The Foodie Groom selected the recipe for this week’s Project Pastry Queen challenge: Gulf Coast Shrimp Quesadillas. For as often as we have quesadillas, they have made shockingly few appearances on our blog.

Thanks to some sloppy knife work, dinner prep was cut a bit short and we ended up with Gulf Coast Shrimp Tacos and a treasure hunt for the First Aid Kit (why don’t we just keep it in the kitchen?). At least the bandaid wrappers made for a decent bookmark 🙂

The tacos came together really quickly since we didn’t take the extra step of assembling and then cooking them as quesadillas. The fresh mango salsa is a nice compliment to the caramelized onions and slightly spicy shrimp. We left the “Thai-style chile sauce” out of the mango salsa so it wouldn’t be too spicy for the kiddo to eat. But I usually keep a bottle of sriracha within reach at dinner anyway.

Check out the other Project Pastry Queen member’s take on Gulf Coast Shrimp Quesadillas:

20 Something Cupcakes
Pink Parsley
Smells Like Home

Next week, we’re digging into another southern favorite: Blackberry Pie Bars.

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Gulf Coast Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa

Spicy shrimp tacos topped with a fresh mango salsa.

Ingredients

• For the Mango Salsa:
• 2 mangoes, diced
• 1 fresh jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup Thai-style chile sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
• For the Tacos:
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• Dash of Worcestershire
• Dash of Tobasco
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• Salt & Pepper
• 8 small tortillas
• 2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients for the mango salsa in a bowl and stir. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days, or until ready to serve.
2. Rub the shrimp evenly with the salt and cayenne.
3. In a large pan over medium heat, saute the shrimp in 1 Tbsp olive oil for 2-3 minutes, until they curl and turn pink and opaque.
4. Transfer the shrimp to a large bowl and place the remaining olive oil in the pan.
5. Add the onions, Worcestershire, and Tobasco and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
6. Add the red bell pepper and cook 5 minutes longer, until the onions have caramelized.
7. Remove from heat and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve as tacos or assemble as quesadillas: Heat a tortilla topped with shrimp, onion mixture, and shredded cheese. Top with a second tortilla and flip, cooking until cheese has melted.
9. Cut quesadillas in 4 pieces and serve with mango salsa.

Notes

Yields: 4 Servings

Adapted from The Pastry Queen

Estimated time: 30 minutes