An Inspired Cook

Recently I cleaned out the freezer, something I do every few month’s. You know how it goes when we add things to the freezer and some things get pushed to the back and forgotten. I found a bag of vacuum sealed shrimp that I had put up a couple month’s ago. Since it’s grilling season, I immediately thought shrimp tacos would taste mighty good, especially with some mango or pineapple salsa and crunchy cabbage. I went to the store to pick up some fruit and cabbage. I found ripe mangos but the pineapple would need a few days, so it’s mango salsa tonight. This meal is a simple way to have a colorful tasty meal with little effort. I love the taste of grilled shrimp with tropical fruit. And the finely chopped cabbage adds a bit of crunch which makes these tacos look and taste like they came off a food truck.

The first thing I do is assemble a mix of dried herbs and spices for the blackening seasoning. It includes sweet paprika, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne powder, white pepper, black pepper, thyme and oregano. You’ll only need a small portion but the rest will stay fresh if you place in a zip lock sealed bag or glass jar with a lid.

This is my favorite mango salsa recipe. Tap the link for the ingredients and instructions.

At the last moment I decided the cabbage needed something. . . so I added some Thai Chili sauce with a pinch of cayenne. It was just what it needed.

A little sweet heat adds to the crunch. Just make sure to add it right before you are ready to stuff the tacos. Cabbage is full of water and when you add any sauce the cabbage will start to release that liquid and become soggy over time. Adding the sauce just before you assemble the tacos avoids watery limp cabbage and keeps the crunch.

These shrimp were already prepped and ready to go, I just skewered them for the grill and added a drizzle of Infused Lime Olive Oil. The oil is good to sear the shrimp on the grill and gives the spices something to hold on to. I had 24 shrimp which will make 6 – 8 tacos.

Sprinkle the shrimp with the blackening seasoning on both sides. When the grill is hot, place the skewers of shrimp on the grill and close the lid. Let them grill for 3 – 4 minutes or until they turn pick underneath.

Turn the shrimp over to cook the other side an additional 3 minutes.

Pull them off the grill and it’s time to assemble these tacos.

I’ve got my cabbage and mango salsa ready to go. I warmed the tortillas over the gas burner of my stove. My sister taught me this easy way to warm tortillas and I love the way they taste and how easy they are to fold for tacos.

I started with a layer of cabbage, add 3 – 4 shrimp and topped with mango salsa. Spritz with lime juice and enjoy!

Blackened Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa

24 large Shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails removed
8 Corn or Flour Tortillas, heated
Olive Oil, I used Persian Lime Olive Oil to drizzle over shrimp
Lime Wedges for spritzing tacos

Blackening Seasoning, adapted from Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Blackening Seasoning

1 tablespoon Sweet Paprika
2 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Cayenne Powder
3/4 teaspoon White Pepper
3/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Thyme Leaves
1/2 teaspoon Oregano Leaves

Mix all blackening seasoning ingredients together. Store any unused spices in a glass jar or zip lock bag for up to 6 month’s.

Mango Salsa

1/2 Mango, peeled and diced
1 Roma Tomato, diced
2 tablespoons Red Onion, diced
2 tablespoons Cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 Jalapeno, seeded and diced
Spritz of Lime Juice
1 teaspoon Mango Balsamic Vinegar, optional

Combine all ingredients.  Refrigerate until needed.

Thai Chili Cabbage

2 cups shredded Cabbage, with or without carrots
3 tablespoons Thai Chili Sauce
Pinch of Cayenne

Mix the cabbage, Thai chili sauce and cayenne together in a small bowl. This should be mixed right before you assemble the tacos.

Heat grill to 400 degrees or higher. Skewer 24 large shrimp. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle each side with blackening seasoning. When the grill is hot, set the skewered shrimp on the grill for 3 – 4 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink underneath. Turn the skewer over to cook the shrimp an additional 3 minutes. Remove from grill.

Assemble tacos: Heat your tortillas, fry corn tortillas in a drizzle of olive oil, blotting with a paper towel in between each tortilla. Heat flour tortillas on top of a gas burner over an open flame. Turn often and when the air bubbles start to rise, remove from burner.
Fill each taco with cabbage, 3 – 4 grilled shrimp and top with mango salsa. Spritz lime juice over tacos and enjoy!

Makes 6 – 8 tacos