Avocado Lime Shrimp Salsa

Avocado Lime Shrimp Salsa

Easy and very tasty are two good things in a great appetizer recipe and this one definitely has both attributes. I hadn't planned this as a recipe for the website but after I served it at a little birthday get-together with some friends I started getting phone calls asking for the recipe.

The combination of avocado, lime and shrimp works phenomenally well. I like to mash a little of the avocado in order to give some body to the salsa. Serve it on toasted crostini as a dinner appetizer or with tortilla chips for a terrific dip at parties. I like to use those scoop tortilla chips and add a serving spoon to the salsa bowl so that folks can spoon it onto the chips, which always works better and with less chance of landing salsa in your lap. This is bound to become one of your favorite healthy avocado recipes.

Coarsely chop

• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 small diced red pepper ( or any color sweet pepper)
• 1 avocado ( dice 3/4 of the avocado and mash the other 1/4 with a fork)
• 1/2 small diced red onion

Add

• 1 clove minced garlic
• finely grated zest of one lime
• juice of one lime
• 1 tbsp chili paste or hot sauce ( more or less to taste)
• 1/2 finely minced jalapeño pepper ( more or less to taste)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• season with salt and pepper

Toss together well.

Cover and refrigerate for an hour or so before serving, tossing the salsa in the bowl a few times.

About 10-15 minutes before serving add:

• 1 1/2 cups cooked, peeled and de-veined cocktail shrimp

Toss together well.

It's always a good idea to add the shrimp last so that they do not sit too long in lime juice. Sitting too long in citrus juice can cause them to release moisture and dry out.