Shrimp Tacos with Chipolte Ranch Sauce

I'm not the biggest seafood fan in the world. In general, I like it best when the "fish" flavor is mild and it's breaded and fried.

Shrimp is a different story. As long as it's ultra fresh, I like it prepared almost any way.

For these tacos, I sauted the shrimp in olive oil with a little salt and pepper. That's it. The key was cooking them so they were firm but tender and burst in your mouth when bit into - that is the perfect texture for tacos!

The real flavor and seasoning for this dish is the chipolte ranch sauce that I made from scratch. I was heavy with the chipotle for it because I wanted it extra smoky with some good kick. The creamy base can really tame the kick, so more chipotle in adobo is required for extra zing.

I used corn tortillas which is not low carb, but I'm not really on a low-carb diet  — I'm just paying attention to my carb intake and trying to keep it as low as possible without being miserable. I'm not ready to throw away my corn tortillas. I'll limit my french-fry intake, but corn tortillas are off limits for now!

Honestly - I destroyed these tacos.

The bursting shrimp with the chipotle ranch sauce was mouth-watering. The onion and cilantro garnish added a real freshness to the bite. All of this wrapped in a lightly-fried corn tortilla made for some of the best homemade tacos I've had in a long time.

Try this if you are a shrimp taco fan.

Eat well, cook often ...

Chipotle Ranch Sauce
1 clove garlic
3/4 C sour cream
3/4 cup mayo
1 C buttermilk
1 pkg Ranch seasoning mix
1/4 C chipolte in adobo, minced

— With blade of a blender running, drop garlic clove in to mince. Add all other ingredients and blend 3 or 4 minutes. Stop blender and scrap down sides if needed during process. Pour into container and refrigerate 1 hour berfore serving.


Sauted Shrimp
1 lb of large raw shrimp, deveined, shell and tail removed

— In a little olive oil over medium high heat saute shrimp 1 min. to 1 min, 30 sec. per side or until just cooked through and translucent. Salt and pepper to taste.

Tacos
8 corn tortillas, street taco size
Sauted shirmp
Chipotle sauce
Finely diced onion and cilantro for garnish

— Cook tortillas through (microwave, griddle or lightly fry at 350°)


— Assemble tacos - layer shrimp, sauce, onion and cilantro — then devour!

Makes 8 street tacos, Serves 2

Note: The corn tortillas here are 19g of carbs for a serving of three.
(They are the small "Street Taco" tortillas made by Mission, that come made with either flour or corn)

Five Pepper Shrimp Tacos

Printable version

This is the second recipe on the blog that features the Smoky Five Pepper spice mix. This time I used it more like a seasoning rather than a rub. Being more judicious made it much more manageable as for as the heat goes. It adds a nice kick to the taco that is balanced by the pickled cabbage and a lime jalapeno tarter sauce.

I made it a point to keep each element simple. When it all came together I was impressed by the flavor and enjoyed 4 of these tacos myself. Later that night when I was putting together the graphic layout of the recipe I realized that all of these simple elements put together make for a pretty complex taco.

In the end, there are 17 different ingredients at work here.

That kind of blew me away, especially since I was making an effort to keep everything simple. It’s the accumulation of a few simple elements that makes this a pretty complex bite. I hope the simplicity comes through in the presentation, because if you’re just looking at the list of ingredients there is no way anyone would call it simple. That said - it's one of the best tacos I've eaten in a long time – a must try for any taco aficionado.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I have wined and complained numerous times on this blog about the seafood situation in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It’s hard to get any kind of consistent quality and most of the time it has been a "fishy" situation to say the least. I still think it sucks, but I have discovered one item that has shown some promise.

Frozen raw medium shrimp, deveined with no shell and tail removed.

Yes, the smaller frozen shrimp has a glimmer of hope. The colossal shrimp has been an expensive disaster, which you can read about here, But the variety that comes in the 50 to 60 a pound size has given me a glimmer of hope. The shrimp used in this recipe thawed easy, had no odor and tasted like shrimp should taste when cooked properly. It’s the first time in a long time that I have been impressed with the quality of seafood here in the land-locked Midwest.

It could be just a lucky grab off the shelf or maybe I have discovered a quality product. It will take a couple more samples but I actually have some hope for consistently good seafood. I’m crossing my fingers.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Makes 8 to 10 tacos; 45 minutes
THE RUB
3 Tbs Salt
2 Tbs Smoked paprika
2 Tbs Chipotle chili powder
1 Tbs Black pepper
1 Tbs White pepper
1 Tbs Garlic powder
1 Tbs Onion powder
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper

DRESSING
2 C Cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 C Cider vinegar
1/4 C Sugar

SAUCE
1/2 C Mayonnaise
1/4 C Lime juice
1/4 C Pickled jalapeño, diced
2 Tbs Cilantro, minced

FOR THE TACO
1 lb Raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail removed
16 to 20 Corn tortillas
Cilantro for garnish

Make rub
Mix together salt, smoked paprika, chipotle powder, black pepper, white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper.

Prep cabbage, make sauce
Mix together cabbage, vinegar and sugar, let mixture rest at least a half an hour before using. In another bowl mix together mayo, lime juice, jalapeno and cilantro refrigerate until ready to use.

Season, cook shrimp
Season both sides of shrimp’ let marinate 20 minutes. In a fry pan over medium high heat cook shrimp in batches in a little olive oil, 3 to 4 minutes or until opaque. Turn once during cooking.

Prepare tortillas, assemble tacos
Wrap tortillas in paper towel and heat on high in microwave for 1 minute. On two tortillas place 7 or 8 shrimp, drizzle with sauce, dress with cabbage and garnish with cilantro, then serve.

Shrimp in Pineapple Mustard Sauce

Printable version

Mustard has been around since ancient times. According to Food, by Alan Davidson, its cultivation was written about in the 5th century B.C. by the Greek scribe Herodotus. Also, a method for making a condiment very similar to the mustard we have today was recorded in the first century A.D. by a Roman writer named Columella. It's safe to say the pungent little sauce has been pleasing palettes for quite some time.

The making of Mustard as a condiment is somewhat of science experiment. When a mustard seed is crushed and combined with water, a chemical reaction occurs that creates the signature flavor. The reaction is stopped and the flavor is held with the introduction of acid, such as vinegar. The signature yellow color in the typical mustard found on a hot dog at a backyard barbecue is made from the addition of turmeric.

For this recipe, I make a sweet and spicy sauce made from pineapple juice and honey dijon mustard purchased at a local farmer’s market. The mustard has a spicy punch that is mellowed out by honey. I cut further into the spice with the pineapple juice. The two, combined with shallot and garlic, form a delicious coating for shrimp that is sautéd to perfection. The sweet and sour sauce provides a nice accent to the shrimp, which is then finished with a little cilantro for a subtle pop of extra flavor.

BEHIND THIS BITE

This is the first recipe I have made for the spring market at Salomon Farms here in Fort Wayne. The spring market opened last week and will happen each Monday for 10 weeks. There were many items to choose from but the homemade organic honey dijon mustard made by S&B in Auburn, Indiana caught my eye.

I took it home and developed this recipe to recreate and give out this week at the market. After this is gone I will roam around in search of another ingredient to feature in a dish for next week.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE

Serves 2; 20 minutes
1/4 C Shallot, minced
2 tsp Garlic, minced
1/4 C Pineapple juice
2 Tbs Honey dijon mustard
3/4 lb Shrimp, raw, deveined, tail & shell removed
1/4 C Cilantro, minced

Season shrimp, Start sauce
Season shrimp with salt and pepper to taste. In a sauté pan over medium heat cook shallot in a little olive oil until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste. Add garlic cook 1 minute more. Pour in pineapple juice and mustard bring to a simmer.

Cook shrimp, serve
Add shrimp, mix to coat with sauce. Cover and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp is cooked through and opaque. Stir once or twice during cooking. Remove and garnish with cilantro, then serve.