Tacos/

Shrimp Tacos with Crispy Garlic and Salsa Mexicana

This is our green chile version of the famous “chilied” shrimp taco at Masateno in Tijuana, BC. I like using green chile in the summer and pairing the filling with a fresh Salsa Mexicana.  It’s the perfect time of year to take advantage of fresh, homegrown tomatoes.
Servings: 3or 4, 6 large tacos
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Ingredients

  • 2 to 3fresh serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and cut into long slices
  • 2tablespoons butter
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1/2teaspoons fresh black pepper
  • 2/3cup chicken broth
  • 1pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • Salt
  • A little vegetable oil
  • 12 fresh corn tortillas
  • 4ounces (about 1 cup) shredded Mexican melting cheese (like Chihuahua, quesadilla, or asadero) or Monterey Jack
  • To make one cup or so of Salsa Mexicana:
  • 1small garlic clove, peeled
  • Fresh hot green chiles to taste I like 1 serranos or 1 small jalapeño), stemmed and halved
  • 1medium-large (about 1/2 pound totalround, red, ripe tomatoes
  • 1/4cup (loosely packed) roughly chopped cilantro
  • 1small green onion, roots and wilted outer leaves removed, chopped into small pieces
  • 2teaspoons fresh lime juice (or vinegar)
  • Salt

Instructions

Heat the butter in the skillet over medium heat, add the garlic and stir
for a minute. Stir in the chile strips, pepper and broth, raise the
temperature to medium-high and boil until the mixture has reduced to
just a few tablespoons and is noticeably thicker, about 8 minutes. Add
the shrimp and stir until the pieces are nearly cooked through, about 4
minutes (there should be just a hint of pink at the center). Remove
from the heat, taste and season with salt, usually 1/2 teaspoon.
Lightly oil the tortillas, lay them by pairs on a griddle or skillet
over medium heat, flipping to warm through. Top each pair with a
portion of the cheese and let melt, then top with a hefty amount of the
filling and serve.

To make Salsa Mexicana:
Drop the garlic and chile pieces one at a time into a running food
processor, letting each get finely chopped before adding the next. Turn
off the processor and remove the lid. Cut half of the tomato into
quarters and add it to food processor, along with the cilantro. Pulse 4
to 6 times until you have a coarse puree. Scrape the mixture into a
bowl.

Cut the other half of the tomato into ¼-inch pieces and add to the bowl
along with the green onion. Taste and season with lime juice (or
vinegar) and salt, usually a generous ½ teaspoon. This salsa is best if
eaten within an hour or two, but it will keep for a number of hours in
the refrigerator.

Comments

  1. There is a salsa recipe for shrimp tacos, I saw Rick make,
    that has peanuts and avocado. Can you send it to me.
    Thank you.

    1. Can you tell me which Season it was from? I may be able to help with a little bit more information.

  2. These tacos were amazing!!!! My family devoured them! I didn’t make any adjustments and they came out perfect. The only thing is that I made my own flour tortillas. Will definitely be making this again.

  3. I simply pulsed all ingredients for the salsa together to a chunky salsa sauce and it was delicious, could eat it all day with a shrimp on a taco. I did lay out lettuce also for my family.

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