Imagine the Mexican Riviera

That's what you will be doing when you sit down to eat this meal, imagining yourself totally relaxing seaside, in some cozy little Mexican restaurant, dining under a thatch covered patio overlooking the water.
I served this salad with some lime wedges, to squeeze over the top of the grilled shrimp, and it is divine. The achiote paste is worth searching for. You will keep this item in your pantry forever more. If you don't like really hot food, use only half the jalapeño, it will still be plenty warm. Buen Provecho....and sorry, I didn't take a picture.

Shrimp Salad with Corn and Orange Salsa
Serves four, generously


1 pound large shrimp (peeled and deveined)

6 navel oranges, or blood orange would be awesome with this

3 Tablespoons achiote paste

2 ears fresh white corn (cut off cob)

1/2 red onion (sliced thinly)

1 jalapeño pepper (sliced really thin)

1/4 red bell pepper, sliced thin, or diced, to your taste

3 Tablespoons good olive oil

8 oz. salad mix

1 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro


Juice 4 of the oranges and section the other two. Set aside the sections. Dissolve achiote paste in the orange juice. Let it rest for 15 minutes, to extract the flavors. Now, press through a fine mesh sieve to remove any undisolved pieces and spices, and mix in with the corn, onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, oil, salt, orange sections and cilantro. Place in the refrigerator to cool.
Wash and dry the salad greens, and place in a large salad bowl, and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
Grill the marinated shrimp over medium high heat, for about 3 minutes per side. Leave lid open while grilling, or shorten the grilling time if you close the grill lid.
Toss the salad with the corn salsa, plate the salad, placing lime wedges around the plate. Place 5 shrimp per plate, and serve.


 Shrimp Marinade


1 Tbsp. achiote paste

3 Tbsp. corn oil

1 tsp. ancho chili powder

¼ tsp. cumin

2 to 3 Tbsp. fresh orange juice

½ tsp. kosher salt


Blend all ingredients in a medium size bowl, and then stir in the shrimp. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Preheat grill to medium high. Grill the shrimp for 3 minutes per side, remove, and place on the above salad.

Served with some hot tortillas, or not, this makes a great patio dinner.

I hope this becomes one of your new favorites.
Enjoy your holiday weekend my friends!