spicy honey shrimp tacos with garlic avocado sauce

One fine day in quarantine, I grew inspired to make my own tortillas. I happily did not botch them. Naturally, what transpires after the acquisition of tortillas is a taco. Just cause and effect, folks. I don’t make the rules.

Check your spice cabinet and you probably own all the necessities straightaway. How about the fridge and freezer? The countertop fruit bowl? A few substitutions are dandy if something is missing from your arsenal. Lemons can replace limes. White fish, chickpeas, tofu, chicken are good instead of shrimp (keep in mind, of course, cook times may vary). Sour cream is apt for Greek yogurt. If your genetics code for a distaste of cilantro, omit it. I love cooking, and creating foodstuffs, with flexibility in mind. Complicated meal fixtures disinterest me. What matters is efficiency, and what matters more than that is company and sharing. Thank God I have J to enjoy some street-style grub with – by the way, I’d recommend for extra fun plating these guys on a single platter so each individual can grab a taco at a time and dig in.

Nutritious, satiating, simple, with a kick in the butt from flakes of red pepper. Enjoy your Taco Tuesday with this rendition, or Taco Anyday. After all, with all of us safe at home, day names don’t matter much anyway.

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spicy shrimp tacos with garlic avocado sauce

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Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

Spicy Shrimp Tacos

• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• kosher salt & pepper (to taste)
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 zucchini, sliced into strips
• 2 large bell peppers, sliced into strips
• 8 tortillas of choice, to serve

Garlic Avocado Sauce

• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, packed
• 1 lime, for juice
• kosher salt, to taste

Instructions

• First, prepare the shrimp. If needed, thaw in the fridge overnight or in a bowl of cold water for 20-30 minutes. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels and set in a medium-sized bowl. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the shrimp marinade and whisk with a fork until incorporated. Spoon atop shrimp and toss thoroughly with hands or tongs (wash hands if using). Place in refrigerator for 10-20 minutes to marinade, or up to an hour.
• Next, whip up the sauce. In the bowl of a food processor, combine all ingredients for Garlic Avocado Sauce and blend until creamy and combined. Use a rubber spatula to scoop into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add zucchini, bell pepper strips, salt and pepper to taste and saute for 5-8 minutes, tossing occasionally, until browned and soft. Remove from skillet, set in a bowl, and place aside for now.
• Heat 1 tbsp more of oil in the same skillet. Add shrimp in one layer and cook for 2 minutes, then flip and cook 2 more minutes until opaque. Remove from heat and place on a plate.
• To assemble: warm your favorite taco vessel in the microwave beneath a damp paper towel for about 10 seconds. Add veggies to the bottom of the taco, followed by shrimp, and finish with a generous drizzle of sauce. Garnish with feta or cotija, extra cilantro, and more lime juice, as desired.