Crispy, Spicy, Shrimp Tacos

You know how much I love shrimp. I have been trying for months to find myself the perfect shrimp taco recipe. Almost everyone has their own fish taco recipe these days, and though there is a chance to find shrimp tacos next to them on the same menu, it doesn’t happen very often. Of course I had to create one of my own. Didn’t turn out as easy as I had planned.

At first, my recipes were coming up too similar to others I had made, only that it ended up in a tortilla instead of over pasta or rice or quinoa. Then one day I had Chuck’s Day Off on the Cooking Channel playing in the background while I was working on a jewelry project. He made a battered popcorn shrimp drizzled in honey that had been kicked up with red chili flakes. Ooooo, me like! Forget the low fat part, a girl needs a treat every now and then, right?

So I started out with the battered shrimp with a spicy sweet flavor profile. I didn’t want to do the honey coating, since I planned on using coleslaw with the shrimp (that’s messy enough lol). What I did instead was put the seasoning in the flour for the batter. Remember when Emilie and I hit the Virginia Food and Wine Expo last July? I had picked up a bottle of a Maple Ginger Seasoning from Richmond, VA based Capsaicin Solutions. Oh, it was perfect! Sweetness from the maple sugar and spices galor! I chowed down on these tacos and they were gone in seconds. OK, that was a slight exaggeration, but you know what I mean. They were delicious in a salad for work the next day, too. I love multi-tasking food!

Ingredients

Crispy Shrimp

• 6oz peeled and deveined shrimp
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp Capsacian Solutions Maple Ginger Rub*
• 1 egg
• Enough canola or vegetable oil to fill a frying pan 1/4-1/2 an inch

Coleslaw

• 7oz coleslaw mix (typically half a bag)
• 1 tbsp Capsacian Solutions Maple Ginger Rub*
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yougurt or sour cream
• 1/2 tsp white balsamic vinegar**
• Optional: sugar if too tart\

4 Taco sized tortillas

Optional for toppings: diced mango, guacamole

*Available for purchase online, but you can also attempt to make your own spicy, sweet blend starting with maple sugar and chili powder and building from there to suit your taste

**You may substitute apple cider vinegar

Directions

Coleslaw

1. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Cover with
   plastic wrap and place in refridgerator until ready to assemble the tacos

Shrimp

1. Heat oil in frying pan to appx 375. It’ll be ready for frying when a 1″ cube of bread browns in the oil in about 60 seconds.
2. In a shallow bowl, add flour and Capsacian Soultions Maple Ginger Rub. Mix well.
3. In a small bowl, crack egg and beat.
4. Dip shrimp into egg and transfer to flour mixture.
5. Toss shrimp in the flour to coat well.
6. Carefully transfer shrimp to frying pan.
7. When browned, which will happen very fast, remove and set on a paper towel lined plate.

To Build Your Tacos

1. Take about a tablespoon or two of coleslaw and place down the center of each tortilla.
2. Place about 4 shrimp atop the coleslaw slightly off center so you can still fold the taco.
3. Top with desired toppings such as diced mango, guacamole, chopped cilantro, or a dollop of sour cream.

~Ruth