baja shrimp tacos
Monday, 28 April 2008
baja shrimp tacos
tori ritchie Tuesday Recipe
Once you’ve assembled the cabbage mixture, seasoned the shrimp, and set up the garnishes (which you can do in advance) this recipe takes minutes to put on the table.
makes 6 tacos
prep time: 15 minutes, plus standing time
cook time: 2 to 3 minutes
4 cups shredded green cabbage (about 1/2 head)
3 green onions, sliced (white and green parts)
1 juicy lime
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 pickled jalapeños, with juice from jar
salt
3/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled
1 tablespoon canola oil

6 corn tortillas, warmed (see note)
diced avocado (optional)
Salsa of choice, such as tomatillo or mango
Put cabbage and green onions in a medium bowl. Squeeze juice from half the lime into a small bowl. With a fork, whisk mayonnaise and mustard into lime juice. Mince pickled jalapeños and add to mixture along with 2 tablespoons of juice from jalapeño jar and stir well. Pour mixture over cabbage and toss well. Let stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes or refrigerate up to 1 hour, covered. Stir again before serving, seasoning to taste with salt.

Mix ancho powder, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add shrimp, juice from remaining half lime, and oil; mix to coat shrimp well. Let stand at room temperature for up to 15 minutes.

Brush a grill pan lightly with oil and place over medium-high heat. Put shrimp and any accumlated juices in pan and cook, turning as needed, until pink and slightly charred, 2 to 3 minutes. (If you don’t have a grill pan, cook shrimp and juices in a large frying pan.) Spoon shrimp into warm tortillas, top with cabbage mixture and garnish with avocado, if desired, and salsa. Serve extra cabbage mixture alongside as a salad.
To make this a complete meal: serve with avocado gazpacho with spicy croutons—and margaritas, of course.

Note: you can warm corn tortillas a few ways: wrapped in foil in the oven, microwaved for about a minute (separate with paper towels to soak up the steam), or best of all, flipped once or twice over a gas burner until just starting to char.