Barbecue Shrimp Taco With Mango-Pickled Red Onion Salad
1/2 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup peeled, deveined, diced shrimp
salt to taste
fresh cracked black pepper to taste
1 cup diced onions
1 cup mild barbecue sauce (bottled is fine)
1/2 cup grated jalapeño Jack cheese
12 flour tortillas, cooked and warm
Mango Pickled Red Onion Salad (recipe follows)
1/3 cup grated cotijo cheese or Mexican Farmer’s Cheese
1/3 cup toasted and coarsely ground green Mexican pumpkin seeds
4 fresh serrano chiles
4 sprigs fresh cilantro
Place oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add shrimp to hot pan and season with salt and pepper and sauté for one minute until shrimp turns red. Add onions and saute for two minutes or until translucent. Stir in barbecue sauce, bring to a boil and quickly remove pan from heat. Add cheese and stir to combine until cheese has melted into mixture.
Place a warm tortilla in the middle of each warm serving plate. Spoon equal portions of shrimp mixture into the middle of each tortilla. Roll each tortilla into a cylinder with the seam side down. Then add a small portion of Mango-Pickled Red Onion Salad on top of each taco. Sprinkle with cotijo and Mexican pumpkin seeds and garnish with fresh serrano chiles (to be eaten like a pickle for the adventurous) and sprigs of cilantro. Serves 4.
Mango Pickled Red Onion Salad
2 ripe mangos, peeled and cut into julienne
pickled red onion (recipe below)
3 cups of julienne green cabbage
1 cup small diced jicama
1/2 cup of toasted pecans
1/4 cup finely sliced fresh cilantro
Smoky Cumin Lime Vinaigrette (recipe below)
salt to taste
Place the first six ingredients into a medium bowl. Slowly add vinaigrette until salad is lightly coated. Season with salt and serve immediately.
Pickled Red Onion
1 red onion
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
pinch of salt
Peel onion. Cut in half and slice into very thin half-moon shapes. Put in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat vinegar and sugar (50/50) in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. When sugar dissolves, remove from heat. Add pinch of salt and pour over onion in container and cover with plastic. Put in the refrigerator and allow to stand overnight and pickle, approximately 8-12 hours. When cool, drain onions and use for salad.
Smoky Cumin Lime Vinaigrette
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 canola oil
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 small onion cut into small dice and cold smoked (optional) for 20 minutes
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 tablespoon of toasted whole cumin
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
salt to taste
Combine the first three ingredients into a medium-sized bowl. Add (smoked) onions, orange juice, cumin, vinegar, and maple syrup to a small saucepot and bring to a boil. Cook until mixture has reduced to almost dry, about 5 minutes. Place smoked onion mixture into blender and purée until smooth. Add to oil and lime-juice mixture. Season with salt and stir until completely blended.
