Grilled Ceviche With Avocado Butter Food

GRILLED CEVICHE WITH AVOCADO BUTTER

Steps:

• If you use conch, cut off hard narrow end, and discard or grind it for conch cakes or chowder. Slice meat in thirds on the bias, and pound each piece flat between sheets of waxed paper with a meat mallet. For calamari, remove tentacles, and discard or reserve to deep-fry. Cut bodies in half lengthwise, and lightly score surface in crisscross pattern with sharp knife.
• In a medium bowl combine 1/4 cup lime juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, wine, half the onion, thyme and salt and pepper. Add conch or calamari. Marinate 30 minutes.
• Heat grill or stove-top grill pan. Grill conch or calamari about 20 seconds on each side, until lightly seared. Set aside on a plate, 20 to 30 minutes. Mince, and place in bowl with any juices from seafood.
• Add bell pepper, tomato, jalapeños, olives, scallions, cilantro and remaining red onion. Mix. Dish can be prepared up to this point, covered, and refrigerated.
• Lightly beat 1/4 cup lime juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil together, and add to seafood. Fold all ingredients together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside at room temperature until ready to serve, no more than 30 minutes.
• Halve and pit avocado. Remove flesh, chop, and place in food processor or blender with remaining tablespoon lime juice. Process until smooth, scraping sides of container from time to time. With machine running, drizzle in remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Scrape container, and process briefly until well blended. With food processor, mixture may look slightly separated: if so, transfer to a bowl, and beat vigorously with a small whisk about 30 seconds or until mixture is smooth. If you use a blender, you may have to scrape container more often, but mixture will emulsify better. Season to taste with salt. If not for immediate use, cover and refrigerate up to 1 hour. If mixture starts to separate, whisk again before serving.
• Place a lettuce leaf in each of 6 martini glasses or wine goblets. Spoon in conch or calamari mixture. Top each with dollop of avocado butter and serve.

AVOCADO SHRIMP CEVICHE-ESTILLO SARITA

Steps:

• Place the shrimp and lime juice into a large bowl, and stir to coat. Let stand for about 5 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque. The lime juice will cook them. Mix in the tomatoes, onion, and cilantro until coated with lime juice; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Remove from the refrigerator, and mix in the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, hot sauce, salt and pepper. We have our own hot sauce recipe, but you can use whatever hot sauce you like, or leave it out and let people add their own when serving.
• Serve in glass tumblers and top with avocado pieces. Set out extra Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, lime wedges and hot sauce for people to individualize their dish. Serve with saltine crackers.

GRILLED AVOCADOS

Steps:

• Stir together olive oil and lime juice. Brush avocados all over with olive oil mixture. Sprinkle cut sides of avocados with salt.
• For charcoal grill, grill avocado halves, cut side down, on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 5 minutes or until browned. Turn avocado halves, cut side up. Fill centers of avocado halves with the 1/4 cup picante sauce and shredded cheese. Cover grill and grill about 5 minutes more or until cheese begins to melt. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place avocado halves on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above).
• Remove avocados from grill. Sprinkle tops of avocado halves with snipped cilantro. If desired, serve on a bed of salad greens with additional picate sauce and sour cream.