BackMouthful of buttery goodness
Mouthful of buttery goodness
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The Meryl Streep-starrer Julie & Julia (2009), a film of Biblical importance for all foodies, has the protagonist launching into a eulogy on the wonder that is butter (“You can never have too much butter," she declares). The reason I start my ode to the avo on that note is that living in an artery-clogging, calorie-counting world as we do, the closest we can get to that wonder is the avocado, nature’s very own answer to Amul. In fact, when you head to buy an avocado, it’s butter you should have in mind. The best avocados will be creamy in texture, spread like butter and work like magic. Now the avocado is not quite as easily accessible as, say, the coconut. It will be available, if not at your local vegetable market, most certainly at your local mall. Although the most popular avocado dish is the guacamole, a dip originating in Latin America, the birthplace of the avo itself, the recipe we’re suggesting to you is the very delightfully creamy and filling shrimp and avocado cocktail salad, a popular southern European dish.
Also See | Avocado (pdf)
Eat it this way
Avocado and shrimp cocktail
INGREDIENTS
Serves 2
• 10 peeled small prawns
• 1 ripe avocado, medium size
• 1/2 a bunch iceberg lettuce
• 30ml tomato ketchup
• 150g mayonnaise
• 3ml tabasco sauce
• 10 black olives
• 2 lemons
• A few sprigs of flat leaf parsley
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
Method
Peel the prawns completely and devein them. Keep a deveined prawn with the tail on. Boil water in a pot with some lemon juice in it. When the water is boiling put the prawns in it. When it boils again, take the pot off the fire and drain the prawns. Refresh them in running water and refrigerate. Peel the avocado, remove the nut and dice it. Reserve two slices for garnish. Wash and clean the iceberg lettuce leaves. Roughly shred the crunchy leaves into fine strips. In a mixing bowl add the mayonnaise, tabasco sauce, tomato ketchup, salt and pepper. Mix well to bring it to a smooth consistency. Take the prawns out of the refrigerator, toss in some lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add the prawns, avocado and olives to the ready dressing. Fold the ingredients, gently coating the sauce all over the prawns and avocado. In a glass bowl or a Martini glass, arrange the shredded lettuce first and then with a spoon put the prawn and avocado salad on top. Garnish with a lemon slice, black olive, prawn with the tail on and flat leaf parsley sprig. Serve chilled.
Recipe courtesy: Ravi Saxena, corporate chef, The Claridges Hotels and Resorts, New Delhi.
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