Chipotle Shrimp Tacos With Avocado Salsa Verde and Jicama Slaw

Photos Courtesy of Dave McCoy Photography

We had a fantastic dinner tonight! I needed to knock down two recipes today to finish off the week strong and I did just that. I knew I wanted to make a Jicama Slaw recipe from my "Clean Start" cookbook and I thought shrimp tacos would be really good with the slaw. I went to my trusty Google and found a recipe for Chipotle Shrimp Tacos With Avocado Salsa Verde from the Food Network. We all know I love my Food Network so finding this recipe on their website was quite fitting.

Jicama Slaw Ingredients:

3 cups peeled and coarsely grated jicama

1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro

2 Tbsp minced fresh mint

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp lime juice

zest of 1 lime

1/4 tsp salt

In medium mixing bowl combine jicama, cilantro and mint. In separate bowl, whisk together ginger, lemon juice, lime juice, zest and salt. Pour over slaw, toss to combine and serve. Serves 4. Can be used as salsa with corn chips, a topping for sliced heirloom tomatoes, gazpacho or bloody Marys.

Taco Ingredients

Avocado Salsa:

• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 jalapeno, quartered, seeds optional
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 4 medium tomatillos, (about 8 ounces) husked, rinsed, and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 Hass avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Shrimp:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chipotle or blended chili powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pound medium shrimp (about 20), peeled and deveined
• 8 corn tortillas
• 8 sprigs cilantro for garnish
• 2 limes, cut into wedges

Directions

Put the onion, jalapeno, and garlic in a food processor and finely chop. Add the tomatillos, avocado, and salt and pulse until chopped but still chunky. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cilantro.

Heat a stovetop or outdoor grill to medium-high. Mix the olive oil, chipotle or chili powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Grill the shrimp until translucent, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side.

Grill tortillas, until slightly charred and pliable, about 20 seconds per side. (Alternatively, wrap in a damp paper towel and heat in a microwave.) Spoon sauce on the tortilla, then top with about 2 or 3 shrimp and a sprig of cilantro. Serve 2 tacos per person, with a lime wedge on the side.

(Copyright 2005 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.)

I would make this dinner once every month if I didn't have 12 new recipes per month to prepare. The chipotle spice on the shrimp along with the acidity from the lime creates a perfect balance. I used 2 avocados in the salsa instead of 1/2 avocado because the salsa tasted a bit oniony to me. Adding the extra avocado made the tacos creamier and it calmed the strong onion flavor. I learned a trick for charring tortillas about 20 years ago and it works great every time. I place tortillas directly on the burner on medium-high heat and hold it there for 10-15 seconds per side. My tortillas always turn out to have just the right amount of char and the temperature is perfect.

The Jicama Slaw was also really good. I would describe the texture and flavor as refreshing and light. It was the perfect side for the tacos. Dave McCoy put the slaw directly on his taco and said it was delicious. To finish making a well-rounded meal, I served grilled pineapple rings, black beans and blue corn chips. Natalie loved the addition of blue corn chips because she was able to dip them in the slaw and avocado salsa. Not a bad night of eating at the Lovejoys for sure!