Cactus Shrimp With Cactus Lime Butter Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Purée garlic with lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds.

Steps:

• Pulse tunas (cactus fruit) briefly in a food processor or blender; strain.
• Set aside 1 cup puréed tunas, and reserve remaining 1/4 cup for Cactus-Lime-Butter Sauce.
• Combine 1 cup tempura mix and the achiote paste in a blender or food processor, and pulse until smooth.
• Place mixture in a medium-size bowl, add 1 cup puréed tunas, and mix well.
• Chill.
• Dust shrimp with cornstarch.
• Dip each shrimp individually into tempura-tuna batter, and fry in hot oil (375°) until golden brown, frying only 3-4 at a time.
• Drain well.
• For the Cactus-Lime-Butter Sauce: Combine wine, cilantro, and shallot in a heavy 2 quart saucepan.
• Cook over medium heat until wine is almost gone.
• While the wine is reducing, zest the lime; set zest aside.
• Juice the lime; set juice aside.
• When the wine has reduced to almost nothing, add lime zest, lime juice, and heavy cream, stirring constantly with a whisk.
• Lower heat, and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
• Remove from heat for about 5 minutes.
• While the pot is still hot, slowly begin whisking in the butter, a tablespoon at a time, until smooth.
• Strain through a fine sieve.
• Keep sauce warm-if it becomes too cold or too hot, the sauce will separate, and you'll have to begin the process again.
• Fold in the remaining 1/4 cup cactus fruit purée.
• Yield: Enough sauce for Cactus Shrimp.

Steps:

• Pare the spines from the cactus; trim the base and around the edge. Dice into 3/4 x 1/4-inch pieces. Blanch in boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse thoroughly. Combine with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours or until cold. Serve cold with baked corn tortillas.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, sugar and salt. Place oil in a 10- or 12-inch skillet, and turn the heat to high. A minute later, add the garlic and chile flakes and cook the garlic until it just begins to brown. Immediately add the lime juice mixture all at once, and cook until it reduces by half, or even more, 3 to 5 minutes. There should be only about 1/4 cup of liquid in the skillet, and it should be syrupy.
• Add the shrimp, and cook over high heat. The shrimp will give off liquid of their own and begin to turn pink almost immediately. After about 2 minutes, stir contents of pan. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until all the shrimp are pink, about 4 minutes total. Taste, adjust seasoning, garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.