BEIJOS EATS | JANUARY 23, 2024
Have you ever tasted something so delicious that it just makes you happy? That’s exactly how I feel about these mouth-watering shrimp tacos – they’re not only pleasing to the taste buds but also the eyes with their pretty pink homemade tortillas! These scrumptious pink shrimp tacos our made with dragon fruit salsa and avocado cream. If you are fond of shrimp, you will surely love them. Grilled shrimp is best paired with citrus and fruit, and when you add in some fresh zesty avocado cream, it turns out to be a perfect combo. And, really the best part are those pink tortillas! Scroll on down to get the full recipe.
Abby, are these going to take long to make?
I’m gonna lie, it’s not going to be a quick 30-minute meal without some prior steps. But it’s also not going to take more than an hour to make. A little tip from me: make the tortilla dough the night before. Store in the fridge overnight and take out 30 minutes before to bring up to room temp. You can of course make the tortillas the night before or the morning of and just simply reheat. But I like to try and have it be as fresh as possible when it comes to corn tortillas, as they tend to dry out if not properly stored. Marinate the shrimp in the morning and store it in the fridge along with the tortilla dough. All you have left to do is make the salsa and avocado cream. Easy enough, right?
Dragonfruit Salsa and what is this all about?
Dragonfruit is a fun fruit that you probably have seen in the market tons of times. Dragon fruit is high in vitamin C and other antioxidants, which are good for your immune system and can boost your iron levels. You can use it in smoothies, sorbets, cocktails, or even just plain cubed up. It doesn’t have a super fruit taste, more on the kiwi side. You can find different colors, their flesh on the inside are white, pink, and even purple. Up to you what color you pick. If you are using the pink and purple flesh, I would strongly add those to the salsa at the very last minute. The juice from these fruits will stain.
Do I have to use just dragonfruit?
Of course not! Feel free to use any kind of fruit you want for this. You could make a nice citrus salsa that pairs nicely with shrimp.
Can I make this dairy-free?
Yup, just simply swap out the sour cream and greek yogurt for a vegan version.
Shrimp Tacos with Dragonfruit Salsa and Avocado Cream
Ingredients
Pink Corn Tortillas
- 1 cup 120g masa harina flour
- 1 tablespoon 6g dragonfruit powder, sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup warm water
Dragonfruit Salsa
- 1 large dragonfruit or half red and half white, flesh scooped out and cut into cubes (about 2 cups cubed)
- 1 medium jalapeno seeded, deveined and finely minced
- 1/4 medium red onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon flake sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Avocado Crema
- 1 ripe avocado
- 2 tablespoons greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons packed fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons milk more or less as needed
Blackened Shrimp
- 1 pound medium/small shrimp 51-60 size, peeled and deveined
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- vegetable oil for cooking
Instructions
Tortillas
- Whisk together masa, dragonfruit powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup water and mix well, kneading until dough comes together in a ball. Add more water as necessary. The dough should be soft and pliable but not sticky. Add more flour if its too sticky.
- Divide dough into 8 even balls (about 35g each). Place on a plate and lightly cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Place two pieces of plastic or parchment (I like using a cut up freezer bag) in your tortilla press. Place on ball in between the layers of plastic. Press firmly down on tortilla press to smash the ball into an (approximately) 5-inch circle.
- If you want thinner tortillas, roll out a bit more with a rolling pin, then cut into a perfect circle using a 5-inch-round cookie cutter. Any scraps can be gathered and rerolled into another tortilla. Remember, they don't have to be perfect!
- To cook the tortillas, preheat a flat skillet or griddle over medium heat. Gently lay one tortilla on the hot pan (you can cook more than one at a time if they will fit on the skillet without touching) and cook for about 45 seconds, then flip and cook for another 45 seconds on the other side. The tortilla will lighten slightly in color and take on a stippled texture.
- Transfer cooked tortilla to a plate and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Salsa
- Combine dragonfruit, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro and lime zest in a medium bowl. If you are using both colors of dragonfruit, you might want to set the red fruit aside and stir it in just before serving (otherwise it’ll stain the white fruit pink).
- Add lime juice, salt and chili powder and toss to coat. Taste and season with additional salt and/or chili powder if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Avocado Cream
- In a blender, combine avocado, yogurt, sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, salt, chili and garlic powder. Pulse to combine. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture blends easily. If you prefer a thicker sauce to spread on the bottom of the tacos, 2 tablespoons should be plenty. If you would rather drizzle your sauce on top, add another tablespoon or 2 as needed.
- Transfer to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Shrimp
- Be sure all your shrimp are deveined and peeled, tails removed. Thaw completely if frozen. To thaw, put into cold water, never hot. It will cook the shrimp. Lay on a paper-towel lined plate and pat dry.
- In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper until evenly mixed. Sprinkle generously over shrimp, coating both sides evenly with a thick layer of spice mixture.
- Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to hot skillet, and let oil preheat until shimmering.
- Add shrimp, arranging in a single layer in the bottom of the pan.
- Cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until shrimp are opaque and sides are browned.
- Arrange warm cooked tortillas on serving plates. Spoon some avocado cream sauce down the center of each tortilla. Top with 4-6 blackened shrimp, followed by dragonfruit salsa. Optionally top with more chopped cilantro and/or some pretty microgreens if desired.
