Yucatan Shrimp
By: Anonymous
Published: Sunday, February 14, 2010 - 11:09am

Ingredients




pound jumbo shrimp peeled, deveined
ounce achiote paste - ( ½ block)
2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons olive oil
teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
Fresh lime wedges for serving

Preparation

1 Prepare the shrimp and place them in a gallon-size resealable plastic storage bag. Refrigerate. 2 Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, mashing the achiote with a fork at first to break it up, then whisking it in. Pour over the shrimp and combine well. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes, preferably a couple of hours. 3 Grill over a very hot grill, 3 to 4 minutes on each side until cooked through. Serve immedately with lime wedges. 4 This recipe yields 4 servings. 5 Comments: Achiote (ah-she-O-tay) is a paste that figures prominently in the cooking of the Yucatan Peninsula, where it is used as a marinade for meats. It comes in a small block that looks like Sculpey clay. I like it because the color is the orangey-red of a dramatic sunset and the flavor has the appealing characteristic of being very subtle yet very persistent and permeating. (It reminds me a little of iodine.) The principal ingredient is annatto seeds, which are used as a dye in butter and cheddar cheese. 6 I find that the flavor works well with shrimp and makes for a dramatic presentation. It is routinely combined with oranges - for good reason, as you'll see. I like the shrimp with only a squeeze of lime, some rice and black beans and a vinegary slaw. But you could easily serve a spicy dipping sauce or salsa with them.