Chipotle shrimp

Tonight's meal was a trio of shrimp. I made one shrimp meal I already had done before and then two new ones. The one I did before was the grilled shrimp scampi (the one in the middle in the trio picture) and I have already put the recipe of that one on my blog. The original recipe for that, though, can be found at AllRecipes.com here. The other two I will list separately on my blog starting with the chipotle shrimp. That original recipe can be found at the Food Network website here. I served tonight's meal on lettuce to make lettuce wraps and below is a picture of all three and a picture of the chipotle shrimp on its own. The chipotle is the one farthest on the right in the trio picture.

                  

 

Review: The chipotle shrimp was quite tasty. Of the three it was probably the least spicy of the trio but it still packed a lot of flavor. The recipe does not call for marinading them but I did for 30 minutes. It also says to cook them on a large skillet or an outdoor grill so I went ahead and grilled them. The overall recipe calls for serving them with an avocado salsa (basically just guacamole) but I don't like avocado so I left that out. While this one was not that spicy you could make it hotter by adding a larger amount of chipotle or blended chili powder. You also could add crushed red pepper or even a dash of cayenne pepper.

Recipe:

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

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 the cilantro.

Shrimp:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chipotle or blended chili powder (I used the 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

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.

You can serve it however you want such as on kabob skewers, lettuce, tortillas, plain, etc.; however, if you choose to use tortillas like the recipe calls for then grill them until slightly charred and pliable, about 20 seconds per side (alternatively, wrap in a damp paper towel and heat in a microwave). Spoon the avocado sauce on the tortilla, then top with about 2 or 3 shrimp and a sprig of cilantro. Serve the tacos with a lime wedge on the side.