Celebrating Cinco de Mayo is a common event in California no matter what your heritage. So even though I am Irish-Scott and French, I have always partaken in the Mexican celebration. Now that I am the step-mother to a son born of Mexican heritage, I have all the more reason to celebrate and honor Mexican heritage and pride.
Our Cinco de Mayo Menu is as follows:
Mini Chicken and Mango Tostadas
Shrimp and Crab Ceviche
Chopped Southwestern Salad
Mexican Seafood Saute with Avocado-Mango Salsa
Corn Tortillas
Grilled Corn with Citrus Butter
Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
Mexican Sodas
Margaritas
Mini Chicken and Mango Tostadas
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and peeled
24 large corn tortilla chips, for serving
DIRECTIONS:
- Combine the chicken, mango, red onions, jalapeno, and cilantro in a bowl.
- Add half the lime juice, olive oil, and salt to taste.
- Next, mash the avocados together with the remaining lime juice and salt to taste in another bowl.
- Top the tortilla chips with a dollop of mashed avocado and some chicken salad and serve.
Total Time: 20 min Prep: 20 min
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen
Shrimp and Crab Ceviche
Gavin’s Famous Margaritas and Jarritos for the kids.
Avocado and Mango Salsa. I added chopped cucumber (peeled and seeded) to give it a little crunch.
Mexican Seafood Sauté with Avocado-Mango Salsa
Salsa:
- 1 mango, peeled, pitted, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, diced
- 1 large shallot, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 jalapeño chile, seeded, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Seafood:
- 1/3 cup chopped shallots (about 2 medium)
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup tequila
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/3 cup plus 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 pounds uncooked jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined
- 1 pound sea scallops, side muscles removed
- 12 green onions, thinly sliced (white and pale green parts only; about 1 1/2 cups)
- Lime slices
DIRECTIONS:
For salsa:
- Mix all ingredients in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt.
- Cover and chill. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Keep chilled.
For seafood:
- Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl to blend.
- Gradually whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil. Season marinade to taste with salt and pepper.
- Place shrimp in large resealable plastic bag.
- Place scallops in another large resealable plastic bag.
- Pour marinade into bags, dividing equally (about 1/2 cup each). Seal bags; turn to coat.
- Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
- Drain shrimp and scallops; pour marinade into small saucepan.
- Bring marinade to boil; set aside.
- Pat scallops dry.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops to skillet and sauté until beginning to brown, about 11/2 minutes per side. Transfer to large bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to skillet.
- Add shrimp and green onions; sauté until shrimp are almost opaque in center, stirring often, about 3 minutes.
- Return scallops with any accumulated juices to skillet.
- Add boiled marinade. Simmer until seafood is just opaque in center and mixture is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Transfer to large shallow bowl. Garnish with lime slices. Serve with salsa.
Recipe courtesy of Bon Appétit | June 2009 by Jill Silverman Hough
Grilled Corn on the Cob with Citrus Butter
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (packed) finely grated orange peel
- 1 teaspoon (packed) finely grated lemon peel
- 1 teaspoon (packed) finely grated lime peel
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 6 ears of corn, husked
DIRECTIONS
- Combine first 4 ingredients in small bowl; mash to combine. Mix in butter.
- Preheat barbecue (medium heat). Spray corn with nonstick spray. Grill until browned in spots, turning often, about 15 minutes. Serve with citrus butter.
Grilled Corn with Citrus Butter
Recipe Courtesy of Bon Appétit | June 2006 – By Jill Silverman Hough
Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
Dessert is a couple of scoops of Haagen Dazs dulce de leche ice cream drizzled with a little chocolate sauce. For the adults, a shot of kahlua is added ~ Delicious!
Celebrating Cinco de Mayo with a delicious dinner!
Honoring my stepson and his Mexican heritage. Dominick’s birth mother traveled from Opopeo, Mexico to Northern California to earn money to buy a cow for her family. Discovering she was pregnant she gave birth in Santa Cruz where Dominick was adopted by his mother and father. I’m so happy to have him in my life!
