Pinterest!  It had me at “Hello”!  Soooo many food inspirations and sharing of recipes have come from this website and today’s blog is a perfect example of the yummy results!  This is the picture of a Mexican Shrimp cocktail that started it all and inspired me……

Now, the problem was that I pinned it a few months ago and when I recently went back on to see how to make it, it gave me a warning that “many users have reported that this link leads to spam”.  So, I was out of luck on getting the original recipe (thank goodness for the Pinterest warning) but I thought I can re-create that and make it even better and by golly, I did!

First thought…”Why stop at just shrimp? Why not add some fresh crab, too”!  Oh, my!  Introducing my “Spicy Seafood Mexican Cocktail”…….It will be staple from now on in my kitchen!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1 cup red onion, chopped
• 2 cups of V-8 Juice (I prefer Hot & Spicy, Low Sodium)
• 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes (more or less depending on your heat tolerance)
• 1 pound, peeled, cooked shrimp (25-30 count, chop in half, if desired)
• 1/2 pound, Jumbo Lump Crab Meat
• 2 large fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (more or less, depending on your tastes)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon of sirachha sauce
• 2 avocados, chopped
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

First, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan, adding the jalapeno and red onion.  Saute, until tender (about 5 minutes).  You can skip this step but I really do believe that heating the jalapeno and onion together truly helps bring out the flavors of the ingredients later.

Next, add in your V-8 juice and red pepper flakes..Simmer about 10 minutes until red pepper flakes are more absorbed in the sauce.

Remove from heat and let stand until cooled (about 30 minutes).  Place your shrimp in a large mixing bowl.

Add sauce mixture and remaining ingredients to the mixture.  Taste to determine if you need to add more spice or salt/pepper.

Chill for at least 2 hours and serve as an appetizer in decorative glasses…I used a martini glass to showcase the colors of the ingredients.

Bottom Line:  

This was fantastic and a perfect summer appetizer to showcase some of your garden’s harvest!  The tomatoes and jalapenos were bursting with flavor and complimented the shrimp so well.

At my next summer party, I plan on changing things up a bit by adding some Vodka and putting them in shot glassed for Spicy Mexican Cocktail Shooters!  Wow!  I look forward to hearing how this recipe works in your kitchen and until then, I am Personal Chef, Frankie Pitt, and I encourage you to “Keep on Cooking”!