As I contemplated what to make to make to celebrate this Mexican holiday, I started going through my recipes and realized I might have a thing for salsa. I counted 4(!) different salsa’s on my blog and there are many more variations that I make at home that I haven’t posted! Yum, truthfully I just celebrate this holiday for the food and margaritas, how about you guys?
Today’s post is a little roundup of recipes from my blog to help you get in the spirit of this celebration of Mexican victory. Salud my friends!
Coctel De Camarones – Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
Made with wild, sustainable west coast BC shrimp, this tangy shrimp cocktail is based on what I remember eating in Mexico; fresh, crunchy, sweet, savoury and a little spicy. Serve with traditional saltine crackers, tortilla chips, endive spears or in cucumber cups.
This makes approximately 3.5 cups and will serve 6-8 people depending on the amount of other food served.
Ingredients
- 1/4 c Red Onion, Finely Chopped
- 1/4 c Tomato, Finely Chopped
- 1 Jalapeno, Finely Chopped Feel free to use less depending on spice level preference
- 1/4 c Cucumber, Finely Chopped
- 1/4 c Green Onions, Finely Sliced
- 1/2 Lime, Juiced
- 1/3 c Chili Sauce I used Heinz brand
- 1 c Clamato Juice I used Motts
- 1/2 c Cilantro, Roughly Chopped
- 1 c Wild BC Shrimp (Approx 325 grams) Cooked and peeled. I used Pink shrimp
- Salt And Pepper To Taste
- Hot Sauce To Taste I used Valentina but tobasco would work well too.
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, combine red and green onion, tomato, jalapeno, cucumber and lime juice. Stir gently until combined.
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Add chili sauce and Clamato and stir until combined.
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Add shrimp and cilantro, then stir and season to taste with hot sauce, salt and pepper.
Let chill in fridge 30 min (or up to 8 hours) then spoon into serving dish or mini cucumber cups to serve.
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*Note: This Mexican style cocktail has a lot of liquid, necessary for proper flavour so don’t drain the “soup”.
If serving in cucumber cups, use slightly more salt and spice as the strength of flavour will be diluted by the cucumber.
Fruit Salsa
A super simple and super versatile fruit salsa recipe designed to use up what fruit you have on hand. Lime juice is classic but depending what you have you could use lemon or even a light wine vinegar and instead of cilantro, you can use mint, parsley, basil, fennel or any other soft herb you have handy.
Ingredients
- 1/4 c Red Onion, Small Dice
- 1 1/2 c Mango Or Other Firm Fruit, Small Dice Use multiple kinds of fruit if you like
- 1/2-1 Jalapeno, Very Fine Dice
- 1/4 c Cilantro, Finely Sliced (1/4 c packed)
- 1/2-1 Lime, Juiced
- 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
Instructions
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Mix all ingredients in a bowl and let sit about 1/2 hr. Season to taste with salt and lime juice and serve.
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Delicious served over fish or chicken, in fish tacos, over tuna poke or with tortilla chips.
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*Get creative with the fruit-any combination of mango, melons, oranges, strawberries, grapes, or switch 1/2 fruit for avocado. Use up what needs using in your kitchen.
Guacamole-Simple, Fresh, Easy and Vegan
No fuss, no muss, all real ingredients-better than adding a package of powder to your fresh avocado. I did not add jalapeno to this but feel free to add as much heat as you like.
*This can easily be doubled or tripled depending how many avocados you want to use, just err on the side of less salt until seasoning at the end.
Ingredients
- 1/4 c Red Onion, Minced
- 1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 Ripe Avocado
- 1/4 c Tomato, Finely Chopped
- 1 Lime, Juiced 2-4 tbsp of juice, to taste
- Salt And Pepper To Taste
Instructions
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Mix together onion, vinegar, and salt and let sit 10 minutes.
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Peel and add avocado and mash to desired consistency, add lime juice to taste (minimum 2 tbsp to prevent browning, up to 4 tbsp for extra zip).
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Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with tortilla chips.
Savory Rhubarb Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 c Rhubarb Finely diced (approx 1/8″ dice)
- 1.5 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 c Red Onion Finely chopped
- 1 Jalapeno, small to medium Very finely diced
- 1 Cilantro, Small Bunch Approx. 1/2 c chopped
- 1/2 Lime Juiced
- 1/8 tsp Ground Coriander and Cumin Each
- Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Instructions
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Mix together rhubarb, sugar, vinegar and salt and let sit while chopping other ingredients. Stir occasionally.
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Once the jalapeno, onion and cilantro are chopped, add them and the rest of the ingredients. Stir gently and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
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Serve with tortilla chips and margaritas or as a condiment for grilled pork or dinner sausages.
BC Albacore Tuna Ceviche
Fresh, delicious and healthy, this is a great make ahead appetizer any time of year!
This is an easy, healthy and delicious recipe that you can dress up or down. It is a perfect as a make ahead appetizer during the Christmas holiday season and a welcome lighter option (gluten and dairy-free as well) instead of the usual meat and cheese options.
In the summer I add various in-season vegetables and even fruit occasionally. Try adding a 1/4 cup of a different ingredient each time in the summer and add a little extra lime juice and salt to taste.
Some variations I love: fresh corn cut off the cob, finely diced cucumber, peaches, tomato or avocado.
Ingredients
- 1/2 c Red Onion, Finely Diced
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 12 oz Sushi Grade Albacore Tuna, 1/4″ Diced 3/4 lb or 2 cups once cubed
- 1-2 Jalapeno(s), Very Finely Diced
- 2 Limes, Juiced Minimum 1/2 c juice, use more limes if needed
- 1/2 c Cilantro, Chopped
- Salt And Pepper To Taste
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, combine onion and salt and let sit to macerate while preparing tuna and jalapeno.
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Add tuna, jalapeno and lime juice, toss gently and marinate in fridge 1/2 hour or up to 4 hours.
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Just before serving, add cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Serve with tortilla chips.
Fresh BC Cod Fish Tacos
The coating for the fish is nice and crispy but for a slightly healthier/quicker version, I often simply pan fry or bake the fish with salt and pepper. Any fresh white fish will work but I usually use fresh BC Lingcod or Rock Cod, their oil content makes them more forgiving to overcooking than the leaner halibut.
Ingredients
Fried Cod Fish
- 1 lb Ling Cod or Red Snapper Fillets
- 1 c Flour, Divided Divided into 2/3 and 1/3 c
- 1/3 c Cornmeal
- 1 tsp Seasoning Salt
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- Vegetable Oil For Frying
Mango Salsa
- 1 Mango, Diced 1/4″
- 1/2 c Red Onion, Finely Diced
- 1 Jalapeno, Finely Diced
- 1/2 c Cilantro, Chopped, Packed
- 1 Lime, Juiced
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 Avocado, Diced 1/4″ (Optional)
Spicy Mayo
- 1/2 c Mayonnaise
- 1-2 tbsp Sambel Oelek (To Taste) Or sriracha
Cabbage Slaw
- 4 c Shredded Cabbage
- 1/2 Lime, Juiced
- 1/2 tsp Salt
8-12 6″ Tortillas
Instructions
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Toss cabbage slaw together and let sit until ready.
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Mix all mango salsa ingredients together gently, season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
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Mix spicy mayo ingredients together to taste and set aside.
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Wrap tortillas in foil and place in 200’F oven to warm 10-15 min while frying the fish.
Fried Fish
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Mix 2/3 c flour with cornmeal, salt and baking powder and then add 3/4 c of water and mix well.
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Preheat oil in a pot or pan on stove.
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Slice fish into 1 inch wide strips taking care to remove any bones. Place 1/3 c flour in one wide bowl and dredge fish strips in it to coat and then coat in batter and fry in preheated pot or pan. (You can deep fry however I had good success simply pan frying in about 1/2″ of oil and flipping my fish halfway through cooking.)
Remove to warm paper towel lined plate.
Serving
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Place the fish, bowls of mayo, salsa and slaw and the tortillas all together on the table and let everyone assemble their tacos.
The Perfect Margarita
My husband has proven over the years that a cold cocktail is best served very cold so use plenty of ice when mixing your drink and then pour it into a glass filled with fresh ice for the best results. Using good tequila and fresh squeezed juices make this classic margarita sing but beware, these are delicious and at 3 oz of alcohol per drink, one per person is all you need. Salud!
Ingredients
- 1/2 c Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
- 1/4 c Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
- 4 oz Tequila
- 2 oz Orange Liqueur (Grand Marnier or Triple Sec)
- 1 Lime, Cut Into Wedges For Rim and Garnish
- Kosher Salt In A Saucer Try mixing Tajin or other chili powder into your salt for a spicy rim!
Instructions
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Run a lime wedge around the rim of 2 large glasses then dip rims into the saucer of salt then fill glasses with ice.
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In an ice filled cocktail shaker, add juices, tequila and orange liqueur and shake until icy cold and well mixed. Pour into ice filled glasses and garnish with another lime wedge. Salud!
