Friday, February 24, 2006

Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Tomatillo Avocado Sauce

Continuing my "culinary Spring fever" theme, I made one of my favorite recipes tonight. While the ingredients are available nearly year-round these days, this is still something that evokes warmer weather with every bite.


Grilled* Shrimp Tacos
serves 2-3

*we were low on charcoal and ended up cooking these under the broiler. Still very good, I promise.

1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 30 pieces)
2 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
juice of 2-3 wedges of lemon
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
white corn tortilla shells (or soft flour shells, depending on preference)


Use 2-3 metal skewers to skewer shrimp. Melt butter, 15 seconds at a time, in microwave with garlic and lemon juice. Stir well to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Using a basting brush, brush melted butter concotion over the shrimp generously, on both sides. Preheat broiler (or grill) and broil for 2-3 minutes per side--but watch the shrimp, once they are bright pink and a bit brown on the edges they are done!

Heat tortilla shells and fill with 4-5 shrimp. Top generously with the tomatillo avocado sauce, the serve. We had this with a simple tomato and caramelized onion salad, it was lovely.


Tomatillo Avocado Sauce
makes...plenty

3 medium tomatillos
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
half of a small onion (about .25 cup), coarsely chopped
.5 tsp chopped seeded jalapeno pepper (or more if you like the heat)
.5 tsp salt
heaping .25 cup sour cream (I used Horizons natural low-fat)
1 ripe avocado, peeled and chunked
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
olive oil


Discard husks and stems from tomatillos. Place in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook 3-4 minutes, until tender. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

Place tomatillos, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, and lemon juice in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add sour cream, avocado, and a good drizzle of olive oil, process until combined and very smooth. Serve as a dip, with chips, or on tacos. Enjoy!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Made the tomatillo avocado sauce for a family gathering and it was a big hit! Was there any particular reason you used lemon or lime?
Thanks!