08 July 2009

Shrimp, Avocado, and Mango Salad

I have been so busy cleaning out and packing up my mother's house I've barely had time for anything else. During the week it's work and the gym and miles of paperwork and bills, and every ounce of the weekend is clean, sort, box, pack, throw away. I welcomed the fourth of July weekend not as a holiday but as an extra day to work. I skipped fireworks to sort through miles of photographs. I marked my birthday on the calendar (today), so I wouldn't forget.

This makes it sound like I haven't been cooking, but I have. Mostly everyday things, I'm trying to whittle down my pantry in the spirit of the new economy, lots of beans and grains and lentils finally being put to use. I've had a few salads of my homegrown (!) spinach and homegrown tomatoes, I made a batch of this white nectarine compote and used it to make turnovers.

There is nothing like hauling boxes and moving furniture all day to work up an appetite, and while slogging through mom's house is a pain (goodness she kept everything), I've found some real treasures too. Like pictures of my mom as a baby, or of the family making homemade ice cream. That's the part I like best, finding things I've never seen before.

This past weekend, between sorting my mother's collection of Wedgwood and boxing up her 18 figures of Ganesh, I made this salad. It's a chopped salad of shrimp, avocado and mango inspired by what I had on hand and what looked good in the store. It's delicious, really, served on a bed of lettuce as dinner for one, and I bet it would make an excellent pot luck contribution or filling for a sandwich.

Shrimp, Avocado, and Mango Salad

1 mango
1/4 of medium-sized red onion, finely diced
2 tbl finely diced red bell pepper, or hot chili pepper
a few cilantro leaves, finely chopped
3 tbl fresh lime juice
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled
salt and cayenne pepper to taste

1. Set a large pot of salted water to boil.
2. Peel and slice the mango, working over a bowl. Squeeze the juice from round the pit of mango into the bowl. Add the onion, pepper, cilantro, lime juice and toss to combine.
3. Adjust the heat so the pot of water is just simmering. Add the shrimp and cook until just opaque and curled in 3/4 circles. For goodness sake do not overcook the shrimp into pink rubber bands. Immediately transfer shrimp to a colander and run cool water over them to stop cooking. Dice the shrimp.
4. Add the shrimp and avocado to the mango mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve as desired.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday!!!!

Quinne said...

Hi Mercedes :) Happy Birthday! I hope that this next year will be most blessed.

And thank you for this yummy recipe. It sounds wonderful! Love & hugs, Q

Sarah said...

Looks delicious - reminds me of the ceviche I get at my favorite Mexican restaurant. They serve it with mango salsa and it's awesome.
Happy Birthday as well! Mine was on the 3rd. :)

Dad said...

And I have marked it in MY diary to remember for next year.

Happy birthday Mercedes!

Dad

(no relation)

oranji said...

hope you had a great birthday! happy birthday!

jennifer said...

Happy birthday! What an adorable photo you found! Glad to see that you are cooking and posting- thank you!

Poorni Pillai said...

Happy Birthday, dear!!

Lovely combination of flavors :)

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Christine said...

Happy Belated Birthday!

What treasures those photos are. They are wonderful.

Trysha said...

Happy Belated Birthday!

I have about a pound and a half of shrimp in my fridge and I may have just found something to do with it. :)

I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. I came across your blog about two years ago when you were in the midst of a month of ice creams. I'm getting ready to finally try my hand at making ice cream and your blog was the first I thought of. I think I'll try out Poet Honey Ice Cream. :)

Susan said...

Happy Belated Birthday.

Alejandra Ramos said...

Happy belated birthday!!! That picture is just gorgeous. What a treasure to find! And the salad looks fantastic too. I'll have to keep it in mind.

Anonymous said...

This salad sounds like it'd be really tasty! Pretty simple too, thanks for stopping and sharing the recipe! :)

Sophia from Kitchen Caravan said...

Hi Mercedes,
I am a bit late in wishing you a Happy Birthday, but wanted to let you know that I am sending you my best wishes none the less. The salad looks yummy- a great combination that is simple and delicious.

bingsy said...

What a joyful picture!

M said...

I know I am late but I don't spend as much time online as I used to, so belated birthday wishes for peace to you.
Very sorry to hear about your Mom. My adopted Mum passed away 6 years ago, on my birthday. I have since been using your "Carrot Cake for Birthdays" as my own birthday cake. I was making it for my hubby's birthday but I took it back for me. I make the cake and my step-son makes the marzipan bunny and carrots. It helps make a sad day much better. So, thank you :)

Christine said...

Absolutely delicious. Hope that you have another riveting year and keep up such an amazing blog. I am a massive shrimp fan and could never have too much. This will be perfect for my next attempt in cooking :)

Christine

Bill Medifast said...

So tasty! Could never go wrong with shrimp, avocado, and mango!