I just got back from a great vacation in the Outer Banks with my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews. We had a lot of fun, spent times by the pool, had some great local beer and craft beers and even got to try out a couple of new recipes along the way. One thing that we enjoyed during the trip was having Bloody Marys by the pool in the morning. If you like a Bloody Mary then you love the taste of tomato juice, spices and vodka over ice. We used a Bloody Mary mix called Zing Zang, which has some great flavor and a spicy kick to it that made the drinks fantastic. My brother and I got to thinking since the Zing Zang was so good, I bet it would taste great on some of the fresh local shrimp from one of the nearby fish stores. We headed down to Whalebone Seafood where we got a few pounds of fresh shrimp (and some great fresh clams as well) and then set about finding a recipe for the shrimp. We came upon this one from AllRecipes.com for Bloody Mary Shrimp and gave it a try.

Bloody Mary Shrimp

2 pounds cooked medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 (32 ounce) bottle bottled Bloody Mary mix (such as Zing Zang), or as needed

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 large sweet onion, finely chopped

1 cup finely chopped jicama

4 limes, juiced

1 avocado, peeled and chopped, or more to taste

In a large bowl, gently combine the shrimp, Bloody Mary mix, jalapeno pepper, onion, jicama, lime juice, and Worcestershire sauce until all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Cover and chill the mixture for at least 3 hours to allow flavors to blend (overnight is even better if you can). Gently stir in the avocado, then chill the mixture for 1 more hour before serving.

Man this is so simple and you get such great flavor from the dish. I have to admit, having super fresh shrimp really made this recipe standout for me, but I think it could be just as good with any cooked shrimp that you can get for yourself. The dish had great combinations of the sweetness of the shrimp with the spice of the Zing Zang and jalapeno and the addition of the lime juice was just perfect. We couldn’t find any jicama down where we were so we left it out, but I can see where it would add some really nice crunch to round out the dish. We served this as a side dish to go along with the steaks we were having that night but it would be great for any type of appetizer before a meal or as the main dish for your dinner when you want a cold meal. I could see serving this with just a side salad and some crusty bread and you are good to go. You could really spice things up and add a little vodka to the dish as well to get the full Bloody Mary experience, though we left it out since the kids were having some too. Overall it was a great dish to make.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!