This is half a taco, served as an appetizer
I am a HUGE fan of the Mariscos Jalisco taco truck on Olympic just S. of Soto in Boyle Heights.
The only problem is... he isn't open at night! So... I decided to get bold and attempted to make my own version of his STELLAR crispy shrimp taco at a party in Glendale. Here's what I did...
I want to say this made about 10-12 tacos.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb. of very fresh medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined. You can buy at Whole Foods this way...
2 med Yukon Gold Potatoes (boiled until soft)
1 large white Onion (finely diced and sauteed)
1 Jalapeno (I actually used 2 but you can adjust for your own heat needs)
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
Saute your onions and chopped jalapeno in generous amounts of olive oil and salt until soft and golden. Don't undercook here but cook on a low light after the first 10 minutes so they continue to reduce and become almost sweet. Toward the end add the cilantro and 1-2 cloves of chopped garlic. You could add a few tablespoons of salsa to the mix at this point too if you like. I think I also added a pinch of cumin and corriander just for fun.
At the last minute, add your finely diced shrimp but literally only for like 2-3 minutes. You don't want the shrimp fully cooked at this point or worse yet OVERCOOKED. Just let them slightly turn color, sizzle for a minute and then turn off heat.
Rinse your hot steamy potatoes and remove the skin. Mash the potatoes into the onion/shrimp mixture. Mix until blended well.
For the corn TORTILLAS. Get something fresh. In a good heavy pan put about an 3/4 inch of Vegetable Oil. Not olive. It will smoke. Canola or Corn Oil is fine. Put the tortilla down in the med hot oil. Leave for about 30 seconds and flip. Spoon mixture onto half of tortilla and fold it over. Because you heated it first it won't crack at the fold line. Cook until brown and crunchy. You will have to flip once more. You will have to re-oil every other batch. Don't be alarmed. Overheated fried oil is good for you! (not really but it taste great so who cares)
For the topping you need to thinly slice pieces of avocado. I bought a nice med fresh Sanchez salsa at Whole Foods because I am FLOJA (lazy). Put the salsa in a bowl. Add the juice of one lime, pinch of salt and one cup of chopped white cabbage. Mix and let it get a little soggy. Can be done an hour ahead. You can add a pinch of vinegar too if you like.
Remove your golden taco, drain on a paper towel and then cover with the thin slices of avocado. Then add two generous spoonfuls of the cabbage salsa. This is meant to be eaten SIDEWAYS.
DELISH.
To be really CRAZY I even added a little shredded Monterrey Jack to some of them. It was good, cuz cheese is always good.
Also if you aren't crazy about potatoes you could probably get away with one large potato and 3/4 lb of shrimp. Just be gentle with those shrimp. They suck when they turn to rubber.
I am still missing something from the original. Probably a little fish, fish broth and something with tomato because Raul's filling is reddish. GRAN SECRETO!!!! But still worth trying at home.
The master of crispy shrimp tacos, Raul.
It was tasty, but it doesn't really work out too well: I would estimate 1/4-1/3 of all the filling escapes the tacos through the side edges and is wasted in the frying oil.
ReplyDeleteTry really pressing the tacos together, not putting too much filling and frying at a lower, slower temperature with slightly less oil!
DeleteHey Mark! I'm so glad you tried the recipe. Did you pre-heat your tortillas? The idea is to sort of squeeze the filling together and pat it in there. When you make the fold, don't push down too hard. If you flip gently it should stay inside. There is also a lot of salsa on the outside afterwards so you don't have to make them too full, maybe just 2 Tbl. The pressing effect is key. Let me know if that helps! Also oil hot but not crazy burn your skin sizzling. :)
ReplyDeleteHi, made these over the weekend and they were a big hit! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, just a note, to get it reddish or pinkish I mixed in some tomato sauce, I read somewhere else they used V8. It was delicious. Keep it going!
ReplyDeleteOr maybe even some Clamato which is the favored tomato juice in Mexico! Awesome you made these yay!!!!!!
DeleteAlso keep in mind these aren't to replace the amazing original!!!!!! I still worship this taco and it's wonderful creator. But maybe you live in the Midwest and this is your only way to get a taste.
ReplyDeleteMayo, Shrimp, tomatoes, red onion, serrano pepper, cilantro and flour, salt and pepper to taste, preheat tortilla, fill with mixture and fried. For the salsa, raw tomatoes, raw onions, serrano peppers, cilantro, salt and pepper blend with water add chopped cabbage and dried oregano.
ReplyDeleteI'm from San Juan de Los Lagos. This is the common recipe known by the locals. The original creators of the Shrimp Taco are Mariscos 4 Vientos and not the copycats Mariscos Jalisco.