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.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment