I am obsessed with shrimp tacos right now! We are eating them at least twice a week and even that isn't enough for me. They are such an easy meal to put together. Sometimes they are more fancy than others and other times it's just the tortilla and shrimp.
Shrimp tacos always taste better (to me anyways) with a sweet-heat factor. For this recipe I chose pineapple and jalapeno made into a simple salsa. It makes the taco!! I think fresh corn would have been amazing in there as well. However, I did want a little complexity so I grilled the pineapple to give it that "burnt sugar" flavor, which is always amazing in any dish.
Fresh pineapples can be daunting to slice. I know many people shy away from giving it a try. But friends there is no reason to do that! This OXO Pineapple Slicer is an awesome tool that really works. I always place my pineapple in a bowl, like you see here, to catch all the flavorful juice. It slices beautifully! And the hard core remains in the pineapple. Get one if you can, your summer might not be the same without it. And if you are having a summer luau, don't even think twice about not having one of these on hand.
I ended up using the juice from the pineapple to marinate my shrimp. They had this sweet flavor and the pineapple juice acts as a tenderizer. Someone suggested filling the empty pineapple with rum and ice for an adult beverage. Awesome idea. It's going to happen soon.
Shrimp Tacos with Grilled Pineapple-Jalapeno Salsa
Recipe Created by Cathy Pollak for NoblePig.com | Serves: six tacos
Ingredients:
Grilled Pineapple-Jalapeno Salsa:
1 whole pineapple, cored, grilled in butter and chopped into 3/4" pieces (about 2 cups)
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded, deveined and chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Tablespoons copped cilantro
juice of one lime
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
Tacos:
18 extra large shrimp (prawns), peeled and deveined
butter
1 cup reserved pineapple juice from cutting the pineapple
2 cups shredded cabbage
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 corn tortillas, fried
Directions:
For the salsa, core pineapple, reserving juice, and slice into rings. Grill rings in butter in a grill pan until there are visible marks. Chop into small pieces. Combine pineapple, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.
For the tacos, marinate shrimp in reserved pineapple juice for 20 minutes. While shrimp is marinating, combine cabbage, sour cream, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Set aside. Grill shrimp in grill pan or on an outdoor grill, basting with butter on the grill, or melting a couple tablespoons in the grill pan. Shrimp will be done once they are opaque in appearance.
Construct tacos with shrimp (3 in each tortilla) on bottom, cabbage mixture and then salsa on top. Sprinkle with more lime juice if desired.
Cathy has her own vineyard and winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. She is a food writer for Davis Life Magazine and blogs daily about wine, food and everyday living. She lives with her husband and two sons. You can visit her at noblepig.com.