Guess what’s coming back into vogue: jelly salads! They’ve taken a brisk uptick on upscale menus this past year but without the sweet and pickled flavours from days of yore. We’ve taken a bit of creative licence here and turned single-serve aspics into a Mexican Michelada Aspic. Tangy and refreshing, with just the right amount of kick, our aspic contains a whopping 17 g of protein!
What are coconut aminos?
A commercially prepared condiment at specialty grocery stores and natural health stores, coconut aminos contain far less sodium than soy sauce. This sauce is a healthy and flavourful substitute. If you choose to use soy sauce in place of coconut amino sauce for this recipe, add a generous pinch of brown sugar.
Mexican Michelada Tomato Aspic
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 envelopes unflavoured powdered gelatin, about 1 1/2 Tbsp (22 mL)
- 2 3/4 cups (650 mL) low-sodium tomato juice
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp (10 mL) coconut amino sauce or tamari
- 1 tsp (5 mL) hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) chili powder
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Suggested sides: grilled spicy prawns, dollops of plain Greek yogurt, asparagus spears, sliced avocado, hard-cooked quail eggs, cilantro, and lime wedges
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories39
- protein2 g
- total fat1 g
- sat. fat0 g
- total carbohydrates7 g
- sugars4 g
- fibre2 g
- sodium507 mg
Directions
01
In large bowl, combine lime juice with gelatin. Set aside for 5 minutes.
02
In medium saucepan, combine tomato juice with Worcestershire, coconut aminos, and hot sauce. Bring to a gentle boil for flavours to blend. Remove from heat. Add to bowl with lime juice and gelatin and stir to blend. Add another splash of hot sauce, to taste, if you wish. Refrigerate until cold but not set, about 1 hour.
03
Lightly oil 8 - 1/2 cup (125 mL) ramekins. When tomato mixture is cold but still liquid, place a cilantro leaf in bottom of each ramekin. Spoon or pour 1/3 cup (80 mL) tomato mixture into each ramekin. Refrigerate until fully set, about 2 hours.
04
To serve, unmould aspics onto salad plates and lightly dust each with chili powder. Serve with any number of sides, such as spicy grilled prawns and asparagus, avocado, hard-cooked quail eggs, and lime wedges, if you wish. Aspics can be refrigerated for up to 3 days before serving.
Irene McGuinness is a writer, recipe developer, food stylist for numerous magazines and corporations, and alumna of the Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University
