Traditional shrimp tacos meet a lemon zest goat cheese twist
Cinco de Mayo is approaching but in my home is called Ocho de Juno. Ocho de Juno? I bet reading that you thought that I had a slight confusion with my calendar. But, actually in this house what started off as a reason to "get together" to make a Mexican inspired dinner ended up actually being a June dinner due to delays. Why the delays you ask? Here's the story of the beginning of a friendship of cooking.
Mexican food has always been a favorite to cook in my home. It's fast, fun and always comprised of fresh ingredients. You rarely see a jar of pre-made salsa, or pre-made anything as a matter of fact, in this house. I want to know what goes into the food that I serve my family and guests. In addition, there is a night and day difference to the flavors of your meal.
But the best part of any taco? The sour cream of course! A girl can never have too much sour cream as my daughter Alexis can tell you. So it was a big deal when they started to make sour cream available in a squeeze container. It became a staple for any Mexican dinner night in our home. As much as I enjoy the squeeze sour cream, the downside is that besides being more expensive, it's just plain sour cream. That is a good staple go-to topping but in my world I love to kick it up a notch by taking that plain sour cream to another level by flavoring it. And the fun and convenient squeeze bottle part? Well, you can take your own sour cream and easily do it yourself for a fraction of the cost.
So when it came to our monthly cooking dinner nights/get togethers with friends and the month of May came around, you would think that my excitement to cook Mexican would shine right through to celebrate Cinco de Mayo on May 5th. Unfortunately, life became busy with high school proms, college decisions and deepening friendships. Life was about to get a spiritual universe reality check. As the saying goes "Be careful of what you ask for, you just may get it". But the universe gives you what you need when you show up.
When we finally arranged a date in stone for our cooking night it was already June! June 8th to be exact. Ocho de Juno became our official Cinco de Mayo. So, happy Ocho de Juno! For our Ocho de Juno cooking night we served a variety of tacos including one fabulous slow smoked pulled pork taco prepared by Todd, topped with a black bean and pineapple salsa. Talk about a fantastic combination of flavors! As much as on occasion I love meat, I prefer a vegetarian diet. I like to create a variety of both meatless and meat recipes as there always seems to be a big meat lover hiding in the crowd. And in times when I choose to presents my guests with only meat-free options, I make sure they pack a punch of substance and flavor to make the meat hungry fan leaving my table feeling complete.
When it comes to my favorite taco, I like them light, healthy, colorful and delicious. Save the calories for the margaritas! This Mediterranean inspired taco is a healthy power kick of protein & healthy greens and they are low carb & gluten free. Grilled marinated shrimp (feel free to broil it instead if you choose. You won't obtain as rich a flavor but they still are fabulous), lemon white bean puree topped with radicchio and lemon goat cheese crumbles.
Depending on the amount of your guests, you can make your own gluten fee shells. My go to brand is La Banderita white corn tortillas. For me they are locally found in my supermarket and hold up well. If you decide to take the time to make your own I suggest using the recipe from glutenfreebaking.com
Always serve your tacos with a good assortment of hot sauces with a range of levels of heat and smoke flavor. Setup a hot sauce bar letting your guests experiment with different brands.
For larger, informal gatherings these brown paper food boxes make it great for guests to walk around and socialize, especially if you have limited seating. Perfect also for sending left overs home, and saving someones serving particularly a child, for them to finish later. Make sure you grab yourself a sharpie and place it near the boxes so your guests can write their name on it. They are available on Amazon in a variety of sizes
Want to make it even better? Wrap it in radicchio leaves instead of your traditional taco shell for a cleaner meal. Radicchio, which is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, is high in vitamin k, helps aid digestion and may help lower cholesterol.
MEDITERRANEAN SHRIMP TACO WITH ARUGULA & GOAT CHEESE
Feeds 12 people
INGREDIENTS FOR GRILLED SHRIMP
- 4 pounds Large Fresh shrimp (Shells & Tails on)
- Olive Oil
- Freshly Ground Mediterranean Sea Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 4 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
- 4 Lemons, freshly squeezed
- 12 Bay Leaves
- 1/3 cup Fresh Basil, minced
- 1/3 cup Fresh Italian Parsley, minced
- 1/3 cup Fresh Tarragon, minced
- Skewers, if using wooden soak for 20 minutes
- Gluten free corn taco shells (or substitute radicchio leaves if you prefer)
INGREDIENTS FOR LEMON WHITE BEAN PUREE
- 12 oz Arugula
- 3 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Red Onion, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
INGREDIENTS FOR LEMON WHITE BEAN PUREE
(or substitute for lemon hummus)
- 2 cans Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Small Red Onion
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 3 Fresh Thyme Springs (leaves removed)
- 1 cup Vegetable Broth
- Freshly Grated Salt and Pepper
INGREDIENTS FOR LEMON GOAT CHEESE TOPPING
- 10 oz plain Goat cheese, crumbled
- Lemon Zest, Freshly Grated from 1 lemon
INSTRUCTIONS:
Prepare the shrimp for grilling:
Lay shrimp in large flat dish leaving shells & tails intact.
Combine olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and fresh lemon juice with whisk to combine.
Pour marinade over shrimp turning occasionally.
Refrigerate & marinade for 60 minutes
Heat grill coals
Soak skewers if you are using wood ones to prevent burning.
Skewer shrimp placing a bay leaf between each shrimp.
Grill 3 minutes on each side.
Prepare the lemon white bean puree:
Heat olive oil in heavy metal bottom pan.
Add minced red onion, minced garlic and thyme leaves.
Sautee for 8 minutes until onions brown slightly.
Add beans and vegetable broth.
Simmer until broth reduces by half.
Transfer bean mixture to food processor.
Add juice & zest of lemon.
Puree until smooth & set aside.
Prepare the lemon arugula salad:
Add arugula and thinly sliced red onion to bowl.
Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice and red wine vinegar.
Toss and season with salt & pepper.
Prepare the lemon goat cheese:
Add goat cheese & lemon zest to bowl.
Mix & set aside.
Putting it all together:
Take each taco shell & spread layer of lemon white bean puree.
Top puree with 3 shrimp each.
Top shrimp with arugula salad.
Top arugula salad with crumbles of goat cheese.
Serve in large taco stand for presentation.
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