This Cool and Spicy Shrimp Cocktail is a Very Bad Boy!

20 Aug 2012
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Cool & Spicy Shrimp

You might not know it to look at it, but this is a shrimp cocktail. I know you know shrimp cocktail. It's been one of your all time favorites since you were a little kid. You love the simplicity of shrimp cocktail. We all do. There's just something about the dichotomy of rich, tender shellfish combined with sweet-tomato-meets-hot-horseradish. BOOM! Palate explosion.

Speaking of explosion. Watch out for this shrimp cocktail. It may look innocent enough– sitting there on the plate, promising a cool bite sensation on a hot summer day. But these shrimp are packing heat. They're like Miami in summer. The buildings may be pretty and pink, but they are scorching hot on the outside with indoor air conditioners that chill you to the bone.

As good as the classic version is I decided to take the same dichotomy that makes a shrimp cocktail work so well and give it a more spare, modern edge. I also turned the volume up on the heat. Because when the weather is warm I avoid the sun burn and choose a good tongue burn. There's no better way to cool down.

Have you ever noticed that the spiciest food comes from the hottest countires? There's a reason. A sensible one at that. Spicy foods raise your internal temperature. They make your blood circulation increase. So you sweat. Sweat isn't a bad thing (necessarily). Sweat is your body's way of cooling itself. So spicy foods aid in cooling the body, because they make you sweat...

Of course there are some people who don't like to sweat. For them there's air conditioning. But I prefer to sweat the heat out with bad boys like these... GREG

Cool & Spicy Asian Shrimp Cocktail serves 4 CLICK here for a printable recipe adapted from Martin Yan

  • 5 c crushed ice
  • 2 c water
  • 1 c sake
  • 6 thin slices of fresh ginger
  • 1 T asian fish sauce
  • 1/2 c plus 2 teaspoons ponzu sauce, divided
  • 1 lb large shrimp, peeled with tails in tact, deveined
  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 1 T sweet chili sauce
  • 1 T rice vinegar
  • 1 thai bird chilies, thinly sliced cross wise (optional)
  • 1 T sliced pickled ginger (optional)
  • 1 pn radish sprouts (optional)

Put the crushed ice in a large bowl set near the stove.

Bring water, sake, fresh ginger, fish sauce, 2 teaspoons ponzu sauce to a boil in a large saucepan. Add shrimp and cook just until they turn pink, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove from water quickly using a slotted spoon and bury them in the ice-filled bowl to stop cooking. Once completely chilled, drain away the remaining ice and dry the shrimp well. refrigerate the shrimp, covered, until ready to serve.

Stir the remaining 1/2 cup ponzu sauce, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, rice vinegar and chili slices (if using) in a small bowl. Let the flavor come together about 10 minutes.

Arrange the shrimp in small individual bowls. Drizzle the sauce evenly on top each serving. Garnish with pickled ginger and radish sprouts, if using.

Comments

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i love seafood! it must be

i love seafood!

it must be amazing, really what to try it

i think i know what i am going to make this weekend!

Milissa (not verified) | Oct 4th, 2012 at 7:41 am | Reply

Bird chilies will really get

Bird chilies will really get you going. You don't know heat until you accidentally eat one of those things...whole!

The Duo Dishes (not verified) | Aug 24th, 2012 at 8:25 am | Reply

A Solid....

Asian kick is welcome in almost any dish as far as I'm concerned.  I'm digging your spicy take on this classic nosh.

Oui, Chef (not verified) | Aug 23rd, 2012 at 1:05 pm | Reply

I Like Cool & Spicy!

Yes! I'm from the tropical Philippines and we do love our chilis (sili labuyo) there! You are right with the sweating to cool down the body, but I love my A/C as well! I remember visiting Marrakech in May (so it was quite hot already), but everyone drinks hot mint tea to cool down! Funny thing is, we also noticed locals wearing leather jackets under the hot sun! We are guessing that the leather jacket is actually to protect them from the heat??? I could be wrong (in fact, I think I am wrong), but I just thought it weird that they wore leather jackets (and ate harissa) when it's hot out!

Jen Laceda @ Tartine and Apron Strings (not verified) | Aug 23rd, 2012 at 8:49 am | Reply

WOW!

That is a fantastic variation of a classic!  Stumbled and pinned it.  Genius inspiration and photograpy, Greg! 

Chris (not verified) | Aug 22nd, 2012 at 5:30 pm | Reply

Love It!

Can I just say you always have the most gorgeous photos! And those shrimp look to. die. for! 

Shawn @ I Wash...You Dry (not verified) | Aug 21st, 2012 at 8:37 pm | Reply

oh my gosh this sounds so

oh my gosh this sounds so delicious! definitely bookmarking this!

Jenn (not verified) | Aug 21st, 2012 at 7:25 pm | Reply

Presentation rocks!

The recipe sounds terrific but it is this plating in little individual bowls with the cold spicy sauce and chopsticks that really gets my attention!

LL

Lori Lynn (not verified) | Aug 21st, 2012 at 5:58 pm | Reply

Great post!

I am all about the spicy and consistently ask servers for extra spicy or extra hot sauce, I;ve never been brought down yet by a chili, Interesting facts about sweat...

Gerry (not verified) | Aug 21st, 2012 at 5:42 pm | Reply

I LOVE cool & spicy.  This is

I LOVE cool & spicy.  This is beautiful!

Valentina (not verified) | Aug 21st, 2012 at 1:22 pm | Reply

turn up the heat!

These past few years, I have built up my heat tolerance and am finally enjoying it. I still have memories as a kid watching my dad drench in sweat while he enjoyed spicy Chinese mustard at the restaurant. Always made my mom feel like he was going to have a heart attack. Actually, he still does this, so nothing has changed!

Laura (not verified) | Aug 21st, 2012 at 7:46 am | Reply

Love the Miami analogy

That describes my lifestyle to a T. I don't like to sweat, but live in South FL in regulated and climate-controlled air-conditioned happiness. 

I do, however, like heat in my food and I do like the Asian twist on the classic shrimp cocktail.

Joan Nova (not verified) | Aug 20th, 2012 at 2:42 pm | Reply

shrimp cocktail

Very cleverly written, one of your best!

Lizthechef (not verified) | Aug 20th, 2012 at 12:28 pm | Reply

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