Caribbean Shrimp Cocktail
with Jalapeno Lime Dipping Sauce

This is not your mother’s shrimp cocktail. You know the kind; cold rubbery shrimp served with horseradish flavored ketchup. This recipe shouldn’t even be called shrimp cocktail. Instead, I would call it shrimp nirvana.

The shrimp are quickly pan seared at high heat, keeping them succulent and tender, and then tossed and coated with a bit of the jalapeno lime dipping sauce, which is sweet, hot, tangy, and gingery all at once. After cooling, they are served with more of the same dipping sauce, which one of my dinner guests found so delicious he drank it with satisfied slurping sounds.

Caribbean Style Shrimp Cocktail
with Jalapeno Lime Dipping Sauce

From The Quick Recipe
by Cook’s Illustrated

Dipping Sauce:
1 medium clove garlic, peeled
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (1 1/2") piece of fresh ginger, minced (about 1 1/2 tblsps)
2 medium scallions, white and green parts, minced
1 large jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1/4 cup lime juice ( about 2 limes)
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

Shrimp:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound extra large shrimp (21-25 count), peeled and deveined, tails left on
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the dipping sauce:
Mince the garlic and 1/8 tsp salt to make a paste. Mix the garlic paste, ginger, scallions, chile, lime juice, and brown sugar in a small serving bowl and set the mixture aside.

For the Shrimp:
Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet over high heat until it begins to smoke. Season the shrimp with the salt and pepper. Add the shimp to the hot pan and sauté until they are well colored and cooked through, about 2 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, add 2 tablespoons of the jalapeno-lime sauce to the hot pan, and toss to coat the shrimp. Spread the shrimp on a rimmed baking sheet to cool, about 5 min.

Once the shrimp have cooled, arrange them on a platter around the bowl of sauce and serve immediately.

Tags: Caribbean shrimp cocktail, recipe, Jalapeno Lime