Cold Shrimp With Tropical Fruit Salsa
I have an idea for a travel ad for Florida in the summer. Want to hear it? Here goes:Come to sunny Florida and experience temperatures found only in the fire and brimstone of Hell. Discover the delights of humidity ranges that are technically called icky, sticky, muggy and yucky. You will be amazed to find you have never sweated so much in your life, at how the most gossamer of fabrics feels like the heaviest of scratchy wool overcoats and how you practically grow gills trying to process the steamy tropical air.
The point is that it is HOT! Blazing HOT! Unbelievably, unbearably HOT! And when I am spending what amounts to cost of a first class vacation to Bali to air condition my house I am a tad reluctant to heat it up with the oven or even the stove. Outdoor grilling would be an option, but did I mention it is HOT?
My solution for dinner when we are experiencing a tropical heat wave is to buy pre-cooked shrimp and serve them on a bed of tropical fruit salsa. No cooking. All you need to do is defrost, rinse and chop.
And the best part? Standing in front of the frozen food section at the grocery store while picking out my shrimp, of course. Ahhh, for a few minutes there I actually felt cool!
If it is not hot enough in your area to scramble your brains then by all means skewer up some raw shrimp that have been tossed with some lime juice and olive oil and throw them under the broiler or on the grill for a few minutes and enjoy!
Cold Shrimp with Tropical Fruit Salsa
Serves 4 – 6
1 pound extra large frozen cooked shrimp, cleaned and de-veined
2 papayas - peeled, seeded and cut into ½ inch dice
2 mangos – peeled seeded and cut into ½ inch dice
½ small white onion – finely chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper – seeds and veins removed – very finely chopped
1 handful of cilantro leaves – chopped (about 1/3 of a cup)
Juice of 2 large limes – use divided
Chili powder – optional
Defrost shrimp under cold running water and pat dry.
In a bowl toss together the papaya, mango, onion, jalapeno pepper, cilantro and juice of 1 lime. Put salsa on a platter or divide among individual plates.
Toss the shrimp with the juice on 1 lime briefly. Pat shrimp dry again and place atop the salsa.
Sprinkle shrimp with chili powder if using.
