Shrimp Tacos

I made shrimp tacos for my birthday dinner today and they turned out deliciously. I thought I would resurrect ye olde blog and post what I did and what I would do next time to make them even better.

My inspiration for these tacos began with the marvelous shrimp tacos at Blanco Tacos + Tequila. Here's basically what they do:

Street taco sized tortillas, flour or corn
Pan fried shrimp
Guacamole
Pickled red onion
Sliced fresno chiles
Cotija cheese

I loosely followed the recipe from here for the seasoning for the shrimp and ended up mixing together:
1 1/2 Tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

I used 2 tsp of the above mixture, mixed with 1 Tbsp cornstarch and tossed with the shrimp.

I also used this recipe and did a quick pickling of the red onion. Then it's just a matter of making the guacamole (fairly smooth, not so chunky, to be true to Blanco), slicing the chiles, crumbling the cheese, warming the tortillas, and frying the shrimp. I fried the shrimp in vegetable oil and a screaming hot pan for a couple of minutes per side and they were fantastically plump and not rubbery at all. I would, however, like to try the following seasoning amounts next time (for 1 lb of shrimp):

1 1/2 Tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Use 2 tsp of the above mixture and mix with 1 Tbsp cornstarch. (I left out the thyme on purpose; I don't think the flavors went together.)

All in all, success! I hope you make them and enjoy them as much as we did.

Red Curry Fishcakes and Coconut Rice

I'm really bad at remembering to take photos of my food. Since I'm not a real food blogger, it's usually not until I'm done devouring my food that I think, "Hey, that was really good. I should post that on the blog. Too bad there's none left to take a picture of".
This is from a Thai book I picked up second-hand. It's called "Step-by-step Thai".

Fishcakes:
2 lb raw fish (I use any inexpensive frozen fish)
1 egg
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (always add  more!)
1-3 Tbsp red curry paste, or more, depending on how spicy you want it
1 bunch green onions
oil for frying

Place fish, egg, cilantro and curry paste in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth and well blended. Turn the mixture into a bowl, add the green onions and mix well.

Take about 2 Tbsp of the fish mixture at a time, and shape into small balls with your hands. Flatten slightly. Fry in oil (original recipe says to deep-fry, which I'm sure would be tasty, but you don't need to). Keep warm in oven while making the rest.

*PLAN THIS AHEAD AS RICE NEEDS TO SOAK
Coconut Rice:
2 Tbsp
2 1/4 C jasmine rice, soaked for 1 hour, rinsed and drained
3 C coconut milk (I usually use 1 can of good quality milk and add water to fill to 3 C)
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 fresh green chiles, deseeded and chopped finely

Heat the oil in a pan, add the rice, and stir until it becomes translucent.
Add the coconut milk and salt. Bring to a boil and cook until all the liquid is absorbed.
Lower the heat as much as possible, cover the pan tightly, and cook for 10 minutes.
Stir in the cilantro, mint and chiles. Fork through the rice gently and serve.

This is the best rice ever!

Shrimp Pad Thai

8 oz. uncooked wide rice noodles

1 lb. small shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 eggs, beaten

3 c. coleslaw mix

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1/3 c. rice vinegar

1/8 c. sugar

4-5 Tbsp. soy sauce

3 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 Tbsp. chili sauce

2 Tbsp. chopped salted peanuts, plus more for garnish

Chopped fresh cilantro leaves

2 limes, cut in wedges

Soak noodles in hot water until soft, about 30 minutes. In a large nonstick wok, stir-fry shrimp in oil until shrimp turn pink; remove and set aside. Add onion and garlic to the pan, stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Make a well in the center of the onion mixture; add eggs. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until eggs are completely set. Add the coleslaw mix, green onions, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, chili sauce and peanuts; heat through. Return shrimp to the pan; heat through. Drain noodles; toss with shrimp mixture. Garnish with cilantro and peanuts.

This is from Taste of Home, with a few small changes. We thought it tasted pretty darn close to the real thing.

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon

1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
4 salmon fillets (approx. 6 oz. each)

In a large resealable bag or shallow glass container, combine the first 6 ingredients. Add salmon, skin side up, to marinade; cover and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours. Drain and discard marinade, or use it to baste the salmon while grilling. Grill salmon, skin side down, over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork. Do not overcook or salmon will be dry.

my salmon had no skin, and i flipped it over half way through marinading so the flavor was all the way through. this is very easy and very, very delicious.

Indian Stir-Fried Shrimp in Cream Sauce (Bhagari Jhinga)

1 T. tomato paste
1/2 t. salt
1 t. white sugar
1 t. garam masala
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
3 T. chopped, fresh cilantro
1 fresh jalapeno, chopped
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 c. coconut milk
3 T. vegetable oil
1 t. black mustard seed
3 cloves minced garlic
1 1/4 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 T. cornstarch
1 T. cold water

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, stir together tomato paste, salt, sugar, garam masala, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, lemon juice, and coconut milk. Set coconut sauce aside.
2. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and cook until they begin to pop. Immediately stir in garlic, and cook until garlic begins to brown. Add shrimp, and cook until shrimp is opaque; this should only take a minute or two. Pour the coconut sauce over the shrimp; cook until the sauce begins to simmer. In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water; stir into the sauce, and continue cooking until thick. Serve over rice.