Holiday Dip Time

This week we are going to visit the delicious chapter of dips. All of us are familiar with the store-bought onion dip. It's actually not too bad, if you're really hungry, but it is very one-dimensional. Perhaps, next year, I’ll have an opportunity to publish a couple of onion dip recipes that would truly knock your socks off. However, today we will stick with Southern Shrimp Guacamole.

We eat a lot of shrimp in our house. It's very handy, easy to thaw quickly, low in fat and is friendly to a wide variety of spices and flavors. Shrimp goes well as a main dish, an appetizer, a side dish or in this case an avocado-based chip dip.

When buying shrimp the simplest to use are those that have already been shelled. However, I would recommend that you buy those that are already de-veined, but with the shell still on. Some of the flavor of the shrimp is lost when the shell is removed prior to freezing. By purchasing those that have been de-veined, but the shell still on, we are adding convenience and still retaining the flavor. Plus, if you need the shells to simmer in a recipe for sauce, you have them. But, simmering shrimp shells for sauce is for another column.

Southern Shrimp Guacamole

12 medium to large shrimp, shelled and de-veined
1 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt
pinch of ancho chili powder
5 ripe avocados
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup diced ripe tomatoes
1 medium red onion, very small dice
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Serrano peppers, seeded and minced
1 mango, peeled, seeded, small dice
tortilla chips for dipping

Preheat the broiler. Toss the shrimp with the olive oil salt and chili powder in a medium bowl. Broil shrimp for about two minutes on each side, until opaque in the center. These may also be sautéed in a large frying pan. When cool enough to handle, coarsely chop the shrimp into chunks about the size of a pea. Set aside.