Rick Stein's Mexican prawn cocktail with tomato, avocado and chipotle cóctel de camarón

Returning from his tour of Mexico with a little surprise for Holly and Phillip, Rick is in the kitchen to share his recipe for the perfect Christmas starter - prawn cocktail (with a bit of zing)!

Mexican prawn cocktail with tomato, avocado

It would be hard to wean any British person off prawn cocktail made with Marie Rose sauce (mayonnaise and tomato ketchup), but this is pretty special. Naturally it’s quite spicy and smoky from the chipotle chilli but, as is so often the case in Mexico, the creamy element that I crave is supplied by ripe avocados. This dish comes from a rugged seafood restaurant called El Camello in the town of Tulum.

Taken from Rick Stein The Road to Mexico

Serves: 4

Ingredients

370g medium prawns, cooked peeled and deveined2 avocados, stoned, peeled and diced, then tossed in lime juice to prevent browning2 tomatoes, choppedSmall handful of coriander, chopped1 little gem lettuce, shreddedLime wedges and Totopos to serve

For the sauce:

275ml tomato juice4 tbsp extra virgin olive oilJuice of 1 large lime2 cloves garlic, peeled½ red onion, roughly chopped2 tsp chilli sauce (Cholula, Tabasco or Huichol)1 tsp Worcestershire sauce2 heaped tbsp. Chipotles en adobo (see recipe below)¼ tsp salt8 turns of black peppermill

Method

To make the sauce, put the tomato juice, oil, lime juice, garlic, onion, chilli sauce, Worcestershire sauce and chipotles en adobe in a blender or food processor. Season with salt and pepper, then blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to assemble the dish.

When you’re ready to eat, mix the prawns with the sauce, diced avocado, tomatoes and three-quarters of the chopped coriander. Divide the shredded lettuce between 4 chilled cocktail or sundae glasses. Top with the prawn mixture, then sprinkle with the remaining coriander. Serve with lime wedges and the totopos on the side.

Chipotles en adobo

Taken from Rick Stein The Road to Mexico

Serves:Makes enough for a 370g jar

Ingredients

8 chipotle chillies3 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped1 medium onion, roughly chopped4 large cloves garlic, peeled and sliced60ml cider vinegar¾ tsp salt2 tsp brown sugar

Method

Wash the chillies, remove the hard stems, but leave the seeds in place. Put the chillies in a bowl with 150ml of just-boiled water and cover with cling film. Leave the chillies to soak for about 20 minutes.

Remove 3 of the soaked chipotles, leaving the rest in the water, and put them in a food processor or blender. Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, cider vinegar, salt, the soaking liquid and the sugar, then process to make a smooth paste.

Tip this paste into a pan and add the remaining whole soaked chipotles.

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the chipotles for about 1 hour. Check them every 20-30 minutes and add a little more boiling water if needed.

Leave to cool slightly, then pour into a sterilised glass jar. Cool completely and store in the fridge for up to a month.