight tomato juice or V8) to suit yourself. Add almost any seafood you like. My wife and I generally prefer small, shelled, tail off shrimp (bite sized) and squid--both pre-cooked. We added lump crab meat once, but felt it got lost taste-wise and wasn't worth the expense. Maybe king crab leg chunks would do better. I suppose you could make ceviche in the same sauce, but we haven't yet.
Mexican Seafood Cocktail
1 c Clamato juice
½ c clam juice
Some ratio of clam juice and tomato juice could probably be used if you don't have Clamato; I'd start 50/50
2/3 c lime juice
2 T catsup
Few dashes Worchestershire
Hot sauce to taste--I like Tabasco chipotle, Cholula, or Tapatio (you could amp up the chile flavor with a couple tablespoons of a mild hot sauce like Crystal, then add "real" hot sauce to taste)
1-2 T minced cilantro
Finely diced cucumber (seeded), white onion, and firm tomato, such as Roma--about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of each or to taste
Optional--add some finely diced jicama for crunch
Seafood of choice--say about one pound total for this amount of liquid.
Mix the liquid ingredients together, taste and tweak as you wish, then add the solids and the seafood and serve in a chilled glass. Goblet-like schooners or old fashioned milk shake (conical) glasses are traditional and lime wedges are a common garnish. The cocktail should be full of solids so each spoonful gets some yummy stuff in it. Be sure to drink the remaining liquid after finishing the seafood and veggies off.
Tip: Sous vide the squid at 139°F for about an hour. I'm guessing you could also boil it for a minute or so, but we haven't tried that yet.
Tip: Plump up your peeled shrimp prior to cooking by dry marinating in the fridge in a mixture of 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (toss shrimp to coat uniformly) for 30 minutes prior to cooking (we just boil them until pink--don't overcook, then quickly cool in an ice bath. This tip comes from both Cook's Illustrated (I think CI also adds 1/2 t cornstarch) and Serious Eats. We always "plump" shrimp this way these days. Serious Eats says the amount of "plump" given above is adequate for 2 pounds of shrimp.
Mexican Seafood Cocktail
1 c Clamato juice
½ c clam juice
Some ratio of clam juice and tomato juice could probably be used if you don't have Clamato; I'd start 50/50
2/3 c lime juice
2 T catsup
Few dashes Worchestershire
Hot sauce to taste--I like Tabasco chipotle, Cholula, or Tapatio (you could amp up the chile flavor with a couple tablespoons of a mild hot sauce like Crystal, then add "real" hot sauce to taste)
1-2 T minced cilantro
Finely diced cucumber (seeded), white onion, and firm tomato, such as Roma--about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of each or to taste
Optional--add some finely diced jicama for crunch
Seafood of choice--say about one pound total for this amount of liquid.
Mix the liquid ingredients together, taste and tweak as you wish, then add the solids and the seafood and serve in a chilled glass. Goblet-like schooners or old fashioned milk shake (conical) glasses are traditional and lime wedges are a common garnish. The cocktail should be full of solids so each spoonful gets some yummy stuff in it. Be sure to drink the remaining liquid after finishing the seafood and veggies off.
Tip: Sous vide the squid at 139°F for about an hour. I'm guessing you could also boil it for a minute or so, but we haven't tried that yet.
Tip: Plump up your peeled shrimp prior to cooking by dry marinating in the fridge in a mixture of 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (toss shrimp to coat uniformly) for 30 minutes prior to cooking (we just boil them until pink--don't overcook, then quickly cool in an ice bath. This tip comes from both Cook's Illustrated (I think CI also adds 1/2 t cornstarch) and Serious Eats. We always "plump" shrimp this way these days. Serious Eats says the amount of "plump" given above is adequate for 2 pounds of shrimp.
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