Description
Michael Symon’s grilled shrimp with tomatillo salsa offers a zesty Latin-inspired dish packed with fresh flavors. Spicy, tangy, and perfectly charred, this recipe brings Mexican cuisine excitement to home cooking that you’ll want to savor again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.5 lbs (680 g) extra-jumbo raw shrimp (16 to 20 per lb), peeled and deveined
- 12 oz (340 g) tomatillos (about 6)
- 8 6-inch corn tortillas
- ¼ cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- 2 tbsps + 1.5 tsps vegetable oil, plus more for the grill
- 1 medium lime
- ½ small head green cabbage
- ½ large + ¼ small red onion
- 4 medium red radishes
- 2 serrano peppers
- 1.5 medium jalapeño peppers
- ¼ bunch fresh cilantro
- 2 cloves peeled garlic
- 3 cloves unpeeled garlic
- 7 skewers
- ½ tsp chipotle chile powder
- ½ + ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ + 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Skewer Preparation: Immerse wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent charring during grilling.
- Marinade Creation: In a large mixing bowl, crush garlic cloves and blend with chipotle powder and lime zest, creating a fragrant seasoning mixture.
- Shrimp Preparation: Pat shrimp dry with paper towels, then gently coat with the prepared seasoning, ensuring even distribution.
- Vegetable Charring: Preheat grill to medium-high heat, roast tomatillos, halved onion, jalapeños, and unpeeled garlic cloves until charred and softened, approximately 4 minutes per side.
- Salsa Blending: Transfer grilled vegetables to a blender, removing garlic skins and onion roots, and purée until smooth, seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Shrimp Grilling: Clean and oil grill grates, then cook skewered shrimp for 2-2.5 minutes per side until lightly browned and nearly cooked through.
- Tortilla Warming: Gently warm tortillas on the grill for 30-60 seconds per side until pliable and soft.
- Taco Assembly: Spread tomatillo salsa on tortillas, arrange 3 shrimp per taco, and garnish with sliced cabbage, red onion, radishes, and serrano peppers.
- Final Presentation: Serve immediately with Mexican cream, additional salsa, cilantro leaves, lime wedges, and optional guacamole.
Notes
- Skewer Soaking Tip: Immerse wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent charring and potential burning during grilling, ensuring safe and even cooking.
- Shrimp Drying Technique: Pat shrimp completely dry with paper towels before seasoning to achieve optimal browning and prevent steaming instead of grilling.
- Heat Control Strategy: Maintain medium-high grill temperature for perfectly charred tomatillos and quickly cooked shrimp without overcooking or drying out the seafood.
- Garnish Freshness Hack: Prepare crisp vegetable toppings just before serving to maintain texture and provide a vibrant, crunchy contrast to the warm, tender shrimp tacos.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg