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Grilled Shrimp with Black Bean Cakes and Coriander Sauce

Over the years, we have probably sold more of this dish than any other item on the Bayona menu. And it all started when I stole the idea for the black bean cakes from my friend Bruce Auden, who at the time was chef at Charlie’s 517 in Houston. (He’s now chef and owner of Biga on the Banks in San Antonio.) I have no idea what his original recipe was, but the idea of black beans (which I love) in the crispy-on-the-outside-creamy-on-the-inside package was just too good to resist! I adapted a Cuban black bean recipe, added some grilled shrimp and a double-coriander sauce (using both the seeds and leaves). I’m guessing I’ve served over 150,000 of these babies in the last twenty years. This dish will come together much more quickly if you prepare the black bean cakes the night or morning before you plan to serve them.

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