Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Salsa Verde
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I’m not the world’s biggest seafood fan, but I’ve come a long way. Technically, I can say that I’ve “always” liked shrimp, but the shrimp I liked as a child was the popcorn variety – aka, lots of oil and breading, very little actual shrimp. These days, while I still don’t eat fish all that often, I always have a bag of frozen shrimp hanging around. It’s so great to have for quick, easy meals and it’s been used many times to whip up something on a night when we don’t have anything planned or when plans go awry. Tom would probably eat shrimp (or any type of seafood) on a daily basis, and Zachary is definitely following in his footsteps in that regard.
I must say, with all the things I’ve done with frozen shrimp over the years, I don’t believe I’ve ever made tacos. While fresh shrimp would be great here, frozen absolutely works, too. The sauce on these tacos is basically a standard tomatillo/verde sauce, but with the addition of avocado to make it creamier. It reminded me a lot of this sauce, especially since I added lime juice to it, so obviously it was a winner with all of us. I charred the vegetables in a cast iron skillet beforehand, like all of Rick Bayless’s salsa recipes seem to do, because I think it makes it taste better. Zachary finished his taco before I even got to sit down and start mine. Thankfully, asking for THREE helpings of a tomato/bean/corn salad thing we had on the side kept him sitting at the table while Tom and I finished our meal.
Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Salsa Verde
Adapted from Food Network
1 batch avocado salsa verde (recipe follows)
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. chipotle chili powder*
corn or flour tortillas
cilantro and lime wedges for serving
Toss the shrimp in a bowl along with the olive oil, chili powder, and salt to taste. Grill
*I didn’t have chipotle chili powder so I used a combination of a little chili powder, a little cumin, a little cayenne. Grill or pan-fry the shrimp until translucent, about 1.5 minutes per side.
Grill or warm the tortillas. Spoon salsa verde over the tortillas and top with shrimp and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Avocado Salsa Verde
1 small onion, quartered
1 jalapeño, quartered
1 clove garlic
4 medium tomatillos (8 oz.), peeled and cut in half
1/2 Hass avocado, cut into pieces
2 Tbsp. cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Place the onion, jalapeno, garlic, and tomatillos in the pan. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until nicely browned on the bottom, then flip and continue to cook until tender, a few more minutes. Alternatively, place everything on a broiler safe pan and broil until slightly charred and soft, or grill. Place everything into a food processor or blender. Add the avocado, cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
I was never that into seafood either and certainly was never into cooking it…it’s hard to do at home! But these tacos look great.
I love the sound of that salsa…so versatile! I can think of a ton of summer uses for it!
I also don’t eat fish and seafood very often but I do love a good “scoff.”
Our favorite type of taco hands down!!!
This whole meals looks fantastic. Wish that I had it for lunch!
Yum! These look amazing! When I saw this sauce, my first thought was the creamy green chile tomatillo sauce! ha! That is one of my favorite recipes you have ever posted, and I’ve made it several times. Loooove it! Can’t wait to make these! Thanks!
Great minds think alike. I was planning on having shrimp tacos for dinner tomorrow night! I just hope my little guy likes them as much as yours did. Mine is going through an anti-shrimp phase I think.
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