Recipe: Chipotle Shrimp and Blue Corn Waffles

The dishes at Kachina Southwestern Grill continuously impress. That’s as true for the Navajo fry bread tacos with achiote grilled chicken as it is with the Westminster, Colorado, restaurant’s blue corn waffles and chipotle-marinated shrimp with corn-poblano salsa. It’s evocative of an iconic soul food dish while undeniably Southwestern. Don’t get us wrong. We love us some chicken and waffles, but we have a regional streak — you know which one, right? — and humbly submit Kachina’s version as one of the West’s signature dishes.

Chipotle Shrimp and Blue Corn Waffles

(Serves 6)

Chipotle Butter

1 ounce chipotle in adobo, chopped
Zest of 1 lime
½ tablespoon lime juice
1 pound butter, softened
5 ounces roasted peppers, chopped
½ tablespoon garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons shallot, chopped
¼ cup white wine
1 jalapeño, chopped
½ tablespoon smoked salt
½ tablespoon chipotle powder
⅓ cup heavy cream

Corn and Poblano Salsa

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ears fresh sweet corn, grilled and kernels cut from cob
2 tablespoons yellow onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons red pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced
3 tablespoons poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Blue Corn Waffles

2 cups blue cornmeal
1 cup flour
4 ounces whole butter, melted
20 ounces milk
4 eggs
2 tablespoons baking powder
7 jalapeños, diced and seeded
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Salt, to taste

Shrimp

30 16/20 shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup heavy cream or chicken stock

For the chipotle butter: Place all ingredients in a food processor and combine well. Can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.

For the salsa: Heat large sauté pan to medium heat. Add oil and corn and cook for 1 minute. Add onion and continue to cook for another minute. Then add the red and poblano peppers and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add coriander and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat; add cilantro and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the shrimp: Mix shrimp, crushed red pepper, and olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

For the waffle batter: Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add jalapeños and cilantro. Mix well and season with salt.

To make shrimp and waffles: Put shrimp in a hot sauté pan, about 2 – 3 minutes each side. Add 2 cups of the corn salsa and heat through slightly, about 1 minute. Add cream or stock and bring to a simmer. Add ¾ cup chipotle butter and stir lightly with a spoon until the butter has incorporated into a sauce.

Preheat waffle iron. Spray waffle iron with vegetable spray and pour approximately ¾ cup of batter into the iron. When the waffle is finished cooking, top with the shrimp and sauce. Serve.

For more information on Kachina Southwestern Grill  in Westminster and in Denver, or to make reservations, visit kachinawestminster.com and kachinadenver.com.