BelgiumSaladLunch

Tomate-Crevettes

Name: Tomate-Crevettes
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Belgium
Ingredients: 4 large ripe tomatoes; 300 g North Sea brown shrimp, or small cooked shrimp; 150 g mayonnaise; 1 tsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp fresh dill or chives, chopped; salt and black pepper, to taste; lettuce leaves, for serving; fries, to serve, optional

Ripe tomatoes filled with North Sea brown shrimp mixed with mayonnaise, a classic cold Belgian starter.

prep: 20 min
cook: 0 min
total: 20 min
serves: 4
level: easy

Tomate-crevettes is one of Belgium's simplest, most enduring starters: a ripe tomato hollowed out and filled with a mayonnaise-dressed brown shrimp salad.

It shows up on brasserie menus everywhere, barely changed, because the combination of sweet shrimp and ripe tomato genuinely needs nothing else.

Part of our 20 best Belgian recipes list.

method

Slice the top off each tomato, and scoop out the seeds and pulp with a spoon, keeping the shell intact. Turn the tomatoes upside down on paper towels to drain for 10 minutes.
Mix the shrimp gently with the mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill or chives, and a little salt and pepper, being careful not to break up the shrimp.
Season the inside of each tomato lightly with salt.
Spoon the shrimp mixture generously into each tomato, mounding it slightly above the rim.
Arrange on plates over lettuce leaves, and serve chilled, with fries alongside if you like.

chef's tips

Draining the hollowed tomatoes well before filling keeps the shrimp salad from turning watery on the plate.
North Sea brown shrimp are tiny and sweet compared to most other shrimp; if substituting, chop larger shrimp into smaller pieces for a similar texture.