What is Campechana? A chilled street food from Campeche, Mexico, which mixes shrimp and avocado in a cross between cocktail sauce and salsa. It’s a great favorite in my city of Houston, where it was first introduced in 1986 by local restaurateur Jim Goode at Goode Seafood Company. Since then, Campechana has become ubiquitous, available in restaurants all over the city, in many different versions.
It’s one of those craveable dishes. Once you’ve had it, you’re going to want it again 🙂 .
One note: in the version I made for the photographs, I wish I’d chopped the shrimp just a little more finely. It was a little too chunky. Additionally, part of my avocado was bad, and I didn’t end up with as much avocado as we typically have . . . all part of the grocery challenges in the time of coronavirus.
Despite those two issues, it was delicious! When I make it at home, we eat it as the main course. In most restaurants, it’s served as an appetizer — but it’s so good it’s often all I want.
Shrimp Campechana
- 3 Anaheim peppers, roasted, seeded, and chopped
- 1/2 Tbsp canola oil
- 1 lb. boiled shrimp, (chopped)
- 1 avocado, (chopped)
- 1 cup Clamato juice
- 1/2 cup Heinz Chili Sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbsp fresh oregano, (or 1 tsp dried oregano)
- 1 tsp jalapeno, (seeded and finely chopped)
- 1/2 cup tomatoes, (seeded and diced)
- 1/4 cup white or yellow onion, (diced)
- 1 tsp garlic, (minced)
- 1/4 cup cilantro, (chopped)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Preheat broiler in your oven to a high heat. Rub Anaheim peppers with canola oil, put on a cookie sheet, and place in oven under broiler. (I typically turn a timer on for 3 minutes and continue turning and cooking for another 3 minutes at a time until the skin is blackened. Depending on your oven and how close the peppers are to the heating element this may take 10 to 12 minutes.) Once blackened, set pepper aside until cool enough to peel and chop.
- While the peppers are roasting and cooling, do all of your chopping prep, EXCEPT the avocado. Chop: shrimp, onion, tomatoes, garlic, and cilantro.
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Then begin to prepare the sauce in a mixing bowl large enough to contain ALL of the ingredients.
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Put Clamato juice, Heinz Chili sauce, lime juice, oregano, chopped jalapeno, chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, and salt in to your bowl — and mix well.
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When the Anaheim peppers are cool, peel off the skin, gently scrape out seeds with a teaspoon, and chop.
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Add shrimp, Anaheim peppers, cilantro, and avocado to sauce. Gently mix with a spoon. Taste the mixture and adjust seasoning.
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Put in refrigerator for at least fifteen minutes to allow flavors to meld and develop.
Variations: Use 1/2 pound fresh crab meat and 1/2 pound of shrimp (this is actually my FAVORITE when I can get crab).
If you like things hotter, serve with additional chopped jalapenos on the side for folks to mix into their Campechana.
If you do not have Clamato juice you can sub (1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1/2 cup water, juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 tsp. worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp. celery seed). I’ve done this before, and it works.
When I make Campechana, I use already cooked cocktail shrimp from the grocery. If you are going to cook your own at home, this recipe will require more time to clean, cook, and chill the shrimp.
