Shrimp-Tomatillo Cocktail
Horseradish is the common link between the ketchup-based cocktail sauce you are used to and this, its Bar Americain reincarnation. Tart tomatillos are roasted and blended with garlic, red onion, jalapeños, and cilantro for a sauce indebted to the flavors of the American Southwest. The secret to its bright green hue is the addition of blanched and chopped spinach—the flavor isn’t noticeable, but the color certainly is.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Tomatillo-Horseradish Sauce
Preparation
Step 1
Fill a medium saucepan with 2 quarts cold water. Add the salt, coriander, peppercorns, and lemon wedges, squeezing the juice into the pot first, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes.
Step 2
Turn the heat off, add the shrimp, cover, and let the shrimp sit in the liquid for 15 minutes, to cook through and absorb the flavor. Drain the shrimp in a colander, place in a bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
Step 3
Pour the sauce into short glasses or martini glasses and hang the shrimp on the rims of the glasses, tail ends out.
Tomatillo-Horseradish Sauce
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 5
Place the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeños in a medium roasting pan, toss with the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is soft, 25 to 35 minutes.
Step 6
Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Have ready a medium bowl filled with ice water. Plunge the spinach into the boiling water and boil for 1 minute. Drain well and transfer to the ice water. Once cool, squeeze out the spinach to remove excess water.
Step 7
Transfer the tomatillo mixture to a food processor, add the spinach, vinegar, horseradish, cilantro, and honey, and pulse until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours before serving. Bring to room temperature before serving.
