Campechana and crackers.
One pleasant discovery made in Houston is the appetizer known as campechana. Some people may know this as a chilled Mexican seafood soup. I had never heard of it before moving to Houston, though undoubtedly it must be well known in some parts of the world. If you have never seen it or eaten it, campechana is like a cross between ceviche and gazspacho. Restaurants will charge an arm and leg for it, but it is cheap and easy to make a large batch for yourself. Before you make a large batch, you may want to ask yourself if you are willing to eat campechana for several meals in a row or if you are going to have the help of family and/or friends to consume it. If not, adjust the amount you make. Googling "campechana" will reveal many variations on the recipe, but don't feel as if you must follow any particular recipe slavishly. Campechana is one of those dishes that adapts well to your favorite ingredients and in whatever proportions you like. I am making a batch today and for the benefit of people wanting to make it themselves, I'll list the ingredients I use. Feel free to substitute or omit according to your tastes (especially if you have any shellfish allergies).
- Cherry tomatos (chopped into quarters)
- Chopped cilantro (use fresh, not dried)
- Chopped cucumber (thin slices quartered)
- Boiled, shelled, and de-veined shrimp (small to medium sized, about a half pound)
- Crab meat (or krab meat [but what would you do that to yourself?], about a half pound)
- Seafood cocktail sauce for flavor (the tomato-based kind with horseradish)
- Ketchup for flavor and color (doesn't take much)
- Minced garlic
- Juice of two limes
- Chopped onion (scallions are fine)
- Chopped jalapeño peppers (for some heat)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped avocado (add it just before serving, otherwise the avocado will turn dark brown and doesn't look very appetizing)
After mixing the first 11 ingredients together, the mixture can be covered and refrigerated and will be edible for a couple of days. Serve campechana with pita chips or some other sturdy chip. It is also good eaten as a cold soup and can be used almost anywhere you would use salsa (for example on scrambled eggs the next morning). We hope you enjoy it.