Guest Recipe Post: Mark Kiffin's Mazatlan Shrimp Tacos

It isn't every day that you can get a Guest Recipe Post from a James Beard Award Winning Chef so I'm really excited to share this one from Mark Kiffin with you!  The Mazatlan Shrimp Tacos come from Kiffin's famed restaurant, Zacatecas Taco & Tequila in Albuquerque, NM.  It seems perfect for your summer soirees and an excellent pairing for the Pink PantherTequila Cocktail we shared last week! 

Enjoy!

Mazatlan Shrimp Tacos

Seared shrimp, Pickled Serrano cabbage and Cucumber-Tomatillo salsa

Seared Shrimp

2 lbs medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

Pickled Cabbage

1 lb shredded red cabbage

3 cups rice wine vinegar (unseasoned)

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup diced serranos

In a medium sauce pot add the vinegar, sugar and serranos. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 min. Remove from the fire, add the cabbage. Let it sit and cool for 25 min, strain (but lave about ½ cup of the liquid) and store it in a sealed container so it won’t get dry.

Cucumber-Tomatillo Salsa

2 each cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut in crescent moon

1 each red onion, julienned

½ lb tomatillos

2 each avocados

2 each serranos

2 each garlic cloves

½ bunch cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 cup water

Salt to taste

Place in a blender tomatillos, avocados, serannos, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, 2 table spoons of kosher salt to start, 1 cup water and blend until it gets to a smooth consistency. If you need to add more water, just to get the mix going the sauce should look thick not runny.

Assembling your Tacos

Sear your shrimp just one minute each side, have you r warm tortillas ready placed in a plate. On the middle of the tortillas put some pickled cabbage running a line from one end to another.  Place the shrimp on top of the cabbage. In a small mixing bowl put a hand full of the cucumber, some of the red onions, 3 tablespoons of the tomatillo sauce and mix well. Add salt if needed. Spoon some of the salsa on top of the shrimp. Garnish with fresh limes and Cilantro.