Happy Cinco de Mayo! Troy has been begging me to make these tacos for months. Scratch that, more like years. When your boyfriend is still talking about a meal you made over two years ago, you’ve basically hit the culinary jackpot. I can’t decide whether I should be annoyed or impressed that some of my best recipes were invented before I went to culinary school. I was just farting around my enormous college kitchen without a care in the world.
Maybe that’s the problem. Back then it was just something fun to do with my unnecessary amount of free time. Now, dinner or dessert isn’t good unless it’s complicated or difficult to pronounce. But it ain’t true! A recipe doesn’t have to be difficult to be good, and that’s a fact. So thank you, Cinco de Mayo, for bringing tacos back into my life. I missed you, and I know you missed me, too.
- Marinade
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 shot tequila
- 2 cloves garlic
- cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp lime juice
- lime zest
- 2 T honey
- T tsp cilantro, chopped
- 1 T sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- Corn Pico de Gallo
- 3 ears of corn
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 3 roma tomatos, seeded and diced
- 2 tsp lime juice
- lime zest, optional
- salt, to taste
- 1 tsp cilantro, chopped
- Chipotle Lime Crema
- 2 T sour cream
- 2 T mayo
- 2 T milk
- 2 T non fat greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- ½ tsp peppers in adobo sauce (1 tsp or more for a spicier sauce)
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Condiments
- red cabbage, chiffonade
- avocado, sliced or cubed
- Flour tortillas
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, excluding the shrimp. Then add the shrimp, toss well and let rest for 30 minutes.
- To boil the corn, fill a pot about ⅔ full. Add about a cup of milk (optional) and bring to a boil. Add the corn and bring back to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 - 7 minutes. Using tongs, remove the corn from the pot and place on a paper towels to cool. When the corn is cool, remove the kernels with a sharp knife.
- When the corn has cooled completely, mix with the other remaining ingredients. When dicing the tomato, it should be roughly the same size as the corn kernels for a uniform pico.
- Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Add more milk for a thinner consistency if desired.
- Drain the shrimp from the marinade. In a nonstick pan over medium heat, melt a pat of butter and cook about 6 shrimp at a time (or more depending on the size of your pan and shrimp). Do not overcrowd the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the shrimp for about two minutes on each side or until the sugar has caramelized. Adjust your heat throughout the cooking process. You don't want to sugar to caramelize before the shrimp has had a chance to cook. Wipe your pan clean and use fresh butter before cooking more. Serve immediately.
Leave a Reply