Shrimp Tempura Tacos

TGIF!  That's what I screamed when I woke up this morning.  Well, not literally, but just inside of my head.  But seriously.  Thank. Goodness. It's. Friday.

Definitely have a good weekend lined up.  It's the birthday weekend of a couple pharmacists I know, so we're going out for sushi tomorrow night.  Pretty amped about that because I could use a good meal of sushi right about now!

And I've decided to do something pretty cool here soon.  I've decided to kind of expand my "culinary abilities" and recreate dishes that I've had at restaurants.  I know... nothing new.  People do that all the time.  But I'm going to combine restaurant reviews and meals I've eaten and compare them to what I actually make at home.  Kind of like a side-by-side comparison of sorts.  Don't get it?  Well... the first post will be sometime in the next couple of weeks, and maybe it will be clearer then.

Anyway, this recipe was kind of an evolution of an idea really.  I had set out to make some shrimp ceviche, but then wanted tacos.  So shrimp ceviche tacos sounded pretty good.  Then I opened up the pantry and saw some tempura mix, and it was on.  Shrimp.  Tempura.  Tacos.  Oh yeah.

Oh, and don't forget this week's dessert poll at the end of the post!!


Ingredients:   

1 lb. frozen shrimp, defrosted
2 cups tempura batter
vegetable oil for frying
1 english cucumber, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
small handful cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
corn tortillas, warmed
shredded cheddar cheese, optional
rice and salsa, for serving

In a large bowl, combine shrimp and tempura batter.  (A lot of Asian markets cell tempura batter mix and it's pretty easy... mine was a "just add water" kind of thing and tastes pretty great)  And of course, you could always make up your own tempura mix, but I had the pre-made stuff handy, so that's what I used.  Let sit for about 3-5 minutes.

In a heavy, deep pan or pot, heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil.  You know it's hot enough when you add a little bit of the tempura batter and it sizzles.

Add shrimp and cook for about 1-2 minutes per side, or until the tempura is crispy and golden brown.

Transfer to a paper towel-lined bowl and sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper.


In a small bowl, combine the cucumber, tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper.  Mix well.

To assemble tacos, place a thin layer of shredded cheese on each tortilla, then add a few shrimp (about 3-4 per taco), and top with cucumber/tomato salsa.

We served the tacos with some rice (which I basically just cooked in the rice cooker and added about a 1/2-3/4 cup of salsa to and mixed).

This made for a great impromptu taco.  The flavors were fresh and I loved the contrast of the fried tempura shrimp and the delicate salsa.  Definitely a winner in my book!

Have a great weekend guys!


And for the poll this week, I'm feeling like I want to make some cheesecake... so here's some flavors (don't know if some of them actually exist... but hey... I will make it happen if it wins!)

BBQ Shrimp Tacos

Hello Monday!  How was everyone's weekend? 

Not too much went on over here.  Saturday I had to work for a few hours, but it wasn't too busy, so it wasn't too bad.  Sunday I woke up with sort of a sore throat (crossing my fingers I'm not getting sick!), so it was a lazy day.  Eagles didn't win (boo!), but the Colts didn't either (and their butt-whoopin' was a little more severe so that makes me happy! hehe). 

We put up our Christmas tree too, and I'll definitely share that with you guys tomorrow! 

Oh, and yeah, my cell phone decided to bite the dust on my Friday morning too.  So a whole entire weekend without a cell.  I felt like I was dying.  Not really, but definitely felt unconnected to the real world.  Funny how loss of technology does that to you, right?  Do you guys ever get that way?  Anyway, new phone arrived today... woohoo!  And now I just have to fool with it on how to work the dang thing and then I'll be set!

Most productive thing I did all weekend was make these awesome shrimp tacos.  Andy even said this is one of my best creations yet.  Well, I can't take all the credit... Food & Wine had a little something to do with it too!  But nonetheless... here we go!


Ingredients:
Adapted from Food & Wine's recipe

Pickled Red Onion Slaw

1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
salt, to taste
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup orange juice
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
juice from 1 lime
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into thin sticks
1 cup cabbage, thinly sliced
small handful of cilantro, chopped


Shrimp Tacos

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
about 10 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut into thirds
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup Pepperjack cheese, shredded
flour tortillas, warmed
roasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
1 thinly sliced seeded jalapeno (optional)


To prepare the pickled onion slaw, start by making your pickling liquid.  In a small saucepan, combine white wine vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil.  Stir mixture to dissolve sugar completely, then take off heat. 

Place red onion in a medium heat proof bowl and pour pickling liquid over top.  Quickly mix everything together so mixture coats the onions well.  Let cool for a few minutes then put into the fridge for at least 2 hours.  I left mine in for about 5 and they came out perfect.  The longer you let them sit, the better they come out.

In another saucepan, combine orange juice, white onion, maple syrup, malt vinegar, and cumin.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until mixture looks somewhat reduced.  Transfer mixture to a tall container and add vegetable oil and lime juice.  Using an immersion blender, puree mixture until it is smooth and then season with salt, to taste.

Drain red onion and transfer to a medium clean bowl.  Add mango, cabbage, cilantro, and half of the orange juice mixture.  Season with salt, to taste.  Set aside.

To make the tacos, heat a large skillet under medium high heat and add vegetable oil.  Add onions and cook until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add shrimp pieces and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until the shrimp is white throughout, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the barbecue sauce and coat shrimp well.  Simmer for about a minute or turn off the heat.  Stir in Pepperjack cheese until melted.

So assemble tacos, pile a good portion of the shrimp mixture onto a warm tortilla and top with red onion slaw.  Roll the taco up and top with roasted pumpkin seeds, jalapeno, and additional red onion slaw, if desired. 

You're definitely going to have to eat this one with a fork, but they are oh-so-good!  I almost wish I had doubled the recipe to churn out more tacos!  This made about 4, so if you're looking to feed a family, you could easily double the recipe for the tacos, but the slaw should remain the same (we had tons left over!).  The sweetness and tang of the slaw definitely complimented the savory barbecue and shrimp perfectly!  Hope you guys try this one out!  Enjoy guys!