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Food

Shrimp tacos big on flavor

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published May 31, 2006

Grilling can be a quick way to get a meal together if you've got the right recipe and ingredients.

Here's a recipe that takes only 30 minutes to make and doesn't let taste get overlooked in the rush to the table. Your speedy dish can still be mouthwatering enough to maintain the cook's credibility.

These grilled shrimp tacos are minimal work to prepare, maximum pleasure to eat. Diners can enjoy the combination of seasonings, the creamy texture, spiked with cumin, garlic and lime, tomatillo salsa (ready-made to save time) and shredded cabbage to give crunch.

The recipe is featured in Real Simple: Meals Made Easy (Real Simple Books, 2006, $24.95). The cookbook is a well-designed and illustrated collection of about 80 recipes, grouped according to their special advantages.

Tip from Real Simple's editors for this recipe: Skewer shrimp twice so they'll lie flat on the grill and won't spin when turned. First spear the shrimp through the tail, then bend the shrimp and spear it through the meatier portion.

Use wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes. The length of skewers available will vary, and there's no one right size. The editors don't specify how many shrimp go on each skewer because the number of shrimp in 1½ pounds may vary slightly. It doesn't matter because you're taking the shrimp and limes off the skewers and placing them onto tortillas. Just alternate lime wedges and shrimp, the editors say.

Grilled Shrimp Tacos

1/2 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 tablespoons milk

½ teaspoon ground cumin

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1½ pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 limes, quartered½ teaspoon kosher salt

8 6-inch corn tortillas

3 cups shredded green cabbage

1 14- to 16-ounce jar green (tomatillo) salsa

In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, milk and cumin; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the butter and the garlic.

Heat a grill or broiler. Rinse the shrimp and pat them dry with paper towels. Place the shrimp and lime wedges on the skewers. Brush the shrimp with the garlic butter. Grill or broil until the shrimp are cooked through and the limes are browned, about 3 minutes per side. Season the shrimp with the salt. Transfer to a plate. Grill or broil the tortillas until warmed, about 30 seconds per side. Place them between clean towels to keep warm. To serve, remove the shrimp from the skewers, divide them evenly among the tortillas, and top each with the cabbage, sour cream mixture and salsa. Serve the lime wedges on the side.

Makes 4 servings.

[Last modified May 30, 2006, 11:21:35]