Our next stop, as we cruise through the Caribbean Islands on the International Cooking Tour, combines the flavors of Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Each have a Spanish influence to their food but there are as many versions of a recipe as there are families that make it. The similarities in their food styles are most meals include a meat, rice, beans and plantains made with their own special twist. And I’m going to put my special twist on the recipe too!
Cuban foods use a good amount of citrus in their recipes. Whether it be a marinade, salad or a dessert, you will probably see citrus in the ingredients. A Sofrito is usually the first thing to go into a pot or pan and establishes the flavor of that dish. Sofrito is a fragrant blend of herbs and spice and the flavor ranges from mild to spicy and in color from green to bright red. There are many versions of a sofrito but generally they contain tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, paprika and olive oil.
We’ll start with a refreshing, fruity salad and then layer on some spicy shrimp. A great combo of sweet, tart, spicy and salty! Love, Love, Love this dressing!!
Pineapple and Avocado Salad with Orange Avocado Dressing (Cuba) WOW! is what I said the first time I tasted the dressing for this salad! Make this salad and toss with rotisserie chicken instead of shrimp for a fast salad you would be thrilled to serve to company!
Combine olive oil, vinegar,orange juice, sugar and avocado in a blender and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to dress the salad.
TIP: Ripe pineapples are golden on the outside, not green. Peel, core and cube the pineapple. The core is tough and woody, so don’t be afraid to “give up” some of the pineapple. The core is not the juicy part you want to eat!
Prep all of your salad components so you will be ready to just dress the salad when the shrimp are done. Slice avocado for the last when you are putting the shrimp on the salad. This salad comes together very fast once all the mise en place is done! TIP: Squeeze a little juice from the pineapple, orange or lime on the avocado and the acid in the citrus will keep it from turning brown before you use it.
Puerto Rican Sofrito
Place onions and cubanelle peppers in food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
With the motor running, add the remaining ingredients one at a time though the feed tube and process until smooth. Season with salt to taste. Transfer to a container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze in ice cube trays and add to soups and stews later for amazing flavor!
Camarones (Shrimp) in Puerto Rican Sofrito
Heat the sofrito sauce in a skillet over medium heat.
When the sauce is hot, add the raw, tail on shrimp and stir into the sauce.
Cook the shrimp until they lose their translucency; about 3 minutes. Shrimp cook really fast which is why they are great for a fast weekday dinner. Remove pan from the heat while you toss the salad. No over cooked rubbery shrimp on our salad!
Place the lettuce, pineapple and red onions in a bowl and lightly dress with some of the dressing. Salad should be lightly coated but not drenched in dressing. This is salad not soup so no shrimp doing the backstroke in the dressing!
Garnish individual salads with shrimp and avocado slices. Leave enough sauce on each shrimp to coat the shrimp but it should not be a sauce on the salad. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime juice.
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 of an avocado
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- 4 cups Iceberg or Boston lettuce, shredded
- 1 cup fresh pineapple, cubed
- 1/4 cup sweet red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 2 limes
- - yield 2 cups -
- 1 medium Spanish onion, cut into chunks
- 2 cubanelle peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into chunks
- 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 large bunch of cilantro, washed and rough chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- 4 ajices dulces, diced (substitute 1/4 -1/2 habanero pepper depending on heat desired)
- 4 ripe plum tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and rough chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 lb shrimp
- 2/3 cup Puerto Rican Sofrito Sauce *
- Pineapple Avocado Salad: Combine olive oil, vinegar,orange juice, sugar and avocado in a blender and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to dress the salad.
- Peel, core and cube the pineapple. The core is tough and woody, so don't be afraid to "give up" some of the pineapple. The core is not the juicy part you want to eat!
- Prep all salad ingredients so you ready to just dress the salad when the shrimp are done.
- Puerto Rican Sofrito: Place onions and cubanelle peppers in food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
- With the motor running, add the remaining ingredients one at a time though the feed tube and process until smooth. Season with salt to taste.
- Transfer to a container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Shrimp in Sofrito Sauce: Heat the sofrito sauce in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp and stir into the sauce. Cook the shrimp until they lose their translucency; about 3 minutes.
- Place the lettuce, pineapple and red onions in a bowl and lightly dress with some of the dressing. Salad should be lightly coated but not drenched in dressing.
- Garnish individual salads with shrimp and avocado slices. Leave enough sauce on each shrimp to coat the shrimp but it should not be a sauce on the salad. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime juice.
- Ripe pineapples are golden on the outside, not green.
- Squeeze a little juice from the pineapple, orange or lime on the avocado and the acid in the citrus will keep it from turning brown before you use it.
- Sofrito can be frozen in ice cube trays to use later as a flavorful starter in soups and stews.
I love your website and the yummy recipes, but then I have to go make my own dinner, which consists of basic, but healthy, recipes. uh, salad. rice and steam broccoli. I need you as my personal chef.
Nancy – I’m so glad you enjoy the recipes! Once you get settled back into your own kitchen, you will create fun dishes again. I’ll show you some quick tricks for your “basic, but healthy recipes” too 🙂