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.
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
- 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.
- Rub the shrimp evenly with the salt and cayenne.
- 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.
- Transfer the shrimp to a large bowl and place the remaining olive oil in the pan.
- Add the onions, Worcestershire, and Tobasco and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the red bell pepper and cook 5 minutes longer, until the onions have caramelized.
- Remove from heat and salt and pepper to taste.
- 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.
- Cut quesadillas in 4 pieces and serve with mango salsa.
Notes
Yields: 4 Servings
Estimated time: 30 minutes