Grilled shrimp tacos with tomatillo salsa and homemade tortillas
Grilled shrimp tacos with tomatillo salsa and homemade tortillas - bursting with flavor, juicy shrimp, grilled poblano peppers and tomatoes, topped with freshly made salsa verde, and served over soft homemade flour tortillas.
Ingredients
For the homemade tortillas:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup lard
- 3/4 cups cold water (slightly less)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
For the tomatillo salsa (can be made in advance):
- 16 medium tomatillos
- 1 jalapeno chili pepper
- 1 red onion
- 5-6 garlic cloves
- 4 tsp whole coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- salt to taste
For the shrimp skewers:
- 1 lbs shrimp, peeled, tail on
- 1 poblano/green bell pepper, chopped into bite sizes
- a handful of cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dry oregano
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- 3-4 Tbs olive oil
Instructions
To make the flour tortillas (can be made in advance):
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Stir the salt and baking powder in the flour, and mix in the lard, until it has the consistency of dry crumbs. Start adding a little of the cold water, until you have a soft dough, which doesn't stick. Knead the dough for a few minutes, then form into a ball, and leave in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap for 15 minutes.
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Divide the dough into 16 small balls (for tacos), or 10 balls (for regular size tortillas). Leave the balls, covered with plastic wrap for another 15 minutes.
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Place a ball of dough between two sheets of parchment paper, and using a rolling pin, roll into a round shape, as thin as possible. Set the tortilla on a wide plate, while working on the rest (sprinkle a bit of flour in between the flattened tortillas to prevent them from sticking).
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Heat a cast iron pan on medium, and cook the tortillas on both sides, until bubbles appear on the surface, and the bottom is nicely browned. For softer tortillas, flip them as soon as they begin to color slightly. Place each cooked tortilla on a plate and cover with a kitchen towel to keep soft and warm. If you like the tortillas on the crunchy side, leave them until dark brown spots appear on both sides.
To make the tomatillo salsa (can be made in advance):
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Toast the whole coriander and cumin seeds in a dry skillet for a few seconds, until fragrant, then place in a spice grinder and process to a coarse powder ( a few seconds)
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Remove the husks from the tomatillos, wash and halve them. Halve the jalapeno, and remove the seeds. Cut the onion into big chunks.
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Spread the vegetables on a baking pan, add the garlic cloves, 2-3 Tbs olive oil, the coriander and cumin, salt, and black pepper. Roast at 425 °F oven until the veggies are soft, and the onions start to caramelize.
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Throw the roasted veggies into a food processor, together with the chopped fresh cilantro, honey, and lime juice, and process to a chunky puree. Taste and adjust the salt, and add more lime juice if needed.
To make the shrimp skewers:
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Mix all ingredients for the marinade, and pour over the shrimp, and veggies. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.
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Thread the shrimp and veggies on wooden skewers.
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Heat your grill to medium, and grill the skewers for a few minutes on each side, until the shrimp is nicely pink, and opaque.
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Pull the shrimp and veggies from the skewers, remove the tails, and chop the shrimp into bite sizes.
Assemble the tacos:
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Place some of the shrimp and grilled veggie mix on a flour tortilla, top with the salsa verde, freshly squeezed lime juice and chopped cilantro. Optionally, serve it with chopped avocado or guacamole, and cabbage slaw.