Grilled Salmon Soft Tacos with Lime-Marinated Shrimp

I was having a bit of a Mexican food craving on Saturday, but also wanted something fresh and Spring-y to celebrate the (isolated) gorgeous day that was happening. Thus, I decided to grill up some salmon, marinate and grill some shrimp, make up a big batch of pico de gallo, make a variation on guacamole, and make a batch of corn tortillas to aid in the consumption of all of the above. This is hard stuff to write recipes for since it's really just throwing a bunch of stuff together until it tastes right, but here's an attempt. "Recipes" are given for each component, which can then be made into tacos:
or served without the tortillas as a relatively fancy-looking dish:

Salmon:
Season the salmon with salt and pepper, then grill until barely cooked through (or to your preferred doneness). I like to do the grilling all on just the skin side (or with the salmon on a piece of lightly-oiled foil if it's skinless) to remove the risk of any sticking-to-the-grill catastrophes. I prefer skin-on salmon, but Costco only sells skinless so I often end up going with that...

Shrimp:
Combine the zest of 3 limes with the juice of 1-2 limes, 3-4 tablespoons of minced cilantro stems, 3 cloves finely minced garlic, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon sea salt in a large zip-top bag. Add 2 pounds peeled deveined shrimp and allow to marinate for a few hours. Thread the shrimp onto skewers and grill until just cooked through.
Pico de Gallo:
Combine 5 large tomatoes (diced), 1 red onion (chopped), 3 serrano chilies (finely minced), with chopped cilantro and lime juice to taste.
Avocado Relish/Guacamole:
All components of this are carefully cut into small dice, but they're the exact ingredients I use when I make guacomole, in which case I just chop everything and mash it together with avocados. Either way is delicious, this way is just prettier: Wrap 2-4 serrano pepeprs in foil and roast in a 400°F oven until very soft. To remove the roasted pepper flesh I remove the stem and, starting at the tip, scrape the length of the pepper with the back of a knife. Nine times out of ten the flesh will pop out the stem end, leaving the skin behind. (When this doesn't work, you have to get in there a little more to remove the flesh from the skin.) Run your knife through the roasted chillies and set aside. Finely dice 1/4 of a red oinon and one large tomato, then combine in a bowl with ~2-4 tablespoons shredded cilantro, a sprinkle of sea salt, and roasted chillies and lime juice to taste. Toss these ingredients together thoroughly so that there will be less mixing to do once the more delicate avocados are in the bowl. Finely dice 3 large avocados and add to the bowl. Gently toss all ingredients together until well-combined (being careful not to mash the avocados) and season to taste with additional lime, chillies, and/or salt as needed.
Corn Tortillas:
I follow Rick Bayless's recipe exactly when I make tortillas, so I will just link to it here rather than trying to paraphrase. I had actually been having some trouble the last couple times I made tortillas (they weren't puffing like they used to) and after re-reading the recipe I realize it was because I'd been skipping the part about using two different temperatures of pans. I did it the way Mr. Bayless explains this time and had a 100% success rate with puffing.
Homemade tortillas are about a million times more delicious than store-bought and are fairly low-maintenance (once you have the tools). I highly recommend giving them a try when you get a chance.

Bun Cha and Ga Chanh Roti

These are the two dishes I make when I'm craving Vietnamese food. Both are extremely easy to make and really delicious. I usually serve the pork in a lettuce wrap or combine the lettuce wrap ingredients into a salad. I serve the chicken on its own so that the subtle lime leaf flavor remains the star of the dish. Both of these dishes are going to give you some serious charring on the grill (due to the palm sugar in the pork and the honey in the chicken marinade) so keep an eye on them as they cook.

Hanoi Grilled Pork (Bun Cha)
   For Pork:
      6 tablespoons palm sugar
      4 tablespoons fish sauce
      2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
      2 large shallots, finely chopped
      2 teaspoons salt
      2.5 pounds boneless pork loin, minced
   To Serve (See picture below):
      lettuce leaves, torn
      8 oz. bean sprouts
      julienned cucumber and carrot
      cilantro, basil, and mint leaves
      Dipping Sauce (combine fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chilies to taste)
Gently melt the 2 tablespoons of palm sugar with 3 tablespoons of the fish sauce in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, stirring all the time. Allow to cool a little, then transfer the mixture to a bowl and combine with the garlic, shallot, 4 tablespoons palm sugar, the remaining fish sauce, and salt. Add the minced pork, mix thoroughly, then cover and leave to stand for 3 - 5 hours or, preferably, overnight.

Shape the minced pork into 12 flat patties, place them on a preheated grill and cook for 3 – 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

To serve, use lettuce leaves as a wrap and fill with pork, veggies and herbs then dip in the dipping sauce.

Serves 6.


Grilled Lime Chicken (Ga Chanh Roti)
   4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
   2 tablespoons clear honey
   2 tablespoons fish sauce
   2 green onions, chopped
   2 cloves garlic, chopped
   16 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
      salt and pepper

Mix the chicken in a bowl with the honey, fish sauce, and salt and pepper. Leave to stand.

In a small food processor or blender, mix the green onions, garlic, and lime leaves, adding a little water if necessary. Make sure the lime paste is completely smooth, then add to the chicken. Stir well then cover and marinate for at least 2 hours or, preferably, overnight.

Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers and season with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated grill and cook until just cooked through.

Serves 4 - 6.

*****

By the way, in theory you could cook both dishes under the broiler in your oven, but in case you need proof of how much better I think these taste cooked with fire, this is what my grill looked like when I went out to start cooking:

Curried Chicken Soup with Carrots

I hadn't made this soup in a couple years, but I have a lot of carrots around lately for some reason and it reminded me how much I used to love this soup. It's extremely easy to make, extremely healthy, and has a really unique flavor (in a good way). This batch turned out better than I ever remember it tasting before, so I'm glad I wrote down approximately what I did so that I can replicate it in the future...

Curried Chicken Soup with Carrots
   1 teaspoon oil
   2 pounds sweet onions, chopped
   1.5 pounds carrots, chopped
   2 tablespoons curry powder
   1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
   1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
   1/4 teaspoon cayenne
   6 cups chicken stock
   1/4 cup flour
   6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite-sized pieces
      fresh cilantro leaves, to serve

Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat, then add the onions and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots soften and the onions begin to color (about 30 minutes). Add the spices (curry powder through cayenne) and stir to combine. Transfer about 2/3 of the mixture to a blender (can do more or less than this, depending on how many carrot chunks you want in your final soup) along with the flour and about 2 cups of the chicken stock, then blend until smooth. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the soup pot. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the chicken starts to color. Add the mixture from the blender along with the remaining chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup is slightly thickened and the chicken is cooked through. Serve with fresh cilantro.

Serves 6.