Once upon a time, I was repulsed at the idea of seafood in a taco. I had the ridiculous notion that tacos should be filled with one of two things: beef or chicken. Fortunately, I came to my senses several years ago, partially thanks to one of my favorite restaurants in DC,
Ceiba.
Ceiba has this amazing happy hour menu with stuff like shrimp and crab nachos, ceviche, queso fundido, and pig-shaped molcajetes full of guacamole. Oh, and sangria. I can't forget the sangria. They also have the seafood tacos that officially sealed my conversion from a person who was wary of the concept, to a person who was in love with it. I haven't been there in quite some time since they are located across from the
10th Circle of Hell my old office, and I like to stay safely in my beautiful current building a full mile away.
P.S. Ceiba, if you're reading this, there's a crappy Au Bon Pain kitty-corner from my office. Please commandeer it, throw their nasty food away, and open another Ceiba location. You make DC a tastier place.
By the way, if Ceiba knows me, it's only as "often tipsy girl who frequently forgets to close her bar tab" so no, they did not make me write about my adoration for their food.
Anyway, back to seafood tacos. These don't really resemble Ceiba's tacos in any way, except for the fact that they both contain seafood, and they're both delicious. These have a good kick to them, and even this spice fiend had to take a swig of milk to cool my mouth. I try not to say this too often, because when I say it I want you guys to know I mean it: this is one of my favorite recipes on the blog. Out of 200+ recipes, this is top 10 material. Serve this with some tortilla chips and tomatillo salsa (which I'm aware looks like pickle relish in the photo), and you have a stupendously scrumptious meal for two.
Here's what you'll need:
For the Shrimp:
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
Salt and pepper
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, tails removed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
For the Chipotle-Lime Drizzle:
1 cup fat-free greek yogurt
2 chipotle peppers from a can of chipotles in adobo
3 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo
1 teaspoon lime juice
For the Fixin's:
1 ripe avocado, chopped
Purple cabbage, shredded (Tip: get it from the grocery store salad bar! Super easy.)
1 Jalapeno, sliced (remove the seeds if you like your food less spicy)
4 Small Flour tortillas, warmed
In
a small bowl, whisk together the flour and chipotle powder with a fork.
Season the mixture with salt and pepper, and set aside.
Rinse and dry shrimp. Place in a large bowl, and toss with the flour mixture until all of the shrimp is thoroughly coated. You might have a bit of flour mixture left over, which is a-okay.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the oil.
Cook the shrimp for 3-4 minutes, until cooked through and opaque.
While
your shrimp are cooking, place the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, and
lime juice in the bowl of a mini-food processor. Puree until smooth, and
fold mixture into the greek yogurt. Season to taste with salt.
As soon as your shrimp are done, remove from the heat and assemble your tacos. Serve immediately with chips and salsa!
Source: A Bitchin' Kitchen original
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