Tag Archives: tortillas

Seared Shrimp Tacos with Tomato and Cotija

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Tacos gobernador is a modern Mexican classic that combines a sauté of shrimp, fresh tomatoes and chilies with quesillo, a stringy cheese not unlike mozzarella, that’s melted onto the tortillas before assembly. In this recipe, Milk Street morphs those tacos into something simpler but equally delicious and in the same spirit.

The shrimp is seared, then combined with sautéed onion, fresh tomatoes and a minced charred habanero chili. Instead of melting a mild, milky cheese onto the tortillas before filling them, this recipe simply garnishes the tacos with crumbled cotija, a dryish Mexican cheese that packs lots of salty, savory flavor, along with fresh cilantro.

The shrimp filling gets a fair amount, but not scorching heat from the habanero chili; to tame the spiciness, Milk Street suggests seeding the chili after charring, before finely chopping it.

With no corn tortillas available at two different stores, we ended up with the flour variety. And for some odd reason our two small habaneros hardly had any kick to them, even when keeping the seeds. Thus, an added 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne provided the heat we desired, but not overly so.

With a side of fiesta black beans, it was one tasty dinner!

Don’t forget to pat the shrimp dry before searing. Removing surface moisture helps prevent steaming and ensures good, flavorful browning. Also, don’t brown the shrimp on both sides—the point is for them to be only parcooked after searing. They will fully cook—to a plump, tender finish—when returned to the pan with the tomatoes.

Seared Shrimp Tacos with Tomato and Cotija

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 habanero chili, stemmed
  • 2 Tbsp. grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided
  • 1 1/2 lbs. extra-large (21/25 per pound) shrimp, peeled (tails removed) and deveined, patted dry
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 1/2 medium white onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 ripe plum tomatoes, cored and chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. lime juice, plus lime wedges to serve
  • 3 oz. cotija cheese, crumbled (¾ cup)
  • 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed

Directions

  1. Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high until water flicked onto the surface immediately sizzles and evaporates. Add the chili and cook, turning every 1 to 2 minutes, until well charred on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the chili to a cutting board.
  2. In the same skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Add the shrimp in an even layer and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook without stirring until the bottoms of the shrimp are browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a large plate and set aside; reserve the skillet. Finely chop the chili.
  3. In the same skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
  4. Stir in the shrimp and any accumulated juices, the tomatoes and chili; cook, stirring, until the shrimp are opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in the lime juice, then taste and season with salt and pepper.
  5. To serve, put the cotija, cilantro and lime wedges into small bowls. Transfer the shrimp mixture to a serving dish, then serve with the tortillas and garnishes for making tacos.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe by Calvin Cox for Milk Street

Identity Crisis?

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Why did I never think of this before? Fajita Quesadilla—a win-win! In this case with red meat, but you could also substitute chicken, fish and/or other veggies. This particular combo, sizzling spiced steak, onions and peppers paired with gooey cheese certainly got my attention. We dubbed them QUESAJITAS.

It was our first dinner party since we began the COVID lockdown the beginning of March (if you can call four people a party—but then, I can be a party of one!) And to be honest, it was the first warm, dry weekend we’ve had since the spring season began; so we were beyond ready for some socialization—that included of course, great food and adult beverages.

We were well on our way in prepping everything in the morning, when unexpectedly our kitchen touch-faucet went on the blink. 3 1/2 hours later, without success in getting the automatic touch feature to work, The Hubs disconnected it—but at least got it to work manually.

Now back to that party. What’s nice about this recipe, and our side of Purple Tex-Mex Slaw, is that all of the prep can be done ahead of time. So you’ll only be standing in front of the stove, or over a grill for an abbreviated period of time. Lucky for us, we had enough leftover for the two of us for lunch a couple of days later. This recipe can easily be cut in half.

And because I’m feeling generous today, I’ll throw in my famous Holy-Moley Lynn’s Great Guacamole recipe. It’s chunky style and packed with fabulous flavor while providing a perfect accompaniment for those Quesajitas!

Margarita anyone?

Steak Fajita Quesadilla

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 2 tsp. dried oregano
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 lbs. flank steak
  • 1/4 cup. vegetable oil; more as needed
  • 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
  • 2 bell peppers: 1 red and 1 green, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 8 large flour tortillas (9- to 10-inch diameter, burrito-size)
  • 1 1/2 lbs. Mexican-style shredded cheese blend (about 6 cups)
  • Salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and Mexican hot sauce, for serving

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and 2 tsp. salt. Rub the steak all over with the spice mixture. It’s best to do this a few hours ahead of time if possible.
  2. Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, or alternatively, heat an oiled grill to medium high (400°F to 475°F). Cook the steak, flipping once, until rare, 4 to 5 minutes.
  3. Transfer to a cutting board. Let rest 5 minutes, then thinly slice across the grain. Repeat if necessary with another steak.
  4. Return the pan to the heat, and add more oil if dry. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the pan, season generously with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and the peppers are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; set aside. Wipe out the skillet with paper towels; set aside.
  5. Put the tortillas on a work surface. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of the cheese over half of each tortilla. Evenly divide the steak and vegetables over the cheese.
  6. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the steak and vegetables. Fold each tortilla in half so that the empty side covers the filling.
  7. Heat 1 tsp. of the oil in the skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add 2-3 of the quesadillas, and cook until golden-brown and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes per side.
  8. Transfer to a clean cutting board, and then repeat with the remaining oil and quesadillas in as many batches as necessary. Cut the quesadillas into wedges, and serve with the salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and/or hot sauce.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Christine Gallary from Fine Cooking

A Mexican twist for dessert with Dulce de Leche ice cream and double chocolate Milano cookies. (OK, The Pepperidge Farm cookies were of a different nationality…)

Holy-Moley Lynn’s Great Guacamole

Holy-Moley Lynn's Great Guacamole

  • Servings: yields about 4 cups
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup, finely chopped red onion
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 tsp. slt
  • 4 large ripe Haas avocados, halved, pitted
  • 2 plum tomatoes, seeded, diced
  • 2 jalapeños, seeded, minced
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, more to taste

Directions

  1. In a large glass bowl, combine onion, lime juice and salt; let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
  2. With a large tablespoon, scoop avocado flesh into the bowl with the onion mixture. Coarsely mash with a potato masher.
  3. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
  4. Cover with plastic wrap pushing down on plastic to make sure no air is between the covering and the guacamole to prevent browning.
  5. Refrigerate up to 24 hours.

http://www.lynnandruss.com