Grilled Achiote Shrimp

SoCal_Griller

Last weekend I got ahold of some great shrimp from Mexico.  I cooked them up two ways, one Al Mojo De Ajo, and the other Achiote.  My wife liked the Achiote so much, today she brought home a pound and a half of the same shrimp and "suggested" that I make them tonight .  We visit Puerto Vallarta Mexico a couple of times per year and find the shrimp down their absolutely amazing.  We rarely order shrimp in California since we have been spoiled by the sweet and succulent Mexican shrimp.  We found a local store that brings the Mexican shrimp in which were flash frozen on the boats and now we can enjoy our Mexican shrimp at home.  So here is the cook in pictures.  I must admit that this time they did not turn out as well as last weekend, the spices were good, but over powered the shrimp.

Ingredients:  Bitter Orange juice, Garlic, Achiote paste and some salt.

Shelled and deviened shrimp.

Shrimp marinating in the bitter orange

Garlic and salt in the mocaljete

Garlic and salt ground into a paste, with a little of the bitter orange

The finished product, the Garlic paste with the Achiote paste mixed together.

And finally, the shrimp coated with the paste and on the egg.

Village Idiot

I've had a box of Achiote in the pantry for about three years now.  I don't know how it tastes or how to use it.  Thanks.  I may give it a try now.  Why do you think you overpowered it on your last batch?  Too long a marinate in the OJ or too much paste on the shrimp?

jlsm

I didn't think achiote had much flavor. It's generally used in Caribbean pork roasts and chicken for color. 

Eggcelsior

jlsm said:

I didn't think achiote had much flavor. It's generally used in Caribbean pork roasts and chicken for color. 

There isn't much, just a slight smoky flavor. It's all about the color. 

For those that can't find achiote, look for annatto. 

SoCal_Griller

The shrimp had a nice citrus flavor to it, but not overpowering.  I think it may have been the 4 cloves of garlic that I then mixed the Achiote with that may have pushed the flavoring over the top.  Like I said, the ones I made last week were great, but I just winged the ratios.  

Achiote is a paste made from Annato seeds and spices.  Annato gives it the rich red color, the spices give it the flavor.  So I guess the amount of flavor provided by the paste is based on how rich the spices are that are used in the paste.  I have made the paste from scratch and the recipe that I use has allspice, cumin, oregano, peppercorns and of course the annato seeds.

Mickey

At what point did you take the shells off? The plated pic looks like no shell? The cooked pic looks like shell?

rustypotts

I've been using "ricado" or "ricardo" which I believe from a google search is the same thing.  I brought the stuff back from Belize.  It looks like a red "Play Dough" rolled into a hot dog shape.  I know a good Belizean cook and he uses it in half the stuff he cooks.  He always says it has no taste but I disagree.  I like the stuff.  I do a shrimp that is great. 

I basically do onions, bell peppers, and what ever else I have around with a little garlic and add the ricado with some water or broth.  The shrimp or the fish is sauteed in a skillet and then added to the mix.  It is excellent. 

The Belizeans do chicken the same way except the chicken is sauteed in a mixture of coconut oil and brown sugar before adding the chicken to the mix.

And you have to add hot sauce before you eat it!

SoCal_Griller

I shelled them before marinating. So no shell at all. Maybe leaving the shell on would be better?

Dyal_SC

Man, that looks incredible. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

SoCal_Griller said:

I shelled them before marinating. So no shell at all. Maybe leaving the shell on would be better?

a little less achiote paste next time. It can be gritty and a little overpowering when overdone. I love achiote but had to learn a little goes a long way (still learning)

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Village Idiot said:

I've had a box of Achiote in the pantry for about three years now.  I don't know how it tastes or how to use it.  Thanks.  I may give it a try now.  Why do you think you overpowered it on your last batch?  Too long a marinate in the OJ or too much paste on the shrimp?

mix it with some orange (sour orange if you can) and soy/ponzu/teriyaki  (any or all) and it makes an awesome fajita marinade base. Throw your other normal stuff in there (cumin, mexican oregano, chili powder, whatever)  and you are off to the races.  I rub a little on the meat and let it sit for 30 minutes then in the bath. It dyes the meat red and gives it a subtle earthy flavor. I use it a lot- I think you'll like it