2013 Food Challenge: Avocados

Avocados. The misunderstood fleshy, green, egg-shaped drupe.

Is it a fruit? Is it a vegetable? How do you peel it? How do you use it? How can you really tell when it is ripe?

To date, I have often had avocados in two forms: as an accompaniment or in the form of guacamole.

• In The Perfect Guacamole
• With Ms. Lovely Lox
• In an Ode to My Palate
• As part of a Lazy Tuna Tower
• When I made The Tostada -- Not a Greasy Napkin was Found
• With An Elaborate Sandwich
• When I realized Ghee Whizz! A New Taco Tradition
• As part of the 2013 Food Challenge: Edamame
• In the Seafood Conglomeration

But what to do for a challenge item?

I didn't want to make guacamole. I didn't want to make ice cream. I didn't want to batter it in panko and deep fry it. How else can you use avocado?

Turns out that in thinking about what I could do with the avocado I began thinking more about the food concept and food design.

I opted to make a deconstructed sushi roll, topped with avocado slices.

I baked the salmon with salt, butter and a splash of lemon juice, then cooked the shrimp in mirin. Cooking shrimp in mirin is actually one of my favorite preparations of the shellfish. I find that the mirin, as the sugar begins to burn off, gives this nice, semi-thick, semi-sweet richness that allows the shrimp to remain soft and slightly firm at the same time, and with a nice, full flavor.

I also made a sauce for topping: Chinese mustard, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and a bit of wasabi powder. I added a few capers and sauteed scallions (in soy sauce) in the end. What a treat! That turned out to be so, sooo yummy.

The always-fickle sushi rice came out a tiny bit too gummy but the rest of the meal was super delicious.