Spicy Shrimp with Pineapple Cilantro Salsa

Spicy Shrimp with Pineapple Cilantro Salsa

Monday, May 10, 2021

This dinner is satisfying two desires for me, one is shrimp (which I COULD eat fried every single day of my life) and tacos (which I could also eat every day of my life).  That being said, I can no longer eat fried foods as much as I could in my younger days, thanks EPI.  Regardless, this was a very tasty change to what I would call regular tacos, as I am always unsure how I feel about the sweet/salty combination, but it works here.  Not so much for kettle corn, which since I no longer have popcorn isn't a problem.

Using cabbage instead of lettuce has long been a great substitute as the cabbage will hold the crunch much longer than lettuce, which tends to get soggy in mere minutes.

 

We order our shrimp from Biloxi Shrimp Company, and have been since 2020.  Having moved away from the Gulf about 6-7 years ago, we stopped having access to all the shrimp that was for most of my life, at my fingertips.  During the time in South Carolina, I found a guy, who knew a guy, who travelled to the SC coast every few weeks and brought back shrimp, a mere 1.5 hour drive for me to get it.  East Coast Shrimp is NOT Gulf Coast shrimp, there is a distinct difference in flavor.  And if I am being honest, the SC shrimp was sometimes not as fresh as it could have been.  I remember when we moved to GA, and brought the shrimp from SC to the new house, after the freezer was in for about 24 hours, and the whole thing reeked of shrimp, so much so, that I double vacuum sealed the bags and had to clean the freezer one more time.  And if I am also being honest…I ended up discarding some of that shrimp because of the smell.  It wasn't like spoiled or anything, but had a very strong odor.  Since using Biloxi, I don't have that issue at all, and I don't have to take the time to freeze all those little shrimpies on sheet pans so they aren't in a large clump.

 

This recipe is inspired by me, and adapted from Carlsbad Cravings.  

Shrimp Tacos with Sweet Cilantro Slaw

Servings: 4

Prep time: 20

Cooktime:10

Ingredients

• 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp each - smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt
• 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
• 1/2 tbsp butter
• 4-6 corn tortillas, lightly fried or sprayed with olive oil and heated in sauté pan

 

• 1 cup fresh pineapple, diced small
• 1/4 cup red pepper, diced small
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• *Optional:  1 jalapeno, veins removed and finely diced (we used a coolapeno)
• *Optional:  1 cup of thinly sliced red or green cabbage

Instructions

1. Peel and de-vein, rinse the shrimp well and place into a small bowl.  Add the spices and toss to combine, setting aside while you prepare the pineapple salsa, or cover and refrigerate if you want to cut down on time by preparing earlier in the day.
2. Add the salsa ingredients to another small bowl, stirring and mixing well, adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.
3. To cook the shrimp,  use equal amounts of butter and olive oil (this prevents sputtering of the oil) over a medium heat, allowing the butter to completely melt and the pan to get up to temperature.  Place the shrimp in the pan and allow them to sear for 3-5 minutes, then flip and sear the other side.
4. To serve, take your warm tacos add your desired amount of shrimp and top with the salsa you prepared. Enjoy!
5. Notes:  This dinner goes well with some Mexican rice, and some sliced avocados on the side.  If you are feeling extra fancy, you could make some avocado crema to top with but we found it was unnecessary and competed with the rest of the taco flavors.

All photographs copyright Janet S. Grey.
#shrimp

By Krumpetina