A little shrimp goes a long way: Shrimp tacos

It’s Lent, and for my family that means no meat on Fridays – for the next few weeks anyway.

Now I am not a big fish lover. I can do the occasional Friday night fish fry, but I do have to mix it up a bit every now and then just to get me through.

This recipe is for shrimp tacos with warm corn salsa. It’s fast and easy to make and is also pretty light, so it won’t leave you with that heavy after-dinner feeling.

Shrimp tacos with warm corn salsa

Salsa

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 14½-ounce can fire-roasted petite diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers

1/3 cup finely diced red onion

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice

Shrimp tacos

8 corn tortillas (I prefer flour)

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¾ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 small Hass avocado, peeled, pitted, and finely diced or sliced

Preparation

For the salsa, heat corn in a dry large nonstick skillet over high heat and cook, tossing frequently (about 4 minutes) minutes or until the corn is lightly charred in spots. Add tomatoes and onions and cook an additional 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, stir in cilantro and lime juice and keep warm.

Stack and wrap the tortillas on a damp paper towel and place in the microwave.

In the same skillet used for the salsa, heat oil, garlic and cumin over medium heat.

Add shrimp, salt and pepper and cook 3 to 4 minutes, tossing several times until shrimp are firm and cooked through (do not overcrowd the pan; you don’t want the shrimp to boil). Remove from heat and toss with lime juice.

While shrimp is cooking, steam the tortillas in microwave on high about 2 minutes or until softened. Fill each tortilla with 6 or 7 shrimp and top with warm corn salsa and diced avocado.

If you don’t like a warm salsa, try last week’s recipe for fresh tomato salsa. They both work well with this dish.

Helpful hint

For best results when cooking shrimp, remember the letters C and O: C stands for cooked – when boiled or steamed, shrimp are cooked when they curl to form the letter C; O stands for overcooked – shrimp are overcooked when they curl to form the letter O.

Shrimp will be firm, turn pink and slightly opaque when cooked correctly.

To share a helpful hint, send an e-mail to lakenews@jcpgroup.com.