Tangy Spicy Shrimp Tacos

21 Oct 2013 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Lunch, Main Dish Tags: ,

A few weeks ago I ate some shrimp tacos that I enjoyed immensely at a local restaurant. A pub. A pub that has some really darn good pub food that’s a little above the usual.  The tacos stood out to me on the menu because I wanted something a little lighter. And I admit-I was intrigued that they were even on the  menu-stuck in there between the fish and chips and the (really amazing sounding I’ll have one next time) cheeseburgers.  And the tacos were just right-a bit hot, a bit cool, a bit tangy, a bit warm and cold and they were the perfect size.  I thought about them for days. It’s funny where you find your favorite version of something isn’t it?

taco1

So after that I was on a mission. A mission to make them at home for a fast weeknight meal that is as delicious as it is easy to make. And here you have it. I know that the list of ingredients SEEMS long but it’s really not and I’d bet you have most of the ingredients on hand already. I broke the list up into which components they belong with so it’s a snap to put this together.  No kidding-30 minutes or less start to finish. Plus eating time of course 🙂

 taco2

Tangy Spicy Shrimp Tacos

Ingredients:

*Spicy Cream Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
  • 1/8 tsp chipotle chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp ancho chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • juice from 1/2 lime

*Dressing for Shrimp and Slaw:

  • 3 tbsp light mayonnaise
  • 1&1/2 tsp sriracha
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro

*Shrimp:

  • 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined.

*Slaw:

  • 1&1/2 cups packaged cole slaw mix (veggies only)
  • 2 tbsp diced red onion
  • 3 tbsp diced fresh mango
  • kosher salt

*Remaining Ingredients:

  • 4-5 small soft flour taco shells
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil
  • sliced avocado
  • thinly sliced red onion
  • freshly grated monterey jack cheese
  • fresh cilantro

Instructions:

  1. Put all ingredients for the Spicy Cream Sauce in a small bowl and stir until evenly combined. Set aside.
  2. Put all ingredients for the Dressing in the bowl of a small food processor and pulse until smooth.
  3. Place the shrimp in a bowl and add 2 tbsp of the Dressing. Stir to coat and set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl toss the cole slaw mix, mango, red onion and the remainder of the Dressing. Set aside.
  5. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, until opaque-about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a plate, chop into small bite-sized pieces.
  6. Microwave the soft tacos for about 15 seconds.  Put a bit of the Spicy Cream Sauce down the middle of the taco, then cheese, then shrimp, slaw and top with the avocado, onion and cilantro.  Fold the sides up and secure with a tooth pick. Repeat for each taco.
  7. Serve immediately.

Makes 4-5 small soft tacos.  Dressing for shrimp and slaw courtesy of foodnetwork. The rest and assembly is all mine.

Thai Red Curry Coconut Shrimp (over coconut jasmine rice)

19 Jun 2013 4 Comments

by sparksfromthekitchen in Lunch, Main Dish Tags: , , ,

Let me start by saying that, if given the chance, I’d eat panang chicken over coconut rice from my local Thai take out place every day for forever.  It’s just something that I really love-creamy, spicy, over slightly sweet super fragrant rice. It’s fantastic.

That being said anything that has the red curry and coconut combo like the panang chicken gets a fast pass to the front of my ‘to make’ list.  It’s just so tasty!   This is a great weeknight dish. It’s very tasty, only dirties one pan and is fast to make-maybe 15 minutes start to finish. Up or lower the amount of the red curry you put in to your own taste. I also added a few squirts of sriracha too.  I used 21/25 shrimp and they were just the right size. I found the original recipe on skinnytaste.com while trolling the net for some new recipes with shrimp. Here’s my adaptation. The rice is my recipe.

shrimp1

Thai Red Curry Coconut Shrimp (over coconut jasmine rice)

Ingredients for curry:

  • 1 tsp vegetable or canola oil
  • 4 scallions, chopped-whites and greens separated
  • 3 tbsp Thai Red Curry paste
  • 2 large garlic cloves, put through a press or finely diced
  • 1lb shrimp (21/25) peeled and deveined
  • coconut milk, light, 1 6oz can
  • 2 tsp fish sauce
  • sriracha if desired
  • 1 tsp fresh cilantro, ripped into small pieces
  • kosher salt to taste

Ingredients for rice:

  • 1 cup uncooked jasmine rice
  • 1.5 cups water
  • 2 tbsp light coconut milk (take out of the can for the curry)
  • unsweetened flaked coconut, cut into small pieces

Instructions for curry:

  1. In a large non-stick skillet heat the oil on medium/high heat. When hot add the white scallions and red curry paste and sautee for one minute or until the curry becomes very fragrant.
  2. Add the garlic and shrimp and cook about 3 minutes. Add salt if desired.
  3. Pour in the coconut milk amd fish sauce and stir to evenly combine and then simmer for about 3 minutes.
  4. Taste sauce and add more curry or sriracha if desired.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the cilantro and remaining scallions.
  6. Serve immediately over rice or plain.

Instructions for rice:

  1. Prepare the rice with water as per the package instructions on the stove.
  2. When cooking time is up add the coconut flakes and milk and stir.
  3. Serve.

I used the last of the cilantro that I’ve been growing for this recipe. Do you know that when cilantro has hit it’s end it flowers? Well I didn’t. The flowers are very pretty and very delicate. I looked all of this up online and found out that this is normal and when the flowers go away the seeds left are the coriander seeds. I knew that cilantro and coriander were from the same plant but it’s amazing to see it all going on right in my own flower pot.

cilantro

Shrimp Salad BLT Bites

10 Sep 2012 2 Comments

by sparksfromthekitchen in Appetizer Tags: ,

Recently a friend of mine had a very tasty appetizer at a party.  She wanted to recreate it using the Shrimp Salad from these. So we got together and tried a few different types of bacon (regular, turkey and thin and crispy turkey). The regular bacon worked best-the flavor was just right. The turkey and T&C just didn’t taste right. So after some experimenting-mixing the lettuce into the salad, different amounts of salad, different sizes of the piece of bacon underneath etc…-we finally arrived at a perfect little bite of BLT with shrimp salad. They’re just the right size to pick up with 2 fingers and eat in one bite.

Shrimp Salad BLT Bites

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp whole-grain mustard
  • 1/4 cup cornichons, chopped small, plus 1 Tbsp brine
  • Black pepper
  • 1/2 lb cooked, peeled and deveined large shrimp cut into very small pieces
  • 1&1/2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
  • 10 pieces bacon
  • a few leaves of green leaf lettuce (or any other lettuce that will lay flat)
  • 3 egg tomatoes (or any other that has the same circumference as the piece of bacon, each sliced very thin into 10 slices)

Instructions:

  1. Prepare bacon so that it’s crispy.  Set aside to cool.
  2.  In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, brine and season with pepper.
  3. Add the shrimp, cornichons and tarragon and toss to combine.
  4. Break pieces of bacon into 3 equal sized pieces.  On each place a slice of tomato, a small piece of lettuce (similar size to bacon and tomato) and top with a little less than 1 tbsp of shrimp salad. It helps to compact the salad into a tbsp before placing on top of the bacon.

Shrimp Salad Lettuce Wraps

06 Sep 2012 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Appetizer Tags:

A few weeks ago I made these.  Since I had to bring a few appetizers to my Mom’s for Labor Day weekend and because they were so delicious I thought ‘why not turn them into an app?’. So I did. I adjusted the original recipe’s amount to my taste and made less than the orginal recipe as we had other apps as well (like these puff pastry bites and pita chips with peperonata) and wrapped them in Boston Lettuce leaves. Delicious, light and pretty easy to put together.

Shrimp Salad Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

  • 1&1/2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp whole-grain mustard
  • 1/4 cup cornichons, chopped small, plus 1 Tbsp brine
  • Black pepper
  • 1/2  lb cooked, peeled and deveined large shrimp cut into half inch pieces
  • 1&1/2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
  • 1 head Boston Lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried.
  • Toothpicks for securing

Instructions:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, brine and season with pepper.
  2. Add the shrimp, cornichons and tarragon and toss to combine.
  3. Using the smaller leaves (not the white inner ones), lay the leaf flat and scoop a small amount of shrim mixture into one end of the leaf. Carefully roll up the leaf, trimming any excess, and secure with a toothpick.

Keep chilled, serve cold.

Shrimp Salad adapted from Woman’s Day, via christina.

Shrimp Rolls! YUMMY!!!

13 Aug 2012 4 Comments

by sparksfromthekitchen in Lunch, Main Dish Tags: , ,

 A super-delicious, cool, light, yummy sandwich!!

These are SO easy to make and even easier to eat! My husband and I both loved them. The cornichons (gerkins) add a nice bit of sweet/tangyness, the mustard adds just a bit of spice and depth. There is a very small amount of mayo to hold it all together-only 3 tbsp for 1 pound of shrimp. I served mine with chips and kosher dill pickle spears.

Creamy Shrimp Rolls 

Ingredients:

  • 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp whole-grain mustard
  • 1/4 cup cornichons, chopped, plus 1 Tbsp brine
  • Black pepper
  • 1 lb cooked, peeled and deveined large shrimp, coarsely chopped (I used fresh non-frozen)
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
  • 4 hot dog buns
  • 4 pieces romaine or green-leaf lettuce (I used boston lettuce instead)
  • Potato chips, for serving
  • Kosher Dill Pickle spears

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise mustard, brine and 1/4 tsp pepper.

2. Add the shrimp, cornichons and tarragon and toss to combine.

3. Line the buns with the lettuce and top with the shrimp mixture. Serve with chips, if desired.

Makes 4 sandwiches. Prep time: 10 minutes  Total time: 15 minutes

From: http://christinacooks.blogspot.com/2011/08/creamy-shrimp-rolls.html originally Woman’s Day