Tequila Lime Cilantro Shrimp Ceviche

© Chef LaLa

At one of our favorite little dive restaurants in Montebello (East L.A. adjacent ;) — my sisters and I love the Camarones Ahogados (drowned shrimp) — it is shrimp”cooked” in Lime juice, cilantro and and slices of Jalapenos — a ceviche of sorts. Ceviche is a dish that is cooked in acid, such as lemon and/or lime juice. If you use fresh shrimp, or other seafood, you should be fine. If you are even slightly concerned about freshness, you may be better off cooking them by a more traditional method.

I like to add ½ bottle of Chef LaLa Homemade Tequila Lime Marinade to 2 pounds of large raw shrimp, they are usually “cooked” (pink and opaque) in around 20–30 minutes.

Tomatillos and Steamed Clams

© Chef LaLa

Made with my Tomatillo - Jalapeño Green Sauce!

Tomatillos Steamed Clams Recipe

Ingredients

• ½ bottle (6 oz) Chef LaLa Homemade Tomatillo-Jalapeño Green Sauce
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup water
• 2 dozen little neck clams, scrubbed under cold water to remove any sand
• 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, minced

Method

1. Bring sauce, water and wine to a boil in a dutch oven or large pot.
2. Add clams and cover, lowering heat to medium high. 
3. Remove cover and stir every 30 seconds or so, removing any opened clams to a large bowl to prevent them from over cooking, until all clams are opened. (Discard any clams that do not open within 10 minutes)
4. Return all clams to pot to rewarm and coat with sauce for 1 minute. 
5. Serve immediately, sprinkled with parsley.

Serves 4

Oysters Cotija

© Chef LaLa

According to common wisdom, almost any kind of seafood could act as an aphrodisiac.  Lobster, crab and oysters or sole should work equally well as long as they are expensive.  Casanova is said to have been a firm believer in oysters, eating 50 of them raw every morning in the bath together with the lady he fancied at that moment.

Oysters Cotija Recipe

Nutritional Facts

• Calories, 60
• Fat, 3.7g
    Saturated, 2g
    monounsaturated, 1g
    polyunsaturated, .7g
• Protein, 2.5g
• Carbohydrates, 4g
    Dietary Fiber, .3g
• Cholesterol, 15mg
• Sodium, 134mg

*per serving

Ingredients

• 12 oysters, shucked and on the half shell
• 2 slices bacon, cut into 12 (1-inch) pieces
• ½ cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground árbol chiles or paprika
• 1 ounce cotija, Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, minced (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place shells with oysters on baking sheet. Top each oyster with 1 piece bacon. Bake 10 minutes or until bacon is crisp.
2. Meanwhile, combine bread crumbs, butter, garlic powder and ground chile in small bowl. Spoon mixture over oysters; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

Servings

Makes 12 appetizers.

Chef’s Note: Oysters are a well balanced food because they contain protein, carbohydrates, and lipids, and are a good source of vitamins A, B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), C (ascorbic acid) and D (calciferol). 4 or 5 oysters supply the recommended daily allowance of iron, copper, iodine, magnesium, calcium, zinc, manganese and phosphorus. Applewood bacon works well in this recipe.

This recipe and many others from Chef LaLa’s Chef LaLa presents Best-Loved Mexican