Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked and mashed yuca
  • 1 Scotch Bonnet, stem and seeds discarded, minced
  • 2 to 3 cloves or peeled garlic, minced
  • Kosher salt and freshly toasted cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 12 very large, fresh shrimp (16 to 20 count)
  • 1 cup seasoned flour
  • 1 egg plus 3 tablespoons water, beaten together to make an egg wash
  • 2 cups panko, Japanese bread crumbs
  • Peanut oil, for frying
  • Scotch Bonnet Tartar Salsa, recipe follows
  • Slaw, recipe follows
  • Norman's "Mo. J", recipe follows
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoons champagne vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon pickling juice from the Scotch Bonnets
  • 1/2 cup virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons pickled Scotch Bonnets, recipe follows
  • 3 tablespoons sweet butter pickles, diced small
  • 2 tablespoons red onion, peeled and diced small
  • 1 hard cooked egg yolk, yolk sieved, white chopped small
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh hearts of palm, peeled and very thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup jicama, peeled and julienned
  • 1/4 red bell pepper, stem and seeds discarded, julienned
  • 1/4 yellow bell pepper, stem and seeds discarded, julienned
  • 1 Scotch Bonnet chile, stem and seeds discarded, minced
  • 1/2 small red onion, peeled and julienned
  • 3 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon, freshly toasted and ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Kosher salt, to taste

Method

  • Combine the mashed yuca with the Scotch Bonnet, garlic, salt and pepper and set aside.
  • Leave the tail on the shrimp, peel and de-vein.
  • Butterfly cut the shrimp.
  • Take about 3/4 of a tablespoon of the yuca mash per shrimp and stuff the cavity of the butterfly cut, packing it firmly into place.
  • Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
  • Dust the stuffed shrimp first in the flour, then the egg wash, and then the panko.
  • Repeat with remaining shrimp.
  • Set them all aside on a plate.
  • Heat a large heavy skillet with peanut oil until very hot (350 degrees).
  • When the oil is hot lay the shrimp in it and cook until golden and cooked through.
  • Remove them to a plate with an absorbent towel.
  • Spoon a small dollop of the Scotch Bonnet Tartar Salsa to go under each shrimp on the plates.
  • Lift some of the prepared Slaw onto the center of the plates.
  • Spoon or ladle some of the "Mo.
  • J."
  • directly onto each shrimp.
  • Put the egg yolks in an electric blender and beat until pale.
  • Whisk in the vinegar and the pickling juice.
  • Now add the olive and canola oil very slowly until it is all incorporated.
  • Remove the mixture to a bowl and add the pickled bonnets, sweet butter pickles and red onion.
  • Stir in the hard cooked egg.
  • Season to taste.
  • Reserve covered and refrigerated until desired.
  • Mix the hearts of palm, jicama, bell peppers, chile, onion, and scallion together in a large bowl and set aside.
  • In another bowl mix the olive oil, orange juice, coriander, sugar, black pepper, and salt together.
  • Pour over the slaw and mix well.
  • Norman's "Mo.
  • J.
  • ": 6 cloves raw, peeled and minced garlic 1 to 2 Scotch Bonnet chilies, stem and seeds discarded, minced 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons, whole and freshly toasted cumin seeds 1 cup pure olive oil 1/3 cup sour orange juice 2 teaspoons Spanish sherry vinegar Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
  • Mash the raw garlic, chiles, salt and cumin together in a mortar with the pestle until fairly smooth.
  • Scrape this into a bowl and set aside a moment.
  • Now heat the olive oil until fairly hot and pour it over the garlic/chile mixture and allow to stand 10 minutes.
  • Now whisk in the sour orange juice and the vinegar.
  • Season with the salt and pepper, to taste and set aside until ready to use.
  • Pickled Scotch Bonnets: 8 ounces whole Scotch Bonnet chiles, stem on and seeds intact 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon mustard seeds 1 tablespoon dill seeds 6 small bay leaves 1 cup apple cider vinegar 1 cup champagne vinegar 1 cup water
  • Make a small, thin slit in each Scotch Bonnet to aid the pickling process.
  • Place the chiles and garlic in a bowl and set aside.
  • Place the remaining ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
  • Pour the boiling mixture over the chiles and garlic, and weigh them down with a plate so they are completely submerged.
  • Let cool.
  • Transfer the chiles and the liquid to an airtight jar or container and keep refrigerated for up to a month.