Alejandra Schrader - Chef. FOX's MasterChef Top Finalist and fan-favorite. Health and sustainability advocate. Oxfam America's Sisters on the Planet Ambassador. Trained architect and urban planner. American by birth, Venezuelan by heritage.

Thanks to the Diabetes Hands Foundation for allowing to share my passion for food and healthy eating!

I am so happy to share this carb-free and glutten-free dish and I hope that you make it at home. This recipe is healthy, simple to make, and delicious!

Spiced shrimp with tomatillo sauce and jicama-mango salad

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 small tomatillos, husked, washed, and cut into ½” cubes
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• ½ cup avocado, cut in ½” cubes
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• Coarse sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• ½ cup (packed) flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ cup jicama, peeled and julienned
• 1 cup mango, peeled, seeded, and julienned
• ½ cup red bell peppers, finely julienned
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 20 units)
• ¼ tsp cumin seeds, ground
• ¼ tsp ancho chili, ground
• ¼ tsp fresh orange peel
• 4 leafs baby red lettuce

Preparation

Combine tomatillos, garlic, cilantro, avocado, and lime juice in a blender; season with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth, transfer to a container, and set aside.

Combine parsley and olive oil in a blender or small food processor; add ¼ tsp coarse sea salt. Blend or process until smooth, transfer to a container, and set aside.

In a large bowl combine jicama, mango, and red peppers. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

Set shrimp on a shallow bowl and pat-dry with paper towel. In a small bowl combine cumin, ancho chili, orange peel, salt and pepper with 2 tbsp olive oil; whisk well and pour over shrimp. Toss to coat and let stand for at least 10 minutes.

Heat 1 tbsp canola oil over high heat; sauté shrimp until it is pink and cooked all the way through, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from heat and set aside.

Plating

Spoon 1 – 2 tbsp of tomatillo sauce onto a plate, follow with ½ tsbp of parsley oil in the opposite direction. Place 1 red leaf on each plate and top with spoon jicama-mango slaw over it. Place 5 shrimp in a row and top with additional parsley oil. Drizzle with fresh lime juice and serve!

A little trick: Brine your shrimp for better results. It will help infuse your shrimp with a ‘sea-like’ flavor and give you a great texture! Brine shrimp for 30 to 60 minutes in a salty water solution.