This is not your standard taco night. There is smoke and fire throughout these tacos. Mezcal, fire-roasted tomatoes, pimenton and chipotle in adobo bring the smoky heat to counter a cool crema and juicy shrimp.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 30 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 small green chili pepper, Serrano or small jalapeno
- 1 ripe Haas avocado
- 1 lime
- 1/4 small red or white onion
- 1 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- A pinch of salt
- 1/2 small red or white onion
- 1 can (14 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 32 medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off
- 6 cloves garlic
- EVOO
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 scant teaspoon cumin seed, measure in your palm
- 1 teaspoon (1/3 palm full) pimenton or paprika
- 2 chipotle in adobo, plus a couple spoonfuls sauce
- About 1/4 cup mezcal
- A drizzle of honey, about a teaspoon
- Salt and pepper
- 1 lime
- Twelve 6-inch corn tortillas
- 1 head iceberg lettuce
- 1 lime, wedged
- Cilantro leaves
- Sliced pickled jalapenos, mild or hot
- Thinly sliced small radishes
- Crumbled cotija or queso fresco
- Sliced scallions
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients.
- For the crema: Seed and chop green chili. Halve and pit avocado. To a food processor or high power blender, add the juice of 1 lime, chili, scoop in the avocado, onion and crema or sour cream and process into a smooth sauce. Season with salt to taste.
- For the tacos: Finely chop onion. Place tomatoes in a strainer to drain. Pat shrimp dry. Peel garlic and thinly slice, grate or chop garlic.
- Heat a large cast-iron or wide, shallow skillet over medium-high heat with EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Melt butter into oil and when it foams add onion, garlic, cumin, paprika and chipotle in adobo. Swirl and toss a minute. Add tomatoes, cook a minute or 2 more, then add mezcal and a drizzle of honey — be mindful of a flare up. Swirl a minute more. Add the shrimp to the sauce, season with salt and pepper and cook, turning occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes. Add juice of lime, remove from heat.
- Char tortillas in a hot stainless pan over high heat or over open flame on gas burners. Blister the tortillas 20 to 30 seconds and stack in a cloth napkin or towel to keep warm.
- Serve shrimp in serving bowl with tortillas, crema, lettuce, lime wedges and toppings alongside.
- To build tacos: Slather or squirt sauce on tortilla, top with lettuce, shrimp — squirt on more lime juice of you like, cilantro, jalapenos, radishes, cheese and scallions.
Reviews
This was just as amazing as all the other reviewers noted. We added chopped Calabrian chilis to the jalapeños for added flavor. We also did not count the shrimp, so probably had more than the recipe calls for, but that’s a good thing! Can’t wait to serve this for company. Would make a great appetizer for a small party.
These were terrific…and simple! A special trip to the store for the Mezcal was so worth it. I did use the whole can of tomatoes and I thought it was fine. I did drain them super well. Sauce was the perfect companion to them.
Nice!
These were awesome. They had a lot of flavor and a fair amount of heat.
Absolutely fantastic awesome tacos
This has become a staple meal for my family! So easy and yummy!
As I took a bite of the taco there were tons of flavors going on in my mouth! Love the adobo smoky flavor, I would go lighter on the tomatoes though. Maybe use half a can instead of a whole can of tomatoes.
So flavorful! I’ve made lots of different shrimp taco recipes and this is by far the best. I love how fast it is too!
I have made these multiple times. I have also made this recipe with boneless skinless chicken thigh. All of it is delicious, and we are obsessed with the Guac crema in my household!
This was amazing and yes, it made a lot of sauce which I saved and used later when I made fish and then just used it on top. Added some bell peppers for color and fiber. Thanks to the other reviewers for the comments on the avocado cream, it is so good on anything!! Delicious, cannot wait to make this for company. Rachel, this is a winner!!