Ingredients[]
- 1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 scallions, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- salt
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels or thawed frozen corn kernels
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons annatto oil (recipe and directions below)
- 1 large red onion, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 plum tomatoes, peeled seeded and finely chopped
- 6 cups fish stock or chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
- cilantro leaves
- ΒΌ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Annatto oil[]
- 1 cup corn oil
- ΒΌ cup annatto seeds
Tangy corn salsa[]
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels or thawed frozen corn kernels
- 3 plum tomatoes, peeled seeded and finely chopped
- 2 scallions, minced
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
- 2Β½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions[]
Annatto oil[]
- In a small saucepan, combine corn oil and annatto seeds and bring to a simmer over low heat.
- Remove from the heat, cover and let cool.
- Strain the annatto-infused oil into a jar.
- Makes 1 cup.
Tangy corn salsa[]
- In a small saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the corn until just tender, about 3 minutes for fresh or 1 minute for frozen.
- Drain and let cool; pat dry.
- In a small bowl, toss the corn with the tomatoes, scallions, cilantro and lime juice.
- Season with salt and pepper and let stand at least 1 hour before serving.
- Makes about 1Β½ cups.
Chowder[]
- In a large, shallow glass or stainless-steel bowl, toss the shrimp with two-thirds of the minced garlic, the scallions, lime juice and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or for up to 3 hours.
- In a food processor, puree the corn with the milk.
- Pour the purΓ©e through a coarse strainer, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Heat the annatto oil in a large sauce-pan or enameled cast-iron casserole.
- Add the remaining garlic, onion, bell pepper and cumin and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes longer.
- Add the corn milk, stock, plantain, cilantro and cayenne and bring to a boil.
- Simmer over moderately low heat until very flavorful, about 20 minutes.
- Pour the soup through a coarse strainer.
- Working in batches, puree the vegetables in a blender.
- Return the puree and the strained broth to the saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Add the shrimp and its marinade and cook over moderate heat until the shrimp are just opaque throughout, about 2 minutes.
- Season with salt and serve in warmed soup plates or bowls with the tangy corn salsa.