Shrimp tacos are fantastic!
Our local HEB Supermarket has a very friendly guy in the seafood department who volunteered a suggestion on preparation that I thought was a little unconventional – frying the shrimp in bacon fat! I was going to use cooking oil or olive oil, but he assured me that all the local restaurants used bacon grease. I have no idea if that is correct, and various food blogs contain wildly different opinions about it; some contributors say it enhanced the flavor and others say it detracted from the shrimp flavor. I tried it, and thought it was great – but you have a choice here.
In the Rio Grande Valley we have easy access to Texas Gulf Shrimp – highly recommended over imported shrimp.
- Yield: 6 tacos
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
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By Randy Hoelscher January 26, 2016
This could easily become your favorite taco. Simple to make and very good. Prior to this recipe I always thought that tacos should be made with beef, pork, or chicken. Then I remembered a gathering we were at in Alaska where we were volunteering. One staffer at the visitor center made Halibut Tacos, and the were fantastic! So I decided to come up with a recipe for Shrimp Tacos.
Here is an overview of the recipe. Shrimp are sauteed in bacon grease with spices added along with a mixture with diced green pepper, minced garlic, and tomato. Cilantro is diced and mixed with sour cream. Simple!
Directions: Wash and pat the cilantro between paper towels. Dice the cilantro leaves and mix into the sour cream for use later as a condiment. Peel and devein the shrimp, cut in half and set aside. Seed and dice the tomato and green (bell) pepper. In a large frying pan, fry the two strips of bacon at medium heat until about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat have been rendered. Remove the bacon, reserving the bacon grease. Mix the spices and garlic into the bacon grease. With the skillet at medium-high heat, add the shrimp, peppers and tomato to the seasoned bacon grease. Saute for about 3 minutes, tossing frequently until shrimp are opaque. Add wine, if used, and stir until the liquid is reduced by about half.
To serve, spread cilantro infused sour cream on a tortilla, add the shrimp mixture and optional toppings of your choice.
Try this great shrimp taco recipe
Shrimp tacos are fantastic!
Our local HEB Supermarket has a very friendly guy in the seafood department who volunteered a suggestion on preparation that I thought was a little unconventional – frying the shrimp in bacon fat! I was going to use cooking oil or olive oil, but he assured me that all the local restaurants used bacon grease. I have no idea if that is correct, and various food blogs contain wildly different opinions about it; some contributors say it enhanced the flavor and others say it detracted from the shrimp flavor. I tried it, and thought it was great – but you have a choice here.
In the Rio Grande Valley we have easy access to Texas Gulf Shrimp – highly recommended over imported shrimp.
Print
By Randy Hoelscher January 26, 2016
This could easily become your favorite taco. Simple to make and very good. Prior to this recipe I always thought that tacos should be made with beef, pork, or chicken. Then I remembered a gathering we were at in Alaska where we were volunteering. One staffer at the visitor center made Halibut Tacos, and the were fantastic! So I decided to come up with a recipe for Shrimp Tacos.
Here is an overview of the recipe. Shrimp are sauteed in bacon grease with spices added along with a mixture with diced green pepper, minced garlic, and tomato. Cilantro is diced and mixed with sour cream. Simple!
Directions: Wash and pat the cilantro between paper towels. Dice the cilantro leaves and mix into the sour cream for use later as a condiment. Peel and devein the shrimp, cut in half and set aside. Seed and dice the tomato and green (bell) pepper. In a large frying pan, fry the two strips of bacon at medium heat until about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat have been rendered. Remove the bacon, reserving the bacon grease. Mix the spices and garlic into the bacon grease. With the skillet at medium-high heat, add the shrimp, peppers and tomato to the seasoned bacon grease. Saute for about 3 minutes, tossing frequently until shrimp are opaque. Add wine, if used, and stir until the liquid is reduced by about half.
To serve, spread cilantro infused sour cream on a tortilla, add the shrimp mixture and optional toppings of your choice.