Exotic Cuisine: Peruvian Causa with Fresh Water Shrimp Escabeche

Aside from travel, one of my passions is cooking and learning how to recreate local dishes I have tasted while abroad. Nothing is more gratifying than mastering a dish and sharing it with friends and family… but since I can’t share these heavenly tastes with you, I’ll share the recipes instead! And with that, for the first installment of our “Exotic Cuisine” series we’re introducing Aqua Expeditions Executive Chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino who focuses on fresh Peruvian fare.

Let’s take a look at his recipe for Causa with Fresh Water Shrimp Escabeche, from his new cookbook From the Kitchens of Aqua Expeditions. Causa is one of the most popular dishes along Peru’s coast. It’s so versatile and allows for many variations, both in the purée and in the fillings. In it’s basic form, it’s a mashed yellow potato dumpling mixed with lime, onion, chili and oil. This traditional dish is incredibly delicious and super easy to prepare… see for yourself!

Peruvian Causa with Fresh Water Shrimp Escabeche

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 small avocado
4 TBS mayonnaise
fresh hearts of palm stripes to decorate
sea salt

For the Causa:
1 pound small yellow potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup yellow chili pepper puree
4 TBS vegetable oil
3 TBS lime juice
Salt
Pepper

For the Escabeche:
4 fresh water shrimp, cleaned and deveined
2 c. red onion, sliced
1 oz sweet chili, sliced
2 sachaculantro leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBS sweet chili paste, lightly roasted
1 TSP cumin
1/2 TSP powdered tumeric
black pepper
1 leaf wild oregano
1 c. red wine vinegar
2 c. fish stock
4 TBS extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Preparation:

Escabeche
This recipe must be done a day before planning to serve.

In a frying pan, heat olive oil and saute shrimp. Season with salt and pepper. Cook shrimp until medium rare, remove from pan and place in a container with lid. In the same frying pan, saute the onion with sweet chili and sachaculantro. Season with salt and pepper and saute until onions are transluscent.

Remove everything from the frying pan except the oil, and add mix to the shrimp.

Continue using he same frying pan, and add more oil if necessary. Make a dressing with garlic, sweet chili paste, cumin, turmeric, black pepper and wild oregano. Season with salt. Add vinegar and fish stock and let it reduce to half. Check taste, add salt if necessary. Pour the hot sauce over the shrimp. Cover with led and let cool. Refrigerate once cold.

Causa
Cook the yellow potatoes in water with salt. Once the potatoes are cooked, force them through a fine potato ricer while hot.

Cover mashed potatoes with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying. Chill potatoes. When the potato mix is cold, season it with tellow chili puree, vegetable oil, lemon juice, and salt.

Mix well and knead until mixture becomes a uniform color. Refrigerate.

Assembly
To serve, place a quarter of the potato mix in the center of the plate and top with a piece of avocado. Season the avocado with salt and mayonnaise. Place the shrimp on top of the avocado and bathe with escabeche sauce. Finish with fresh hearts of palm strips and sea salt.

If you enjoyed this recipe and would like to learn more, take a look at Chef Schiaffino’s new cookbook, From the Kitchens of Aqua Expeditions, now available for purchase in the states on thetravelerscollection.com!

Enjoy!