It seems like a hundred years since I lived in Lima, Peru. And although some of the memories of my years there have faded, my memories of the food have not. One of my favorites was (and is) palta rellena. Avocados stuffed with anything from ceviche to ham to tuna salad. I found this great variation on the classic over on Peru Delights, a wonderful site dedicate to all foods Peruvian. The avocado is smashed into a creamy guacamole, then topped with a mixture of shrimp, onion, tomato, and olives mixed with fresh lime juice. Drizzled with a fantastic sauce of aji amarillo, mayo and ketchup.
Aji amarillo has a fantastic fruity, spicy flavor. Not too hot, but not totally tame either. If you can’t find it just add a few squirts of Sriracha hot sauce instead. But for authentic palta rellena it’s worth going out of your way to get aji amarillo.
Also try my tropical shrimp salad.
Palta Rellena
Ingredients
For the guacamole
- 1 avocado
- Kosher salt freshly ground black pepper and lemon juice, to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
For the salad
- 1 cup salad shrimp cooked
- 2 tablespoons tomato chopped
- 2 tablespoons red onion minced
- 1 tablespoon black olives sliced
- Kosher salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- lemon juice to taste
For the drizzle
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons aji amarillo paste
- 1 teaspoon ketchup
For the garnish
- parsley chopped
Instructions
For the guacamole
- Mash together the avocado and salt, pepper and lemon juice.
- Spoon mixture onto plates, or into a small metal ring (I used a large round cookie cutter) and mash down to the bottom. Make a slight indentation into the middle for the salad.
For the salad
- Combine the shrimp, tomato, onion and olives.
- Season and add lemon juice to taste.
- Spoon onto avocado mixture.
For the drizzle
- Whisk together all ingredients and drizzle over the salads.
- Serve garnished with fresh chopped parsley.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
