hot honey lime shrimp tacos with cilantro yogurt sauce
I truly wish corn tortillas weren’t a giant, throbbing pain in the ass to deal with.
They crumble, rip, tear, flap open at the most inconvenient of times, destroy many a quality photograph, dry out stupid fast. Thankfully, we’ve an alternative in flour tortillas, or corn and wheat blends in some cases, but man, if someone could invent an adhesive corn tortilla that doesn’t shatter like poorly made glass, that’d be great.
Thanks for listening to my Ted Talk.
Though Tex Mex Wednesday isn’t a thematic element on FMG, I still fling out a good taco every now and again, especially when I’m stumped for other recipes and realize I haven’t filled a tortilla with shit in awhile. J and I are in careful consumption mode for Chicago in less than two weeks, so many a cozy fall recipe has to wait a bit before I start going hogwild and sharing richer dishes.
If you’re on a healthier spree yet crave some ethnic-inspired food, fancy trying these Hot Honey Lime Shrimp Tacos? They’re sticky, sweet, and slathered in a simple cilantro sauce for a spicy-cool mouthfeel that’s sure to send a shiver down your tastebuds.
Hot! Hot! Hot!
Start to finish, these tacos take about 20 minutes. In other words, I’m balancing out yesterday’s lengthy affair a la Eggplant Parmesan Meatballs with a dish highly favorable to the time crunched. Much easier than waiting for a shipment of some prepackage meal service to arrive, no? I don’t know, man, but I think it is, not to mention far more fulfilling and probably healthier, too.
First, grab some shrimp and dry them out. Shrimp contains a ridiculous level of moisture and to avoid the sauce liquifying into fishy-tasting nothing, get as much of the water out as possible. I dab generously with paper towels. Put those shrimpies in a bowl, and in another small bowl whisk together the tangy hot honey sauce: honey, cayenne, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper, red pepper, and a bit of salt. Toss about 1/2 of the sauce in with the shrimp.
Heat a skillet over medium. Drizzle with oil. Sear the shrimp, with no overlap, for about 2 minutes, then flip. Pour half of the remaining sauce over the shrimp and sear another 2 minutes, then finish with the remaining sauce and toss like your tongs are on fire until the shrimp is deeply coated, sticky, and caramelized.
Cool, Man.
You’ve got the hot honey, now a cool sauce. Avocado, yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, sugar, garlic, and salt. Voila. Easy peasy.
I like to smear the sauce on the bottom of the tortillas, then throw all the toppings over the pool of delicious crema. I use arugula for almost everything, but lettuce or slaw are good too. Then, the shrimps, some crumbled feta or cotija if you have, and pickled red onions. I’ll share a recipe for those eventually, but for now, just marvel at the deep magenta hue beaming into your eyeballs.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Damn good tacos to try:
Spicy Fish Tacos with Hatch Chile Salsa Verde
Blackened Honey Lime Salmon Tacos with Grapefruit Avocado Salsa
Crispy Curried Chickpea Tacos with Spicy Mango Pineapple Chutney
Sheetpan Sticky Honey Jalapeno Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Mango Crema
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 8 corn or flour tortillas
- 1 cup arugula or slaw
- 4 oz feta cheese
- pickled red onions, to serve
cilantro yogurt sauce
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 cloves garlic
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Whisk together the honey, cayenne pepper, chili powder, garlic, black pepper, red pepper, lime juice, and a pinch of salt.
- Pat shrimp dry and set into a large bowl. Pour 1/2 of the hot honey sauce over the shrimp and toss to combine.
- Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Set shrimp in the pan, with no overlap. Cook 2 minutes. Flip and pour half of the reserved sauce onto the shrimp. Cook an additional 2 minutes. Finish with the remaining sauce, tossing constantly until the honey caramelizes onto the shrimp.
- To make the cilantro yogurt sauce, blitz the avocado, yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, sugar, garlic, and salt in a food processor until smooth. Pour into a small bowl.
- To assemble the tacos, smear yogurt sauce on the bottom of a warmed tortilla. Top with arugula or choice greens, then nestle shrimp into the leaves. Sprinkle with feta and arrange a few pickled red onion slices.
