shrimp-stuffed tomatoes

2019-12-04

This is a variation on a very popular Flemish recipe. I had to change it a bit because I can't get the grey Northsea shrimp here in the NM desert.

The pink shrimp that is sold here in the US is practically flavorless compared to the grey Northsea shrimp. To improve that I pan-fried them until they were a bit browned and only about 1/3 to 1/4 of their original size. That concentrated the flavor and made it a lot more prominent. I had tried this before without the frying; frying the shrimp definitely improves the flavor, but count on at least double the weight you'd normally use.

I used what is known in Europe as cocktail sauce and in Mexico as salsa rosa. It is 90% mayonnaise, 10% ketchup and a splash of liquor, not at all similar to the spiced-up ketchup that is sold as cocktail sauce here in the US.

My shrimp shrank so much that the 1 lb. I started with was not enough to fill the 3 tomatoes. Since my target audience was 2/3 Mexican—me being the other 1/3—I filled up the gap with avocado. I knew that would be a good choice, since avocado and shrimp are frequently paired in Mexican salads, tacos a.o. dishes.

For those who have never eaten this, cut through the tomato (Pic1b+7) and eat the tomato together with the stuffing. It looks so sad if you scoop out the content and leave an empty shell. 

 

Pic1a: stuffed tomatoes in refrigerator
Pic1b: served

INGREDIENTS

This is what you need for 3 servings:

  • 3 nice beefsteak tomatoes
  • 1 lb. salad shrimp
  • 1 cup salsa rosa
    • 1 rounded tbsp. mayonnaise
    • 1 tsp. ketchup
    • 1-2 tsp. mezcalito / cognac
  • S&P

Directions

Pic2: scoop out tomatoes
Pic3: fry the shrimp
Pic4: stuff tomatoes

 

Pic5: avocado
Pic6: close the hood
Pic7: served