I was so excited for our Night in Havana class because several years ago, I was visiting Puerto Vallarta and we went to an amazing Cuban restaurant. The memory of that meal has stayed with me for years so I asked Chef Deanna to create a menu that would put us in the middle of Cuba’s culinary traditions. And boy, did she!
This dish is the perfect light bite to start a meal. Great for parties or make it for dinner at home with some rice.
Ingredients
For the Sofrito
- 1 tablespoon MTOO Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil
- 2 yellow onions diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- 1 orange bell pepper diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
For the Shrimp
- 2 lbs shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon MTOO Sriracha Hot Chili Spice Blend
- 2 tablespoons MTOO California Garlic Olive Oil
- 1/2 recipe for sofrito
- 1 tablespoon MTOO Coconut Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 14oz can coconut milk
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Tostones
- 2 or 3 large green plantains peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 tsp MTOO Lime Fresco Salt
Instructions
Sofrito
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add onions and stir until softened but not browned. Add in peppers and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Split sofrito recipe. Reserve ½ for another use and use the other ½ for the shrimp recipe.
Shrimp
- Season the shrimp on both sides with the Sriracha hot chili. In a large sauté pan heat 1 tablespoon of the garlic oil and cook the shrimp for until just starting to pink and remove from pan immediately. Add the remaining oil, and quickly sauté the reserved sofrito.
- Deglaze the pan with the coconut balsamic. Slowly add in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer while stirring.
- Once simmering, add the shrimp back in and cook for another 5 minutes on medium-low until the shrimp are cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve over tostones.
Tostones
- Cut plantains into 1-inch chunks and remove the peel from each chunk. You can also peel the whole plantain by running a knife down each seam and working your finger between the peel and the fruit but I think that removing the small pieces from each chunk is easier.
- Heat oil on high in a heavy cast iron skillet or heavy fry pan. When oil is shimmering lower heat slightly to maintain about 350 degrees. Gently place the plantain chunks into the oil and fry about 1 ½ minutes per side until lightly golden. Remove them to a paper towel lined plate and then smash each plantain either with a tortilla press or between two paper bags until you have a round disc about ¼ inch think.
- Place each disc back in the hot oil and fry again on both sides until the plantains are golden brown. Remove from heat and sprinkle with lime fresco salt.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
