It's no surprise that homemade tortillas make the best tacos. Seriously. It's almost upsetting going to an America grocery store and buying them once you've made them on a cast iron at home. BUT if you don't have the time, they will suffice. You just have to make sure what you put in the tortillas is. amazing.
So, let's start there.
It's summer in Seattle, and my basil in my garden is flourishing. For me, the combination of fresh basil and cilantro do insane things to a dish. Add the acidity of fresh lemon and lime, it all comes together in a perfect harmony.
Zest and juice 1 lime and 1 lemon.
In a large bowl, combine shrimp, juice and zest of the lemon and lime, garlic, chili powder, smoked paprika, and salt. Allow to marinate for 20-30 minutes.
Place a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and butter. When shimmering, add the shrimp and cook quickly. Around 2 minutes on each side. Remove the shrimp from the heat and toss with the fresh basil and cilantro and additional lemon and lime juice.
For the slaw, place all ingredients in a bowl and stir! You can make this ahead of time, but at least give it 20 minutes for all the flavors to sink in.
To skip around a bit, and if you decided to take on the fairly simple task of making these more-than-worth-it tortillas, here's what you gotta do:
In a large bowl combine the masa harina and salt. Whisk together. Add hot water slowly and stir to combine into a ball. You want the consistency to be similar to play dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Portion out the dough into balls that are around 2 tablespoons each. Make sure to cover the balls to ensure they don’t dry out.
I highly recommend getting a corn tortilla press. You can use a rolling pin, but this will be a lot more difficult. Place the dough ball between two pieces of plastic in a tortilla press. Gently press until the tortillas press out to around 4-5 inches.
Get a cast iron skillet or comal hot -heat it around medium-high. Place the tortilla on the skillet and cook for around 40-60 seconds on each side. Keep the tortillas warm in a “tortilla warmer” or just in a bowl lined with a clean kitchen towel.
Ingredients:
Jalapeno Mango Slaw
· 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
· 1 cup fresh mango
· 1 jalapeño, deseeded and chopped
· 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
· ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
· 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
· 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
· 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
· juice of 1 lime
· ½ teaspoon salt
· ½ cup Cotija cheese
Zesty Basil Shrimp
· .5 lb Shrimp, shelled and deveined
· Juice and zest of 1 lemon
· Juice and zest of 1 lime
· 2 cloves of garlic, minced
· ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
· ¼ teaspoon chili powder
· ½ teaspoon salt
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 tablespoon butter
Corn Tortillas
· 2 cups masa harina
· 1 1/2 hot water
· 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions:
1. Prepare the corn tortillas. In a large bowl combine the masa harina and salt. Whisk together. Add hot water slowly and stir to combine into a ball. You want the consistency to be similar to play dough.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Portion out the dough into balls that are around 2 tablespoons each. Make sure to cover the balls to ensure they don’t dry out.
4. I highly recommend getting a corn tortilla press. You can use a rolling pin, but this will be a lot more difficult. Place the dough ball between two pieces of plastic in a tortilla press. Gently press until the tortillas press out to around 4-5 inches.
5. Get a cast iron skillet or comal hot -heat it around medium-high. Place the tortilla on the skillet and cook for around 40-60 seconds on each side.
6. Keep the tortillas warm in a “tortilla warmer” or just in a bowl lined with a clean kitchen towel.
7. In a large bowl, combine shrimp, juice and zest of the lemon and lime, garlic, chili powder, smoked paprika, and salt. Allow to marinate for 20-30 minutes.
8. Place a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and butter. When shimmering, add the shrimp and cook quickly. Around 2 minutes on each side.
9. Remove the shrimp from the heat and toss with the fresh basil and cilantro and additional lemon and lime juice.
10. To make the slaw, combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir!
11. Assemble the tacos and garnish with Cotija cheese and additional cilantro.
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