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Seared Shrimp Tacos with Tomatoes and Cotija
In her friend’s outdoor kitchen, Josefina López Méndez, chef at Chapulín restaurant in Mexico City, showed us how to make tacos gobernador, a modern Mexican classic that combines a sauté of shrimp, fresh tomatoes and chilies with quesillo, a stringy cheese not unlike mozzarella, that’s melted onto the tortillas before assembly. We morphed those tacos into something simpler but equally delicious and, we think, in the same spirit. We sear shrimp, then combine them with sautéed onion, fresh tomatoes and a minced charred habanero chili. Instead of melting a mild, milky cheese onto the tortillas before filling them, we simply garnish the tacos with crumbled cotija, a dryish Mexican cheese that packs lots of salty, savory flavor, along with fresh cilantro. The shrimp filling gets decent but not scorching heat from the habanero chili; if you wish to tame the spiciness, seed the chili after charring, before finely chopping it.
4 to 6
Servings
Don’t forget to pat the shrimp dry before searing. Removing surface moisture helps prevent steaming and ensures good, flavorful browning. Also, don’t brown the shrimp on both sides—the point is for them to be only parcooked after searing. They will fully cook—to a plump, tender finish—when returned to the pan with the tomatoes.
45 minutes
Ingredients
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1
habanero chili, stemmed
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2
tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided
Directions
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01Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high until water flicked onto the surface immediately sizzles and evaporates. Add the chili and cook, turning every 1 to 2 minutes, until well charred on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the chili to a cutting board.
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