Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos

Shrimp marinated in tequila and lime juice atop a lightly grilled corn tortilla with toppings of your choice.

We all know that I prefer taco salad.  However sometimes I just want tacos.  Growing up I would always eat hard shell tacos but through out the years (probably from my time in Houston, TX) I became a fan of soft corn tortillas.  I don't care much for flour tortillas unless it's for quesadillas or burritos but tacos are my favorite (next to taco salad).

One thing I hate about the way many people make tacos is that they just microwave the corn tortillas to heat them.  Then when you fill them and try to eat them the tortilla tears and falls apart.  I think this is a big reason many people make soft tacos with flour tortillas.  My trick to fix this problem is a little more time consuming but makes a great tasting taco that holds together.  I lightly grill each tortilla on both sides.  To do this I either put them, one at a time, in a hot skillet or directly on the coils of an electric stove burner.  Then I heat each side, just using a fork to flip, until the tortilla bubbles slightly and has dark spots.  I hold the grilled tortillas stacked on a plate and covered with a towel until ready to serve.  I know that many people don't want to do this extra step but it really makes the difference the tortilla won't tear and it gives it a little more texture.  You may be able to grill more at once if you have a big grill pan or maybe even outside on the grill, though I haven't tried it.

Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos

Ingredients:

1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup tequilla
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
zest from 1 lime
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
Habanero flakes or hot sauce, to taste
toppings of your choice
*Avocado lime dressing

*Avocado Lime Dressing: In a blender puree 1/2 of an avocado, 1/2 cup cilantro, 1 shallot, 1 clove of garlic and the juice from 2 limes until smooth. Add enough water or milk to thin it to the desired consistency.

Mix together tequila, lime, shallot, garlic, and habanero flakes.  Pour the marinade mixture over shrimp in a zipper bag and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Dump the shrimp and marinade into a hot frying pan and cook at medium high heat until the shrimp are pink and the marinade reduces by half. If the shrimp is cooked before the marinade reduces pull the shrimp out of the pan and set aside until the marinade reduces then turn off the heat and toss the shrimp back in the thickened marinade.

Place the shrimp on grilled corn tortillas with toppings of your choice I used lettuce, sauteed peppers and onions, and cilantro.  Drizzle some avocado lime dressing on top and serve.

Makes about 6 tacos.

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Best of the Weekend, Show Stopper, Share it Sunday, Saturday Night Fever, See Ya In the Gumbo, Much Ado, Merry Monday,Two Cup, LouLou Girls, Tasty Tuesday, Teach Me Tuesday, Brag About It, Whimsy Wednesday, Wednesday Roundup, Full Plate, Eat Create Party, Freedom Friday, Pretty Pintastic, Food on Friday

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Clam Linguine

Clams cooked in white wine sauce then tossed with linguine.  A delicious dinner that may look fancy but is really quite simple.

Clams are one of the dishes that started my white wine sauce craze.  This is only my second time cooking clams and I love them.  Clams are easy to find in one of my favorite Chinatown markets.  They are right beside the shrimp and always look delicious.  The first time I cooked them I just had clams in white wine sauce that I served with crusty French bread, to dip in the sauce, and a vegetable.  This time I decided to do clam linguine.

The idea for clam linguine actually came from a book series I've read.  Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series.  It's a crime/mystery book series where Kay is a medical examiner.  Kay is one of few characters who actually likes to cook and in the few books, of this series, I've read; one of her quick go to recipes is clam linguine.  Kay uses bottled clam juice (maybe canned clams...I don't remember) making this a great meal to throw together when you have very little in the fridge.  My thinking was that if bottled clam juice makes good clam linguine real clams would be even better.  The sauce from my first clam recipe was delicious with bread so I figured it would be great with pasta too.

Clam Linguine

Ingredients:

12-14 clams
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp shallots, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 pound linguine
parmesan
salt and pepper
parsley, optional

Clean clams and have them ready to go.  Discard any broken clams or any that are open and do not shut when tapped. My goal was to have at least 5 clams per person sometimes you have to discard a few.

Start the pasta cooking in boiling water (I just used the package instructions I think it was 9-11 minutes).

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat in a large skillet (12 inch is the one I used).  When the butter melts add the garlic and shallots.  Stir and cook until soft and fragrant and add a little salt.

Pour in the wine and let it come to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and add the clams.  Cover and let steam for about 7 minutes or until the clams open.  Discard any clams that do not open.

The pasta should be done by now, drain it and add the pasta to the clams mixing well and remove from heat.  Add chopped parsley if using, cover and let sit for a few minutes to allow the pasta to absorb some of that delicious sauce.

Makes 2 servings.  Serve with Parmesan, I used shaved Parmesan but grated or shredded would be fine.  Crack fresh ground pepper on top if you like and enjoy.

Linked to:  Best of the Weekend, Show Stopper, Saturday Night Fever, See ya in the Gumbo, Much Ado, 2 Cup, LouLou Girls, Tasty Tuesday, Brag About It, Whimsy Wednesday, Wednesday Roundup, Full Plate, Eat Create Party, Freedom Friday


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