Well, what's not to love! Shrimp, garlic, butter, cilantro and a little kick of fresh chilies from the southwest. When anybody mentions seafood, I go into drool mode...really! Therefore, it's no surprise that my seafood recipes are the bomb dot com!

As this recipe is for tacos and not burritos, I chose the medium sized shrimp as they fit nicely into the six inch soft taco with the additional trimmings that you may want. However, if you find a great buy on other sized shrimp in your market, then use those. I usually figure approximately 4 or 5 medium shrimp per tortilla, but that is totally up to you and your diners.



My Southwestern Shrimp Scampi Taco recipe is one of my signature dishes, as it involves fresh ingredients and a great blast of flavors, incorporating spices and chilies from the Mexican pantry. This recipe will serve approximately 6 people with three good tacos each, along with any other toppings or sides you desire such as rice, salsas and diced raw chilies.


Ingredients

4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 1/2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup white wine
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
2 red chilies, seeded and diced
4 large cloves fresh garlic, crushed
2 oz. ( 1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves + garnish
Flour tortillas - 6 inch size
Ground black pepper
Cotija or Ranchero cheese, crumbled for garnish (optional)

Method

1. Combine the shrimp, cumin, salt, pepper and white wine in a sealed plastic bag or container. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

2. Cook the onion and chilies in olive oil over a medium heat until the onions are opaque, approximately 5 minutes. Add the crushed garlic cloves and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring often. Raise the heat to high and add the shrimp and wine mixture. Cook, stirring often just until the shrimp turn pink. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the butter and 1/4 cup of cilantro leaves. Stir to melt the butter.

Serve on charred, warm flour tortillas, garnish with a few cilantro leaves, cheese and a pinch of red pepper flakes if using.