Florida Sunshine Burger

Pairs well with:

Zinfandel

Bright and full-bodied, this Zinfandel wine is a curious contradiction in tastes.

Ingredients

Patties:
2 lbs Ground Sirloin
1 egg
1 10oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
the zest of 2 medium Florida oranges
Salt and
Black Pepper to taste (approximately half teaspoon of each)

Avocado Spread:
1 ripe Florida avocado (not Haas)
1-2 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice (from one of your zested oranges)
a splash of lime juice
pinch of salt

the remaining juice of one medium orange
6 large slices of ripe tomato
6 romaine lettuce leaves, rib removed
2 dozen large shrimp peeled and deveined

Marinade:
the zest of 1 medium Florida orange
the juice of 2 medium Florida oranges
1 Tbsp of lime juice

vegetable oil for the grill grate

6 large onion poppy seed buns

 

Instructions

Prepare patties by combining ground sirloin, egg, zest, spinach, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Divide the mixture into 6 portions and form patties. Chill patties in refrigerator or iced cooler for at least an hour and a half.

Start a medium fire in a charcoal grill.

About one hour after you begin chilling the patties, start shrimp marinating in the orange juice, lime juice and zest. Chill in refrigerator or cooler for 20-30 minutes.

Prepare avocado spread by mashing half of the peeled avocado and chopping the other half of the avocado. Combine both halves in a small bowl with the salt and orange juice (use enough to leave the mixture still spreadable and not runny.) Add the splash of lime juice over the top of the avocado mixture to help prevent browning. Cover with a layer of plastic wrap that actually touches the spread. Store in refrigerator or cooler.

When the patties are finished chilling, start grilling them on the oiled grill grate. Cook them to medium rare to medium (about 5-6 minutes on each side.) After flipping the burgers, place the shrimp on the grill to cook along side (you may need a special grilling pan to keep the shrimp from falling through the grate depending on the width of the grates.) The shrimp should be cooked until the tails turn pink and the meat becomes opaque. Flip the shrimp about half way though the cooking process (about 2 minutes on each side.) Toast buns on the cut side on the grill for about minute or until golden.

Remove burgers and shrimp when they are finished cooking. Remove and discard shrimp tails. Assemble burgers starting on the bottom bun with the lettuce and tomato then the patty. Sprinkle the patty with splash of the fresh orange juice. On the top bun spread on 1-2 tablespoons of the avocado spread and place on 4 shrimp. Place the top on the bottom and enjoy your burger.