Author Notes
This is a seriously cool bar snack that goes great with super ice cold beer or a refreshing gin fizz (such as my minty orangey soda with gin added!). I actually...ahem!..."borrowed" the basic premise from chef Michael Symon. However, this is my own riff on his idea. Happy eating and Bon Appetit!!! —gr8chefmb
Test Kitchen Notes
The crispy shrimp were excellent -- we ate the entire plate in one sitting. But the cocktail sauce is the real, original star here. It's nicely balanced, with all of the ingredients playing well together, but it's still subtle enough to let the mint shine through. It's a perfect complement to shrimp -- but we want to eat it on everything else, too. —Food52
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Ingredients
- Minty Basil Cilantro Tomato Cocktail Sauce
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1
half of a small white onion, roughly chopped
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1-2
garlic cloves, smashed
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1-2 tablespoons
prepared horseradish
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1/2 cup
packed fresh cilantro leaves
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1/2 cup
packed fresh mint leaves
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1/2 cup
packed fresh basil leaves
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2 tablespoons
extra virgin olive oil
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2 tablespoons
citrus zest (can be all lemon, lime or orange or a combination of all three)
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3 tablespoons
citrus juice (can be all lemon, lime or orange or a combination of all three)
-
1 tablespoon
honey
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2 cups
catsup
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1 teaspoon
coarse ground salt
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2 teaspoons
coarse ground black pepper
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1/2 to 1 teaspoons
pepper sauce (optional)
- Crispy Shrimp
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peanut, canola or vegetable oil for deep frying
-
2 pounds
peeled shrimp
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1 teaspoon
ground coriander
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1/2 teaspoon
dried mint, crushed
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1 tablespoon
coarse ground salt
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1 tablespoon
coarse ground black pepper
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1-1/4 cups
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
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2 tablespoons
cornstarch
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3/4 cup
ginger ale
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3/4 cup
seltzer water
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2-3
citrus fruits [may be mix of lemon, lime and navel orange], ends trimmed (plus extra lemon and/or limes, quartered for garnish]
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fresh chopped cilantro, mint and or basil for garnish
Directions
- Minty Basil Cilantro Tomato Cocktail Sauce
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Place onion, garlic, horseradish, cilantro, mint, basil and olive oil in food processor or blender; pulse 4-5 times to chop ingredients. Process until fairly smooth after adding zest, juice, honey and catsup. Pour into a serving bowl and season with salt and pepper. If desired, cocktail sauce can be spiced up with pepper sauce to taste. [This step can be done up to 2 days in advance; store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Recipe may be doubled or tripled, but prepare in several batches.]
- Crispy Shrimp
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Place a Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat and add enough oil to come up 3 inches on the sides. Heat oil to 350 degrees F on a deep frying thermometer.
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Place shrimp in a large bowl and toss with coriander, mint, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup of flour to coat.
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In another large bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, ginger ale and seltzer water to form a batter. Add floured shrimp to batter and toss to coat.
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Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer shrimp to hot oil and cook shrimp until crispy and golden brown, approximately 2 minutes, carefully stirring to ensure shrimp don't clump together. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel-lined baking sheet; season with salt.
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Use a mandolin or sharp knife to thinly slice citrus fruit. Toss sliced fruit with remaining cornstarch and flour. Add fruit to hot oil and fry for 1 minute; drain on paper towel. Mound shrimp and fruit on serving platter, sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs and serve with cocktail sauce. [Recipe may be doubled or tripled, but fry in batches, allowing oil to come back up to temperature, adding more oil as necessary.]
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