With two boys active in school sports, some nights we don’t get home until after 8 o’clock. By the time we get home, we’re all so tired, and the last thing we want to do is wait an hour just to have something to eat for dinner. I’m not big on the expense of eating fast food all the time, so I’d rather eat at home. There are always tortillas, lettuce, tomatoes and leftovers in the refrigerator. It’s easy to slap leftovers in a tortilla shell and call it tacos than to spend time in a drive-thru waiting for food that’s not going to satisfy us.
When I have the time, I will make an effort to liven up our weekly taco dinners. Shrimp tacos are my favorite, and on occasion I’ll do a simple, refreshing twist on them. Shrimp ceviche wrapped in a tortilla is the best! It’s a super easy dish packed with bold, fresh ingredients that requires minimal cooking skills. If you can boil water, you can make this dish and have dinner on the table in no time. No leftovers required.
Let me know when you make this recipe. Take a picture and hashtag it #QUEENCITYKITCHEN. I can’t wait to see what you post!
Shrimp Ceviche Tacos with Pineapple Cucumber Salsa
Makes 6 servings
1 pound medium-small shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt
Juice of 3 limes
Juice of 2 lemons
Juice of 2 tangerines
½ medium red onion, small diced
2 serrano peppers, seeded and small diced
1 cup small-diced fresh pineapple
½ English cucumber, seeded and small diced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and small diced
½ red bell pepper, seeded and small diced
2 green onions, chopped (green part only)
⅓ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
Coarse-ground pepper
12 (6-inch) flour tortillas
Napa cabbage, shredded
4 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
Avocado cream sauce, recipe follows
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the shrimp and cut into ½-inch pieces. Place shrimp in a large glass or ceramic bowl and mix with the lime, lemon and tangerine juices, red onion and serrano peppers. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Add the pineapple, cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, green onions and cilantro and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper
Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave on high for 30 seconds to warm. Fill each tortilla with ceviche, top with cabbage, drizzle with avocado cream sauce and sprinkle with queso fresco. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.
Avocado Cream
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks
1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cumin
Pinch red pepper flakes
Place avocado, sour cream, lime juice, milk, cilantro, salt, pepper, cumin and red pepper flakes in a food processor and process until smooth.
Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.