Julia has been harping for at least a month now about how “it’s time for some sun!” and “Spring is coming!” I may not know exactly when it’s time to throw on some bloomers or start wearing flip flops and tank tops full time again, but I do know that once it starts feeling like spring, its time to start eating like spring. And summer. That means grilling, that means cold snacks, that means salads, that means food that goes great with light beer…like tacos.
Now Mexican food is absolutely a year round thing but certain flavors added to classic Mexican dishes are undeniably fit for spring/summer. Shrimp (or whitefish) tacos with mango (or pineapple) salsa are two such flavors. What tastes more like a warm summer day than savory spicy tacos with some really bright citrusy salsa? Not much. So for this month’s recipe I’ve got a very simple, tasty recipe that goes great with beer and a little sunshine – chipotle shrimp tacos with mango salsa.
A couple points on the ingredients I use in this recipe.
- Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are delicious but potent and you should be careful when using them for the first time. For this recipe I used Embasa canned peppers and having cooked with them before I knew that I did not need much. Only after multiple episodes of Julia and I sweating and drinking milk in between painful bites of food did I learn what the right amount of Embasa was for us.
- Flour tortillas or corn tortillas? It is an age old debate between traditionalists and people who know that store-bought corn tortillas just do not taste great. I’m obviously in that second camp, but if you disagree feel free to use corn tortillas. To me flour just has that sexy chew.
- If you live near a Whole Foods, you likely have access to high quality fruit salsa year round; their mango and pineapple salsas come in pint containers and are absolutely worth their ~$6 price tag. If you do not live by a Whole Foods you have two options, you could make the salsa (advisable if you’ve got the time) or you could buy some. I’m a salsa snob but starting with the most tasty I’d go for the following brands: Frontera then Newman’s Own then Pace. But again, in lieu of buying fresh salsa you are really better off making the salsa on your own.
- You guys may notice that I do not list salt as an ingredient below and the truth is I rarely cook with salt, but with fresh seafood you do not need it. So don’t worry, if you follow my recipe you will not miss the NaCl.
This is another super simple recipe with delicious results. Fresh seafood really does not require a lot of work, you just have to recognize when it is cooked and immediately remove the protein from the heat. The result in this case is a very flavorful thick chipotle shrimp sauce that is spicy, savory, and a little briney. I finished these tacos off with a nice refreshing mango salsa, some avocado, a squirt of lime and a dash of Cholula. A tasty warm-weather dinner for two.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6 tacos | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 15 minutes |
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This is another super simple recipe with delicious results. Fresh seafood really does not require a lot of work, you just have to recognize when it is cooked and immediately remove the protein from the heat. The result in this case is a very flavorful thick chipotle shrimp sauce that is spicy, savory, and a little briney. I finished these tacos off with a nice refreshing mango salsa, some avocado, a squirt of lime and a dash of Cholula. A tasty warm-weather dinner for two.
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Ingredients
- 1 lb raw shrimp (unfrozen, shelled and de-veined) Do not remove the tails of the shrimp until after cooking. The tails will make the flavor of the sauce that much stronger.
- 3-7 ounces canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce For this recipe I only used 1 pepper from the can and about half the chipotle-adobo liquid, but the more peppers, the more fire.
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce Canned tomato sauce (Muir Glenn and 365 are great options) or your homemade sauce will do just the trick.
- 8 fl. ounces chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons Cumin
- 3 tablespoons dry chipotle pepper
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lug extra virgin olive oil
- 1 whole Avocado diced
- 1 pint mango salsa To use as topping. Pineapple salsa can also be substituted.
- 1 handful lettuce For garnish.
- 1 Lime Juice to be used as a little extra flavor at the very end.
- 4-6 tortillas I used flour tortillas but corn can obviously also work.
Servings: tacos
Instructions
- Make sure your shrimp are completely thawed and give them a quick rinse. Gently shake dry in a colander or pat dry with some paper towels. Do not remove the tails as they will add an extra layer of flavor. Place into a large mixing bowl and coat evenly in the dry seasoning (cumin, chipotle pepper, black pepper, and cinnamon).
- Heat a medium sized skillet coated in olive oil to medium heat. Add the shrimp. Cook the first side for about 3 minutes or until you start to see some color on the shrimp. Flip the shrimp and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and chicken stock. Coat evenly and cook on medium-high for another 2 minutes.
- Remove the shrimp and set aside. Increase the temp to high. Cook down until the sauce is thick. Taste the sauce, if it needs more spice you can add another chipotle pepper, more adobo sauce, or more dry chipotle pepper.
- Remove the shrimp tails and cut the shrimp into large chunks. I quartered my shrimp but smaller or larger pieces can also work.
- Add a handful of shrimp to each tortilla. Spoon the thickened chipotle sauce over top as needed.
- Dress with avocado, mango salsa, chopped lettuce, and lime. Dominate!
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