Ok so I don't think I realized how obsessed I have been with tacos lately until my best friend pointed out the fact that I have eaten a crap load of tacos lately. And well once she said that I took a walk down taco memory lane in my head and well she is right...I have been a tab bit obsessed with tacos. It is an easy food to eat a lot of because there are SOOO many different fillings that you feel like you are constantly eating different food, but it is all in the...well taco family. So most recently I made Blackened Shrimp Tacos and these were so good!!




The Blackened Shrimp Tacos had great flavor as they are spicy and zesty from the spice rub. The shrimp are coated in a dry rub that consists of paprika, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt, thyme and red pepper and this is truly what makes the recipe! It also has a queso fresco, mayo, garlic, buttermilk and vinegar sauce and that really adds a nice salty tangy contrast to the spice and keeps it from being too overpowering. The tacos are also served with tomato and avocado and they are just seriously a perfect taco! And to make it even better they are made in under 30 minutes. Ok sure I cheated and bought shrimp that were already peeled and deveined, but even if you add peeling and deveining time these tacos can easily be on the table in under 30 minutes.

So first of all make the queso fresco sauce. Combine the queso fresco, buttermilk, canola mayo, garlic and vinegar in a bowl. Sorry I didn't take a pic of this because it was a white sauce in a white bowl and well it was just down right boring to look at.

Next make the spice rub, which consists of paprika, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt, thyme and red pepper. I put all of the spiced in a ziplock bag and tossed in the shrimp and shook the bag around for a bit...voila.


Next cook the shrimp on a grill pan until opaque. The recipe says 2 minutes per side, but I will be honest I just cooked them until they changed color. I was visiting and drinking wine so I forgot to set the timer...how is that for honesty.


The tacos were served with tomato and avocado. I served them on corn tortillas which I cooked on the open burner of the stove, approximately 7-10 seconds per side or until they start to turn color.


2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise (such as Hellmann's)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
2 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Cooking spray
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1/2 cup diced plum tomato
1 ripe avocado, peeled and roughly mashed
Preparation

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Combine paprika and next 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add shrimp to bag; seal and shake well to coat. Remove shrimp.
3. Heat a grill pan over high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp; cook 2 minutes per side or until done.
4. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, heat tortillas over medium-high heat directly on the eye of a burner for about 15 seconds on each side or until lightly charred. Divide shrimp evenly among tortillas; divide tomato, avocado, and sauce evenly among tacos.



This was a Cooking Light recipe so it was healthy...which totally aided to my Chardonnay justification. And as a side note this Darkhorse Chardonnay is really nice! It is buttery and slightly oakey but very smooth! I found it at Trader Joe's and I was very pleasantly surprised especially because it is very reasonably priced. Cheers!