Side Stripe Shrimp Ceviche

Poached Side Stripe Shrimp Ceviche. Super sweet, tender, tasty, side stripe shrimp, why haven’t I met you sooner? Serve it alongside the shrimp ceviche with lots of tortilla chips. Watch out…because you know someone will go into the kitchen, dig up the bowl with the left over sauce and start scooping it up with the chips and then be shamed into sharing with everyone else. Another alert: that may well be you!

Super sweet, tender, tasty, side stripe shrimp, why haven’t I met you sooner? If I knew I had a steady supply of these babies, I’d be planning all sorts of experiments with them.

There isn’t much info on side stripe shrimp, and after a glass of wine, it isn’t even easy to say side stripe shrimp three times fast. Latin name: Pandalopis dispar. I have no idea how that is pronounced and shouldn’t there be an ‘e’ at the end of dispar? What’s up with those Latin guys…cheap with their vowels if you ask me.

The side stripe comes from the northern Pacific and are farmed off the BC Pacific Coast although they do turn up in small quantities in Oregon and Washington. Generally considered to be sustainable, but there is conflicting info.

Rant alert:  What is it with the fish conservancy groups?
Why do they make it so hard to figure out if something is ok or not? Yes to yellow fin tuna if it is pole caught. How am I supposed to know if the fish at the market is pole caught?? If you ask, you know the fish guy is going to tell you whatever you want to hear. Sorry for the rant, but if it takes me 45 minutes of trolling on the internet and I’m still confused, whats a normal person supposed to make of the situation?  (I’m thinking googling side stripe shrimp for over an hour makes me just a wee bit obsessed.)

With side stripe, the general lack of info  seems to stem from the fact that, because it is such a small harvest, there isn’t much info. The biggest problem seems to be damage done by bottom trawling. So you are on your own here; they seem generally OK and I’m going to run with that.   Rant over.

Poached Side Stripe Shrimp Ceviche  (adapted from this Williams Sonoma recipe)
 2 lb side stripe shrimp
1/2 cup of ketchup (yeah…ketchup…we had to go out and buy some!)
1 large shallot, minced
1/2 red onion, minced
Juice of 2 limes and 1/2 lemon
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 t salt
Chili pepper and hot sauce to taste
1 cup of white wine

Finishing Touch
1-2 ripe avocados
juice of 1/2 lemon and a few pinches of salt

Technically this is not a ceviche because the shrimp are cooked, oh so quickly and gently, they barely noticed they were being poached.

Peel the shrimp and discard the shells & roe. Or freeze the shells & roe and use for your next batch of fish stock.

In a blender, add the shallot, onion, garlic, chili pepper and whizzz until they are minced. Add the lemon juice, salt and ketchup. Taste. Add hot sauce to get the heat where you like it…remember the heat will intensify as the shrimp marinate. 

In a small saucepan, bring the wine to barely a simmer. One or two bubbles rising. Add the shrimp, stir, count 30 seconds and remove from the heat. Strain, but reserve the juice which will be the most amazing pink strawberry milkshake color. Freeze it for the next batch of fish stock or if you need a shrimpy flavor boost in another dish. I used it in the sablefish chowder. Excellent stuff.

Combine the shrimp and sauce and chill for at least 2 hours.

When it is time to serve the shrimp, dice the avocado and toss with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt.  Serve a mound of shrimp next to a few spoons of avocado.

Serve it alongside the shrimp ceviche with lots of tortilla chips. Watch out…because you know someone will go into the kitchen, dig up the bowl with the left over sauce and start scooping it up with the chips and then be shamed into sharing with everyone else. Another alert: that may well be you! (or Jim….)