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Roasted Tomatillo-Chayote Soup with Jumbo Shrimp

My inspiration for this recipe came from the 1/2 bushel of tomatillos I was given by a friend, and the cool fall like weather we have been having. My experiences with cooking tomatillos have been exclusively to make salsa verde, one of my favorites! I tell people who are unfamiliar with tomatillos, that they can cook them like if they were tomatoes, only green and slightly more tart. So for almost a week straight, I found myself adding tomatillos to new recipes and to the old stand by salsa recipes that I love so much. One thing I would like to learn this fall and winter is canning. I have a small kitchen and think it may be a bit challenging, but I won't let that stop me from trying something new. If you have not tried tomatillos, I suggest trying them out for making a salsa first, then add them to some of your favorite recipes that call for tomatoes... Have fun!!

Ingredients:
12 ounces jumbo shrimp, cleaned, peeled, leave tails on
3 large chayotes
5 large tomatillos
1 yellow bell pepper
1 poblano pepper
2 jalapenos
1 medium sweet onion
6 cloves garlic (leave skins on)
lemon pepper seasoning
Chile limon seasoning
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Cornstarch
Olive oil
Canola oil
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk (I used 1%), slightly warmed
1/2 cup cotija cheese, grated, optional

When shopping for chayotes, I try to make sure they have no dark spots or blemishes. Pick out the biggest tomatillos available for this recipe.

All ready to be roasted...

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Slice the chayotes in half, lengthwise,remove the pits. Chop 2 chayotes into chunks and the third chayote, slice thin lengthwise and season with lemon pepper, salt, and olive oil, set aside. Rough chop the bell pepper, poblano, jalapenos,onion, and tomatillos into big chunks. Transfer all of them, along with chayote chunks and garlic cloves to a baking sheet lined with foil. paper. Drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.

2. Roast the vegetables for 30 to 35 minutes, remove from oven and let cool. While the vegetables are roasting, season the shrimp with salt, pepper, and chile limon seasoning. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Heat a stove top grill pan to medium/high heat. Grill the thinly sliced chayote for a few minutes on each side, adding a touch more oil, if needed. Set aside.

3. Transfer the roasted veggies (remove skins from garlic), along with all the juices to the blender, add 2 cups of chicken broth and blend until smooth. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil to medium heat, add the soup from the blender. When it comes to a boil, reduce heat, add 1 more cup of chicken broth and milk. Cover and let it simmer, but not boil, for a good 15 to 20 minutes, taste for salt.

4. While soup is simmering, heat 3 cups of canola oil to medium/high heat in a heavy sauce pan. Remove shrimp from refrigerator and dredge in about 1 cup of cornstarch. When oil is hot, shake off excess cornstarch, and carefully drop about 5 pieces of shrimp into oil. Fry for 2 minutes, drain onto plate lined with paper towels. Fry remaining shrimp.

5. To serve, ladle 1 1/2 cups of soup into bowl, 1 tablespoon of cotija cheese (if using), a couple of slices of grilled chayote, and top with about 4 shrimp. Garnish with lime, and finely diced sweet and hot peppers. Yields 6 servings.

I absolutely love grilled chayotes! They stay nice and crisp and have a great fresh flavor. Look for a good quality lemon pepper seasoning that contains no salt.

A quick dredge in cornstarch creates a great, crispy shrimp when fried.

Other recipes by Sonia:

Mexican Red Rice
Buñuelos
Chile Relleno with Serrano Shrimp
Cheesy Chorizo Bread
Queso Fundido with Barbeque Shrimp
Annatto-Citrus Marinated Chicken
Chile Garlic Shrimp Kabobs
Avocado Fries
Chicken Enchilada Soup with Chayotes
Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Chip Chimichangas

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Tags: Chayotes, Shrimp, Soup, Tomatillos

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Comment by Sonia Mendez Garcia on October 1, 2012 at 7:59am: I wanted to add this picture of the way I like to enjoy this soup...Spicy!! Add your favorite hot sauce!!