From: Chef/owner Adolfo Garcia, Rio Mar, New Orleans. Yield: 12 servings.
2 small red onions peeled and sliced thin
1½ cups red wine vinegar
1½ cups sugar
6 fresh ripe mangos (9 count)*
6 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
12 slices Serrano ham or Prosciutto
48 large (31/35 count) fresh Louisiana shrimp, peeled and deveined
12 garlic cloves, peeled
pinch of chili flakes
to taste, salt and freshly ground black pepper
as needed for finishing, extra virgin olive oil
To pickle onions, submerge slices in vinegar-sugar mixture with a generous pinch of salt for 30 minutes. Onions can be made ahead and refrigerated.
Peel mangos and cut cheeks away from the seed. (Cut remaining fruit away from seed and reserve for another use.) Heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil in nonstick pan. Season mango cheeks with salt and pepper. Add to heated pan and caramelize on each side. Remove and let cool.
Bake ham slices at 350°F on a silicone mat or nonstick sheet pan until crisp, approximately 10 minutes. Let cool.
Per order: Season 4 shrimp with salt and pepper and saute in a hot pan with 1 tsp. olive oil and 1 peeled garlic clove. Add a pinch of chili flakes and saute until done, 3 to 4 minutes on medium-high heat.
To assemble: Dice mango from one cheek and scatter on serving plate. Add pickled red onion randomly. Break up crisp ham into large pieces and add to the plate. Add shrimp, and then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle a bit of sea salt or coarse salt over all ingredients.
*A 9 count mango weighs about 18 oz. and yields approximately 11 oz. usable fruit. 1 cup ⅜" diced mango weighs 6.35 oz.
