All About Strawberries - two of our favorite Strawberry Recipes

Strawberries are the first fruit to arrive in the springtime and carry us through the summer in waves of ripening. Strawberries are juicy, sweet and tangy in equal measure. To celebrate the end of strawberry season, we wanted to share a couple of our favorite recipes with you. One is a classic: Strawberry Shortcakes and the other is a twist on a classic ceviche that uses the firm texture and vibrant flavor of strawberries to add a sweet and unique twist. 

CLASSIC STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE 

Makes 6 shortcakes 

 Ingredients: 

2 pints fresh strawberries, rinsed, stems removed

¼  cup sugar 

1 ½ cups AP Flour

½ cup cornmeal 

1 stick unsalted butter, cold + 2 tbsp butter melted 

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ cup sour cream 

½ tsp salt 

1 cup heavy cream 

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 425

Cut half of the strawberries in half and toss them with ½ cup of sugar. Set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, cornmeal, salt, ½ cup sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Cut the butter into ½” cubes and use a fork to mix it into the dry mix, pressing the pieces against the sides of the bowl to smash them. Once the butter is incorporated, add the yogurt. Mix the dough with a fork until it starts to come together. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and use your hand to press it into a square. Roll it with a rolling pin until it is about 1 ½” high and roughly rectangular. Cut it into 6 even pieces and place them on a buttered sheet tray. Brush the tops of each shortcake with melted butter and sprinkle it with sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until they start to turn gold around the edges. 

Once your shortcakes are done, cut the remaining strawberries into quarters and toss them with the sugar macerated ones. Whip your heavy cream until it has stiff peaks, whisk in the vanilla. Slice each warm shortcake open, top it with strawberries and whipped cream and enjoy immediately!

STRAWBERRY SNAPPER CEVICHE 

Makes a generous appetizer for 2

Ingredients: 

⅓ lb fresh snapper, bones removed 

½ pt ripe, firm strawberries

1 small red onion 

1 small bunch cilantro 

1 small jalapeno 

3 limes

1 clove garlic 

1 Tbsp olive oil 

Sea salt 

½ piece raw ginger 

Kosher salt 

Tortilla chips for eating!

To start, place your fish on a large plate and generously cover it in salt, almost burying it. Set a time for ten minutes. Meanwhile, dice your red onion and cut your strawberries into ½” cubes. In a blender combine lime juice, ½ cup of fresh cilantro, the jalapeno (remove the seeds if you do not like spicy food), 1 clove of garlic and the peeled ginger, blend until it forms a bright green paste. Taste for seasoning. When your timer goes off, rinse the fish well with cold water and pat it dry. Cut the fish into ½” cubes and toss it with the olive oil. When you are ready to serve, mix the fish, strawberries and onions with the fresh marinade and top with more freshly chopped cilantro. Allow the fish to sit in the marinade for about 2 minutes before eating. 

Fish can be salted, cut and oiled hours ahead of time.