Spatulas and Scapulas: Shrimp Tacos

Most of the times when I cook, I throw random things into a pot and hope for the best and, most of the times, it turns out okay. Sometimes, its a disaster and I try to make someone else eat it. Then there are those rare times, a miracle happens and all things come together for an amazing bite and I know I have something special. It happened once before with Cilantro Chicken and now, thankfully, I got lucky a second time.

This recipe is actually a collection of four recipes that come together in the tacos. I also added my recipes for tortilla chips, cause lets face it, you need something for all that guacamole.

Guacamole

3 Haas Avocados, pitted and peeled

1 Lime, juiced

5-6 sprigs of cilantro, washed and leaves plucked

1 small red onion, coarsely chopped

5 cloves of garlic

2 tsp cumin powder, freshly ground is better

Salt to taste

1. Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend. Now, normally, I am all about the chunky, hand mixed guacamole, but for this particular recipe, I like the creaminess of the food processor version. It's a good juxtaposition to the salsa.

Tomatillo Salsa

5 tomatillos, chopped

2 plum tomatoes, pulp removed and chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

5 sprigs of cilantro

Salt to taste

2. Combine all the ingredients together into a salsa. Add salt to taste. I really love the texture and flavor of the tomatillos in this recipe. They are readily available in most bodegas and even some mainstream grocery stores. They taste like a cross between a granny smith apple and a tomato. There's a crispness to them that I love.

Shrimp
2 pounds of shrimp, 26-30 count
2 tablespoons of garam masala
Cooking spray

I actually prefer the smaller sized shrimp as you get a good mouthful with each bite. As for the garam masala, this is the one of the few times I would HIGHLY recommended a particular brand. There's just something about this MTR garam masala that goes phenomenally with this taco.

3. Coat the shrimp with the garam masala and leave for 10 min. Can be done quicker if you are in a hurry.

4. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. I like to use cooking spray for a light even coat of oil. Fry shrimp evenly on both sides (about a minute on each side) or until there is a light char on both sides.

Tortillas
I personally prefer corn tortillas for this recipe and you can get them for very cheap at most bodegas and for a decent price and supermarkets. For the tacos, I like toast the tortillas in an skillet before serving so they are warm and a little crispy.