fried rock shrimp tacos... OMG

Sooo, I got home after work to put some pork chops in a brine before going to the gym, so we could make grilled pork chops smothered in tomatillo salsa. (Just in case you didn't know, if your pork chops smell like they are rotting and have a white film on them, you should throw them out.) This emergency prompted me to skip the gym and go straight to Whole Foods to find an appropriate substitute. I went in thinking shrimp tacos with tomatillo salsa. The rock shrimp looked pretty and pink, were pealed and deveined without tails, and wild caught, never frozen and from the US (all of my seafood criteria combined!). I loved them in the dish, because they were easily piled in and rolled into a taco, but feel free to substitute with larger shrimp, scallops or white fish.

These tacos were phenomenal, if I may say so, and Leland claimed them best dinner this summer. Dolce, in general, gets excited anytime we fry something, so he stayed under foot pretty much the whole time.

We topped them with a chipotle mayo, avocado and a "whatever was in the crisper" slaw and wrapped them up in warm homemade flour tortillas. This probably took an hour start to finish, and is something I will definitely make again.




Fried Rock Shrimp Tacos with Chipotle Mayonnaise and Crisp Cucumber Slaw

Serves 4
Prep Time: 1 hour (less with store bought tortillas)


Make the dough first, then all the toppings, fry the shrimp and last cook up the tortillas. If you have store bought tortillas you will still want to heat them up on a griddle or in the microwave.

Assemble each taco however you like! We piled on the shrimp, spread the avocado on the tortilla and topped with the slaw and chipotle sauce.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

I used this recipe from the foodnetwork.com, and they turned out perfectly. The full recipe would be the right about for 4 people. If you do not have or do not like shortening (or lard) you can find tortilla recipes that call for vegetable oil instead. I prefer the silky consistency that shortening gives.



Fried rock shrimp

1 lb rock shrimp cleaned, peeled and deveined
1 cup flour
salt pepper
frying oil (I prefer peanut, but you could use any veg oil)
deep pan

When you start the shrimp, put the pan on the stove with the oil about an inch thick and turn the heat on medium high.

Very simply, combine the flour salt and pepper in a shallow dish. You'll want to have to other plates or dishes standing by, one clean and one with a paper towel. Pick through the shrimp to make sure they are clean. Gently toss the shrimp in the flour mixture and transfer to the clean plate. Fry about a quarter of the shrimp at a time, until a deep golden brown (less than 3 minutes). If the oil doesn't cover the shrimp completely flip after they look golden on the bottom. Remove from the fryer and place on the paper towel. As the shrimp cool you'll cook or heat up your tortillas.

TOPPINGS

Chipotle Mayo

1 or 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, seeded and chopped fine
2 tsp adobo sauce
1 cup mayo
juice of one lime

I took advantage of the chipotle peppers left over from the corn chowder. Combine chipotles, adobo and mayo in a small bowl and whisk until combined. Whisk in the lime juice until the sauce is thinner, but not at all runny. Taste and adjust with more chipotle if desired.

Cucumber "Slaw"

1 cucumber
half a head of lettuce or cabbage, shredded (We had romaine, so I threw that in)
1/4 of a red onion, cut into thin strips
handful cilantro, chopped fine
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp salt

For the slaw you want each piece of cucumber, lettuce or onion to be about the same size. So for the cucumber in half and then cut in half again lengthwise, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and very thinly slice the cuke lengthwise into strips. The cucumber adds a really nice crunch and tangy flavor brought out by the salt and lime.

Toss everything together and set aside while you start the shrimp.

Avocado I also made an avocado puree with one avocado and juice from half a lime (to keep the bright green color) to spread on the tacos