Yuca-stuffed Shrimp with a Sour Orange Mojo and Scotch Bonnet Tartar Salsa
This dish has got the mojo working — screaming hot habanero chili mojo, made with cumin, orange juice, and sherry for those special moments when your taste buds come back to life. The plump shrimp are stuffed with a habanero-laced yuca mixture, covered with breadcrumbs, and fried. You can make the mojo a few hours ahead of time.
Ingredients
- Stuffing
- Yuca - 2 lbs
- Scotch bonnet (habanero) chile - 1, stem and seeds removed, minced
- Garlic - 3 cloves, peeled and minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Shrimp
- Shrimp - 12 fresh very large, peeled, deveined, and butterflied
- Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- All Purpose Flour - 1⁄2 cup
- Egg Yolk - 1, beaten with 3 tablespoons water
- Breadcrumbs - 1⁄2 cup, finely ground dried
- Mojo
- Garlic - 6 cloves, peeled and minced
- Scotch bonnet (habanero) chilies - to 2, stems and seeds discarded, minced
- Salt - 1⁄2 teaspoon
- Cumin - 2 teaspoons whole seeds, freshly toasted
- Pure Olive Oil - 1 cup
- Sour orange juice - 1⁄3 cup (alt. lime juice)
- Spanish sherry vinegar - 2 teaspoons
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Scotch Bonnet Tartar Salsa
- Egg Yolk - 3
- Champagne Vinegar - 1 tablespoon
- Pickling juice - 1 teaspoon pickling juice from the Scotch bonnets
- Virgin olive oil - 1/2 cup
- Canola oil - 1/2 cup
- Scotch bonnet (habanero) chile - 1 bottled, stem and seeds discarded, minced
- Sweet butter pickles - 3 tablespoons, diced
- Red Onion - 2 tablespoons, peeled and diced
- Hard-boiled egg - 1
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Peanut Oil - 1/4 cup
Instructions
To make the stuffing: Cut the yuca crosswise into 3-inch pieces and peel with a paring knife. Cut a shallow X in the end of each section to help the yuca expand while cooking. Place the yuca in a medium-size saucepan with 1 teaspoon salt and cold water to cover. Boil the yuca until soft, about 15 minutes.
Drain in a colander and return to the saucepan. Place the pan over very low heat and coarsely mash the yuca pieces with a potato masher or 2 large meat forks or force through a ricer. Combine the mashed yuca with the Scotch bonnet, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste and set aside.
To prepare the shrimp: In a medium mixing bowl toss the shrimp with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Remove them to a plate. Stuff the cavity of each shrimp with 1 tablespoon of the yuca stuffing. Pack the stuffing firmly into place. In separate shallow bowls place the flour, egg yolk mixture, and breadcrumbs. Dredge the shrimp in the flour, then dip in the egg yolk mixture, and then into the breadcrumbs. Remove the shrimp to a rack until ready to cook.
To make the mojo: Mash the garlic, chilies, salt, and cumin together in a mortar with the pestle until a smooth paste is formed. Scrape the paste into a small heat resistant mixing bowl and set aside.
In a small saucepan heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until fairly hot and pour it over the garlic-chilies mixture. Allow this mixture to stand 10 minutes.
Whisk in the sour orange juice and the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside until ready to use. (Mojo tastes best when served within a couple of hours of making, but it will keep for several days in the refrigerator.)
To make the Scotch bonnet tartar salsa: Place the 3 egg yolks in the mixing bowl of an electric blender and beat until pale. Whisk in the vinegar and the pickling juice. In a steady stream, slowly add the olive and canola oils, mixing slowly until the oils are incorporated and an emulsion has been formed. Remove the mixture to a medium mixing bowl. Add the Scotch bonnet, sweet butter pickles, and red onion. Separate the white from the yolk of the hard-boiled egg. Pass the egg white through a fine sieve and add to the mixing bowl. Season to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To serve: In a small saucepan heat the mojo over medium heat until quite hot. While the mojo is warming, in a large frying pan heat the peanut oil over medium heat. Add the shrimp and cook until golden and cooked through, about 1 minute per side. Remove the shrimp to a plate lined with paper towels, and then arrange on the 4 serving plates.
Pour the mojo into a dipping bowl or pour it directly onto the plated shrimp. Spoon the Scotch bonnet tartar in small dots between the shrimp or into individual bowls on the side.
Note: Leftover mojo and tartar sauces can be stored in covered containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
