Minted Shrimp Tacos with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Jicama Tortillas
Loading...SKILL LEVEL :
Easy but takes some time,SKILL LEVEL :
Requires marinating or resting timeTasty and Unconventional Shrimp Tacos
I developed this shrimp taco recipe to create tasty, healthy tacos to replace the high calorie, high carb, dairy-filled tacos I love so much. Yes, I am trying to fill my plate with lots of vegetables, small portions of protein and minimal carbs and dairy. My tacos are far from ordinary for a variety of reasons:
- These shrimp tacos are low-carb, low-calorie, gluten-free and vegetable dense.
- Mint is used to flavor the shrimp and avocado spread instead of the more conventional Mexican herb, cilantro.
- Instead of traditional green or red cabbage, these tacos are filled with roasted shredded Brussels sprouts, which after all, are mini-cabbages.
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The result is a fresh, tasty and satisfying summertime meal that fits in with my current dietary goals.Prep and Grilling Methods for Flavorful and Juicy Shrimp Tacos
I learned this technique of preparing shrimp for grilling from Kenji at Serious Eats. He is one of my favorite food bloggers because he tests the hell out of his techniques before publishing them. Often I find techniques I have used for years are based on myth and tradition and not on science. Kenji brings science into the kitchen with rigorous testing. So for this recipe I wanted juicy not dried out shrimp. Kenji's techniques helped achieve this four ways:
- Kenji tosses his shrimp in a tiny bit of baking soda, salt and sugar. This helps them keep from drying out.
- He also threads his shrimp tightly on two skewers rather than one. The double skewers keeps the shrimp from spinning when you flip them and packing them tightly on the skewers also keeps them from drying out.
- By letting them air dry in the fridge for an hour, the shrimp will pick up some grill marks on the outside, without drying out the inside. Thoroughly drying your proteins, be it steak, chicken, fish or shrimp, will help you achieve a good sear. Grill marks are essentially a good sear.
- Finally, instead of marinating the shrimp in advance, he tosses them in a bright vinaigrette after they are cooked. This creates more vibrant flavor.
- The result is bright, juicy grilled shrimp ready to put into these tacos, add to a salad or eat plain as an appetizer.
Avocado Spread is as Functional as it is Delicious
I learned this trick of making an avocado spread for tacos from my good friend Sergio Avila who owns several of his family's El Ranchito restaurants in Orange County, California. Sergio taught me that by smearing some avocado spread on a tortilla it creates a binder so that your taco filling sticks to the taco rather than sliding off. This is particularly important with slippery shrimp tacos. Plus the avocado spread adds flavor and some good-for-you fat to the tacos.
Mint to Season Mexican Food?
Mint is one of my favorite fresh herbs and I find it enhances almost everything from salads, to soups, to marinades, to vinaigrettes and even to cocktails. A few years ago I developed a recipe for a healthier version of carnitas that I served with a minted tomatillos sauce.
The healthy carnitas technique, by the way, was also something I learned from Kenji. He basically uses the French confit technique and cooks his carnitas in the oven in their own juices, some olive oil and herbs and flavorings. Kenji shreds the cooked pork and then runs it under the broiler to get crispy edges. The result is juicy, yet crispy carnitas that are not made with the traditional coca cola and lard. I serve mine with a three-ingredient salsa made with tomatillos, jalapeno and mint.
Dairy light or Dairy-Free
These tacos can be made dairy-light or dairy-free. There are a couple tablespoons of either sour cream, Greek yogurt, labneh or vegan sour cream in the avocado spread. If you are avoiding dairy entirely choose vegan sour cream. Kite Hill makes an excellent vegan sour cream made primarily from almonds and coconut oil.Jicama Tortillas
There are multiple sources for jicama tortillas, including Trader Joe's and Melissa's. They are round, very thin slices of jicama that can be substituted for a tortilla. The jicama tortillas are kept in the fridge until ready to use and require no prep at all.
They are a fresh, crunchy, low-cal and low-carb alternative to corn or flour tortillas. Jicama tortillas work beautifully for these shrimp tacos.
Prep Time for These Shrimp Tacos
These tacos take a little time to make because you are preparing several items: the shrimp, the vinaigrette, the Brussels sprouts and the avocado spread. Additionally, the skewered shrimp need to dry out in the fridge for at least an hour before you put them on the grill. The good news is that these tasks are not made sequentially, so you can work on one while another item is cooking (like the Brussels sprouts) or resting (like the shrimp.)
You can make the vinaigrette, the Brussels sprouts and the avocado spread while the shrimp are drying. Use a food processor to shred the Brussels sprouts in a matter of seconds. Once on the grill, the shrimp only take 4 -5 minutes to cook. So from start to finish, you should be able to complete these shrimp tacos in about an hour and 20 minutes, basically the time it takes to prepare, dry and grill the shrimp. I have the Breville Sous Chef 16-cup Pro food processor and use it several times a week for prepping veggies and making soups. It allows me to cook faster and in larger quantities so I can stock my freezer.
Make sure you serve these shrimp tacos with a tasty margarita like this Blood Orange Margarita.
PrintMinted Shrimp Tacos with Roasted Brussels Sprouts on Jicama Tortillas
Healthy, flavorful and low-carb, dairy-free and gluten-free shrimp tacos will become one of your favorite summertime meals.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 10 tacos 1x
- Category: Dinner, lunch
- Cuisine: Mexican, New American
Ingredients
Scale
For the shrimp:
- 1 pound 30-count shelled and deveined shrimp
- 1/4 t baking soda
- 1/2 t kosher salt
- 1/2 t sugar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 T olive oil
For the Vinaigrette:
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 small handful mint leaves, chopped
- Zest and juice of 1 lime (about 1 T)
- 1 1/2 t olive oil
- Pinch kosher salt
- Pinch red pepper flakes
For the Brussels sprouts:
- 1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed (Or purchase pre-shredded Brussels sprouts)
- Splash olive oil
- Pinch kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- Pinch red pepper flakes
For the avocado spread:
- 1 avocado, peeled and pitted
- 2 T sour cream, labneh, Greek yogurt or vegan sour cream
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- Juice and zest of one lime
- Handful of mint leaves
- Pinch kosher salt
- Splash of olive oil
To assemble and garnish:
- 10 Trader Joe’s jicama tortillas
- Sriracha mayonnaise (optional — skip for dairy-free)
- Lime wedges
- Mint sprigs
- Roasted tomato salsa
- Thinly sliced red onion
Instructions
For the shrimp:
- Soak 6 bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes to overnight
- Thread 10 shrimp on 2 skewers, stretching the shrimp between the two skewers and alternating the head and tail ends to get shrimp to snuggly fit together. See head notes for example. Repeat with remaining shrimp and skewers so that you have 3 rows of skewered shrimp with 10 shrimp on each skewer. Lay skewers over the top of a baking pan so they are suspended over the baking pan and place in refrigerator for one hour to thoroughly dry.
- While shrimp is drying mix 1 T of olive oil and 1 minced clove together and set aside.
- After an hour heat the grill to high. Oil the grates and cook the shrimp for 4 – 5 minutes until they are no longer translucent and are beginning to pick up some grill marks.
- Remove from the skewers while shrimp is still hot and toss with vinaigrette. Set aside.
For the vinaigrette:
- While shrimp is drying make vinaigrette by mixing garlic mint, lime zest and juice together. Whisk in olive oil and season with kosher salt and red pepper flakes. Set aside until shrimp are grilled, then toss with shrimp as described above.
For the Brussels sprouts:
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F for convection ovens and 425 degrees F for standard ovens. Using a food processor or sharp knife slice the Brussels sprouts very thinly. Using a food processor will save you about 10 – 15 minutes of prep time.
- Divide the Brussels sprouts on two baking sheets. Don’t over crowd or sprouts will steam instead of crisping. Toss with olive oil and season with salt pepper and red pepper flakes. Spread shredded sprouts over the pans and roast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss. Return to the oven for 4 – 5 more minutes, until sprouts are cooked and crispy. Set aside.
For the avocado spread:
- Put avocado, sour cream, garlic clove, juice and zest of one lime, handful of mint, kosher salt and splash of olive oil in a food processor. Process until smooth. set aside.
To assemble and garnish:
- Place the jicama tortillas side-by-side on a serving plate. Smear 1 heaping T of avocado spread on each tortilla.
- Add a small handful of roasted Brussels sprouts on top of the avocado spread and top with 3 shrimp on each tortilla.
- Garnish with some Sriracha mayonnaise, lime wedges and mint sprigs.
- Offer bowls of roasted red tomato salsa and thinly sliced red onions as optional garnish.
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