I visited a seafood restaurant in Houston, Texas, and didn’t know that I would be on a quest afterward. You see I had never tried campechana, which is a combination of salsa and shrimp cocktail. This particular restaurant has a delicious campechana that includes crab and shrimp. The problem for me is that I was visiting Houston and live a great distance away. So I began my quest to find a recipe.
Not only is the campechana delicious at this restaurant, but they serve it in an ice cream sundae glass with loads of chips stacked around the bottom of the glass and a little bowl of jalapenos on the side. Since the presentation is eye-catching and they are ordered by a large majority of customers, you can’t miss seeing them on many tables.
I began searching for the recipe and it didn’t take long to discover that this restaurant’s version is quite famous and many national publications have featured this Goode Company Seafood recipe.
The first time I tried to make it, I used a sweet chili sauce instead of a hot sauce. That was a huge mistake and the campechana was too sweet and not at all like the version I loved.
The next time I tried making it, I used the correct chili sauce and it was delicious! I have included in the recipe notes on the hot chili sauce brand I used. If you can’t find it, just don’t use a chili sauce that says “sweet” on the label. It cannot be corrected with any amount of salt.
This campechana is a good way to get your veggies. It is loaded with them. But they don’t overpower because there is so much seafood in every bite.
This recipe makes a lot, so unless you have a lot of people over to help you eat it, you can cut the recipe in half.
If you have any leftover, this campechana will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. Just be mindful that seafood doesn’t have a long shelf life.
| Prep Time | 45 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Passive Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 1/2 cup Anaheim chili pepper or poblano pepper, roasted and peeled
- 1/4 cup sweet onion, diced
- 1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup pitted green olives, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon serrano (or jalapeno) pepper, chopped
- 1 avocado, peeled and chopped
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup sriracha hot chili sauce*
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 cup Clamato juice**
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 pound shrimp, boiled and peeled
- 1/2 pound pasteurized jumbo lump crab meat, cleaned***
Ingredients
Vegetable Ingredients
Sauce ingredients
Seafood Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to broiler setting and move oven rack 3-4 inches from broiler element.
- Cut Anaheim chili pepper in half lengthwise. Cut off and discard stem and pull out any ribs and discard.
- Remove seeds.
- Place cut side down on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or on a greased baking sheet.
- Broil until pepper is charred and blistered, approximately 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and place in bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
- Let sit for 20 minutes until cool.
- Peel off the charred skin from pepper.
- Place all vegetable ingredients except avocado in a mixing bowl. Stir to mix.
- Add all the sauce ingredients and stir well to mix.
- Stir in the shrimp and then gently fold in the crab meat and avocado.
- Serve with tortilla chips.
*Brand Huy Fong Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce was used in this recipe. It can be found with hot sauces and also on the Asian food aisle.ย Do not substitute sweet chili sauce in this recipe.
**Clamato brand is a tomato-clam cocktail made by Motts and is located in the juice aisle.
***If fresh lump crab meat is not available, I use Phillips Jumbo crab meat. It is found in the refrigerated area of the meat/seafood department in grocery stores. Be sure to check the crab meat and remove any cartilage before using it.
You can prepare most of this recipe a day ahead of time by roasting the Anaheim pepper and mixing together all ingredients except avocado, shrimp, and crab meat. Store in the refrigerator and then add the freshly chopped avocado and seafood just before serving.
Yield: 10-12 servings
This recipe was adapted from the Fork and Cork of Chron.com