Summer Weekends...Shrimp With An Avocado Mango Salsa

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This is one of the first recipes I ever published when I started this blog seven years ago.  It's still a family favorite and worth another look.  The perfect lunch or dinner for a hot summer weekend!

I have made some notes as to substitutions in case you cannot find mango.  You can also grill the shrimp!

I love Mexican food, particularly the combination of sweet and savory in mango and avocado salsa. I saw a  recipe recently that had both shrimp and scallops. My recipe just has shrimp but if you find fresh scallops at this time of the year for a reasonable price, go for it. This is great for a summer lunch by the pool or the beach, with plenty of Margaritas or cold Mexican beer.

The local Florida mangoes this year are out of this world. They are really lush and sweet. Of course there is nothing better than a fruit that has ripened in the tree. Somehow everyone in Miami seems to have a mango tree growing in their yard or have a relative or friend who has one. I have been making mango marmelade, chutney and you name it practically every day. Just swimming in them and they keep coming, so I keep digging up recipes.

As to avocados, this is not the season for Florida avocados , but the ones I have picked up at the market from California are great and in some places, on sale.

In this casual main course, the shrimp is paired with a vibrant sweet-savory salsa. Serve the shrimp and the salsa with warm corn or flour tortillas or, as an alternative, saffron rice.

6 servings

Ingredients

Salsa:

1 mango, peeled, pitted, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, diced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. chopped green jalapeno (or to taste)

Shrimp marinade for 2 lbs of shrimp or a combination of shrimp and scallops

1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup tequila
1-2 TBS chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 cup olive oil
2 pounds uncooked jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 cup chopped scallions
Lime slices

Preparation

Salsa

Mix all ingredients in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt. Cover and chill. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Keep chilled.

Shrimp

Whisk first 6 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil. Season marinade to taste with salt and pepper.

Place shrimp in large resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade into bag and seal. Turn to coat. Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Drain shrimp, pat dry. Save 1/2 cup of marinade.

Add 3 tablespoons oil to skillet. Add shrimp and green onions; sauté until shrimp are browned on both sides, stirring often, about 3 minutes. If it needs more oil, add some. Add 1/4 cup of marinade and sautee another 1 minute on medium high. Add more marinade if necessary keeping in mind that it should be fairly absorbed by the time you remove the shrimp from the skillet. Simmer until shrimp is just opaque in center and mixture is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to large shallow bowl. Garnish with lime slices. Serve with salsa and tortillas.

Notes: you can also grill the shrimp and substitute pineapple for the mango.  If you do the latter, substitute cilantro for the mint.

WHAT TO DRINK
Mexican beer is a natural match for this menu. I like Presidente and Corona.



*I don' t like things too hot. 1/2 tsp. of chopped jalapeno is enough for me but you can add whatever amount you can live with.

Sweet And Spicy Mango Chutney

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Like a lot of you who have been exposed to mango chutney in this country or in the UK, I grew up on Major Grey's.  I don't know if it is the best chutney in the world but it is definitely my benchmark and what I pull out of the fridge to accompany Indian food and sometimes grilled meats.  I know, sacrilege.  I should probably be shot by the chutney police but some habits are hard to break.

 I have made chutney before and, in mid summer, my Georgia Peach Chutney is a staple in this house. I have also had the real stuff in my travels, sometimes so hot I couldn't breathe;  but I had never tackled mango chutney at home until yesterday.  A few months ago, my friend Chronica Domus asked me for a recipe, specifically for mango chutney.  I never forget a request, but I was waiting for mango season to make a batch for the house and close friends   I don't know if you have noticed that the mangoes this year are outstanding.  It must have also been a bumper crop, for I got 10 for $10.  How could I pass that.

Madame Mere and I adore mango marmalade with cream cheese and crackers, something we both grew up with in Cuba.  If you really want to savor a mango, though, you must have one on the beach, knee deep in water, with the waves breaking on your legs, a mango in one hand and a mango fork or a knife in the other. I will never forget the time one of my childhood friends showed up with a set of sterling mango forks and a bag of mangoes to enjoy on the beach in Key Biscayne.

If you are very lucky, you will have inherited a sterling set of mango forks from your great grandmother. The last time I remember seeing one before that memorable day at the beach was at my grandmother's house in Havana.  I wonder who is using them now and what they are using them for!

After making a batch of marmalade for MM, I remembered CD's request and went back for more mangoes.   I wanted to make a homemade version of my adored Major Grey's.  I also did not want one of those cloudy chutneys where you don't know what is what.  I wanted to see the pieces of mango and I wanted them crystal clear.  It had to be sweet, but not too sweet and hot but not oppressive.  I could have stopped with the mustard seeds, and you can too, but I also wanted some spice.  Luckily, when it comes to Asian spices, I have a good supply, so the only thing I had to buy was the caramelized ginger.  I like the texture it gives my peach chutney.  In the end, I think I ended up with what, in my mind, is a homemade version of Major Grey's, keeping in mind that commercial versions of chutney are never going to come close to one made at home.

Now, if you are wondering what the mango fork has to do with making mango chutney, it was the thought of that memorable day on the beach, sharing a mango with two childhood friends.  Priceless!

Mango Chutney

Chutney is a family of condiments associated with South Asian cuisine made from a highly variable mixture of spices, vegetables, or fruit.  There is a wide variety of recipes and preparation methods depending on geography.  Chutney can also range from wet to dry, and from sweet or hot. 

 The original chutney of India was usually a relish made from fresh fruits and spices. During the colonial era the British took it home and the recipe evolved, until the commercially made mango chutney ("Major Grey's chutney") became the British standard chutney. Commercially made cooked chutneys are still popular in Great Britain, and are usually made of fruit (usually mangoes, apples or pears), onions and raisins simmered with vinegar, brown sugar and spices for about two hours. Chutneys are served with almost every meal in India, especially as relishes with curries, but also as sauces for hot dishes (especially meats). They can be fresh or cooked, and are made from a wide variety of ingredients, ranging in flavor from sweet or sour, spicy or mild, or any combination; they can be thin or chunky and can be made with fruits or vegetables or both. Mangoes, apples, pears, tamarind, onions, lemon, tomato, raisins, coconut, vinegar, sugar, honey, citrus peel, garlic, ginger, mint, turmeric, cinnamon, cilantro, and hot chilies are some of the ingredients used. Cooked mango or papaya chutneys are common in the Caribbean and have become increasingly popular in the United States. Food.com 

Lindaraxa' Sweet And Spicy Mango Chutney*
Yield 3 pints and 1 cup

Ingredients:

5-6 mangoes (5 cups) peeled and diced

2 cups of white granulated sugar

1 cup white vinegar

1 onion chopped

1 red pepper diced

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup crystalized ginger finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, mashed and minced

1 tsp. whole mustard seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

3 kaffir lime leaves

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp  whole cloves

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cardamon

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes


Directions:

Combine the sugar and the vinegar in a large pot, bring to a boil, reduce to medium high  and stir until fully dissolved.

Add the mangoes, onion, red peppers, raisins, ginger and garlic and mix around in the pot. Let them simmer in the syrup while you mix the spices.

Combine the rest of the ingredients (the spices) in a bowl or other container and add to the pot.

Simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until syrupy and slightly thickened.

Remove the kaffir leaves and spoon into clean jars leaving 1/2 inch head space.  Close jars and process in water bath 15-20  minutes.


*If you want your chutney less "crystal clear", substitute brown sugar for the white sugar.

 If you want it "mushier" cook longer.  Otherwise, I would not mess with the spices, it's perfect. 



Try Georgia Peach Chutney With Caramelized Ginger

Grilled Chicken Tikka With Fresh Mango Chutney

Mystery Object Revealed

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I was surprised at the fact that I stumped two of my faithful readers, the ones I was positive would come up with the name of the mystery utensil in the last post.  It was no surprise to see one of my Cuban friends, and former bridge partner, get it right.  I am sure there was a beautiful sterling set in his family, very similar to the one in the photo above.  What I would love to know is how Donna got it right, Please tell us, for they are very rare these days and not many people have ever used one, least of all, seen one.

I am sure that by now you have scrolled down (and cheated) and found out that the mystery object is.....A MANGO FORK!

The reason my friend Val and I are familiar with them is our Cuban heritage.  Mango forks, of the style pictured above, were made and used in Cuba as early as 1900.  If you were wealthy, you probably owned a sterling or Mexican silver set for use at the table when fresh mangoes were served for dessert.

Although I found out that a US plate manufacturer made them as early as 1924 (Washington Post article, June 26, 1924) I don't think many people in this country used them.   In the early 1900's mangoes were considered by some to be "unsafe" and were rarely imported.  When they were, the fruit was of poor quality. (The Literary Digest August 22, 1903).

It seems mango forks were a Victorian dining implement that was created for a delicacy that only the wealthy could afford at the time, or were thought to appreciate. Victorians were known for their one-upmanship at the dining table. The wealthier they were, the more exotic the food being served. The more silver they had for the exotic foods, the more light was reflected in the room.- Cooking Down Under

I couldn't find much else written about the mango fork or where they were first invented.  But I did come across the copy of a British patent in 1884 in a silver forum. Notice the fork is very similar to the utilitarian form used in Cuba and Victorian England

Antique mango forks, are very hard to come by these days, mainly because when they do show up for sale, they are usually classified as something else,  Maura Graber  has been hunting them for years and found many old ones in Amsterdam described as a cake fork or prikker.  She wrote a self published book, Let Them Eat Cake: …the Strange Saga of the Mango Fork & The Unique Dining Habits of the Dutch. It makes sense to find mango forks in Holland, given the Dutch history in the East and West Indies.

Maura Graber's collection of Dutch mango forks via Cooking Down Under

While  mango forks were also made in Germany, Spain, France, Russia, Austria, Mexico, Cuba and the US, they tended to be fairly utilitarian looking. The Dutch forks, however, were highly decorative. Some feature windmills or have very ornate handles. Some include detailed embossed picture above the tines.

Maura Graber Collection via Cooking Down Under  

Notice the mango forks in the middle of the picture.  They are French, made by Cristofle.

As you can see, the ones I bought on E Bay are the more utilitarian looking forks, similar to the French seen on the photo above.  They were described as Victorian  and silver plate.  They came from a dealer in Texas, which probably means they were owned by someone in Mexico, where they have always been popular.  As a matter of fact, most of the old ones that come to market as sterling are usually Mexican silver (top photo).  Mine are signed BOKER, a German manufacturer and they are old, but definitely not silver.  They were probably plated but the silver is long gone.

Photo on E Bay of the Boker forks I purchased

A little shine but not much else.

The Mango Fork.

From The Washington Post of June 26, 1924, via The Old Foodie

THE MANGO FORK

In “Fruit Recipes” published nearly twenty years ago, one of the things said about the mango is this: “The fruit is truly exceedingly juicy ….but where the mango grows in the greatest luxuriance and it is properly understood and used one may procure the regular mango fork, a three pronged affair of which the middle prong is long and projected, so that the fruit will not slip.”

This was the kind of fork on which the first mango I had in Havana, Cuba, some weeks ago, was served, at a place where they ate and drank fruit, and forthwith I went hunting for some of those forks. The first I found were made by one of the leading makers of plate in the United States, but I kept up my quest to get the Cuban make and succeeded.

The Spanish buccaneers probably ate mangoes. In a 100-year old book on the West Indies, written by a woman, which I read some years ago to learn about the foods there, it speaks of the great variety of fruits and says of the mango: “It is certainly the most abundant. This fruit hangs in such thick clusters that the fruit of one tree is immense. There are many varieties, but the small ones are the best.” A small, delicate yellow one is mentioned, a coarse green one, etc.

Outside the tropics the mango is now mostly eaten by epicures, and two budded varieties, mulgobaa and Haden, are spoken of as the aristocrats of the family. “To the connoisseur these two varieties combine all the delicious flavors and aromas of the peach, apple, pear, cantaloupe, and pineapple, and, in addition, a delightfully spicy flavor all their own.

Mango fork from Rubylane.com origin unknown

HOW TO USE A MANGO FORK:

Insert fork into stem end.

With knife, slit skin from top to bottom, then peel skin like a banana.

Slice the fruit from the skin. or eat it like a popsicle  The latter is definitely not done at the dinner table!!

I must say that although I came up pretty much empty handed,  this is one of the most interesting subjects I have ever researched and it brought fond memories of my grandmother and her mango forks.  If I remember well, she used to salt the mango before eating it, something I found extremely odd.

There isn't much on the Internet about mango forks, but I have ordered a couple of books that hopefully will enlighten me further on the subject.  If you have any knowledge about their history, please share it with us.

Even though I wasn't expecting much from my purchase via E Bay, I did get the pleasure of watching Madame Mere use her mango fork with dexterity after lunch.  A real pro! Nothing stumps this lady. By the way, I only paid $25 for the forks and consider it money well spent, silver plate or not.

Stay tuned for the recipe that sent me in search of the mango fork.




Images 1 and 3 EBAY
2, 4 and 5 Lindaraxa
6, 7, 8 mangofoirk.com

A Simple Menu For Mother's Day... Tropical Fruit, Shrimp And Avocado Salad

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If you are a mother, a grandmother and a daughter...guess what? You still have to entertain up!  Sorry girls, you all know this is true.  No matter what, if you have a mother, you still have to entertain her.  So what I do is simple.  Choose a menu where I can make most things the day before; have everyone up for brunch, feed them, and take off the rest of the day.  That way I don't feel too cheated out of a free ride.  

With my mother, I don't even have to ask.  For her it's always shrimp; so when I saw this salad,  that was it.  This and quiche, something new she has been asking for recently,  is a simple menu and can be prepared ahead.  A no fuss dessert and I'm off the hook!

Florida mangoes are not out yet but the Dominican Republic ones that are coming in are quite good, if you buy them at a good store.  Pineapple and papaya can be bought already cut up in the supermarket.  If you make the salad ahead, don't add the avocados until right before you serve it.  Shrimp can be grilled the night before and saved in the refrigerator.  Bring to room temperature before you add to the rest of the salad.

I have played around quite a bit with this recipe, reducing some amounts but leaving all the ingredients.  In this case, I want more shrimp and less fruit, but you can adapt the range to your liking.

The quiche can be made the day before and the Affogato, well, that just takes a minute to prepare. 

Mother's Day Menu

Bloody Mary's

Julia's Quiche Lorraine

Tropical Fruit, Shrimp and Avocado Salad (Follows)

Chocolate Gelato Affogato

Tropical Fruit,  Shrimp and Avocado Salad

 YIELD: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 pineapple, diced

1 large ripe papaya, diced

1 ripe mango, diced

1 roasted red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 roasted yellow bell pepper, cut into strips

1 -2 poblano chiles, cut into 1/4-inch strips

1 -2 jalapeño peppers, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup sherry wine vinegar

30 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 ripe avocados, cut into wedges

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Combine onions, pineapple, and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine olive oil and vinegar; toss with fruit mixture.  (Adapt fruit mix, peppers and dressing to your liking)

Grill shrimp 3 minutes on each side or until opaque, and immediately toss into the salad. Gently stir in avocado. Season to taste with black pepper.

Adapted from Coastal Living
Photo Karri Hosborg 

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Shrimp with Avocado Mango Salsa - A Delightful Summer Lunch

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I love Mexican food, particularly the combination of sweet and savory in mango and avocado salsa. I saw a similar recipe recently that had both shrimp and scallops (photo on left). My recipe just has shrimp but if you find fresh scallops at this time of the year for a reasonable price, go for it. This is great for a summer lunch by the pool or the beach, with plenty of Margaritas or cold Mexican beer!

The local Florida mangoes this year are out of this world. They are really lush and sweet. Of course there is nothing better than a fruit that has ripened in the tree. Somehow everyone in Miami seems to have a mango tree growing in their yard or have a relative or friend who has one. I have been making mango marmelade, chutney and you name it practically every day. Just swimming in them and they keep coming, so I keep digging up recipes.

As to avocados, this is not the season for Florida avocados , but the ones I have picked up at the market from California are great and in some places, on sale.

In this casual main course, the shrimp is paired with a vibrant sweet-savory salsa. Serve the shrimp and the salsa with warm corn or flour tortillas or, as an alternative, saffron rice.

6 servings

Ingredients

Salsa:

1 mango, peeled, pitted, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, diced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. chopped green jalapeno (or to taste)

Shrimp marinade

1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup tequila
1-2 TBS chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 cup olive oil
2 pounds uncooked jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 cup chopped scallions
Lime slices


Preparation

Salsa

Mix all ingredients in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt. Cover and chill. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Keep chilled.

Shrimp

Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil. Season marinade to taste with salt and pepper.

Place shrimp in large resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade into bag and seal. Turn to coat. Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Drain shrimp, pat dry. Save 1/2 cup of marinade.

Add 3 tablespoons oil to skillet. Add shrimp and green onions; sauté until shrimp are browned on both sides, stirring often, about 3 minutes. If it needs more oil, add some. Add 1/4 cup of marinade and sautee another 1 minute on medium high. Add more marinade if necessary keeping in mind that it should be fairly absorbed by the time you remove the shrimp from the skillet. Simmer until shrimp is just opaque in center and mixture is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to large shallow bowl. Garnish with lime slices. Serve with salsa and tortillas.

WHAT TO DRINK
Mexican beer is a natural match for this menu. I like Presidente and Corona.



*I dont like things too hot. 1/2 tsp. of chopped jalapeno is enough for me but you can add whatever amount you can live with.