Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with crisp-fried shrimp tacos

Shrimp is payday food for plenty of but Raul Ortega figured out how to make the shrimp taco affordable by using fewer shrimp while optimizing flavor At Mariscos Jalisco Ortega s food truck in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles the tacos de camar n or shrimp tacos are the main attraction Ortega stuffs a perfectly seasoned shrimp filling into tortillas and fries the tacos to golden crispness before finishing them with tomato salsa and avocado His recipe is a closely guarded secret but for the recipe in our cookbook Milk Street The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year we got particular help replicating it from recipe developer Paola Brise o-Gonz lez To get that same delicious melding of flavors and textures the shrimp are chopped in a food processor then cooked with a flour-thickened tomato-onion pur e to make the filling Though the recipe specifies shrimp of a certain size just about any will work It s easy enough for a weeknight but special enough for a Cinco de Mayo celebration Don t try to avoid the step of warming the tortillas before filling them Straight from the package the tortillas likely will be brittle and will crack when folded After warming the tortillas be sure to keep them wrapped in a towel so they remain pliable until you re ready to fill the tacos Fried Shrimp Tacos with Salsa Roja Start to finish hours Servings Makes tacos Ingredients For the salsa roja pound ripe plum tomatoes cored halved and seeded large white onion chopped about cup medium garlic cloves smashed and peeled tablespoon dried Mexican oregano Kosher salt and ground black pepper cup finely chopped green cabbage cup lightly packed fresh cilantro chopped For the tacos and serving ounces ripe plum tomatoes cored halved and seeded large white onion chopped about heaping cup medium garlic cloves smashed and peeled teaspoon dried Mexican oregano Kosher salt and ground black pepper ounces large per pound shrimp see headnote peeled tails removed and deveined tablespoons plus cup grapeseed or other neutral oil divided tablespoons all-purpose flour Eight -inch corn tortillas ripe avocado halved pitted peeled and sliced Lime wedges to serve Directions To make the salsa in a food processor combine the tomatoes onion garlic oregano and teaspoon salt Process until smooth to minutes Transfer to a medium bowl reserve the food processor bowl and blade Stir the cabbage and cilantro into the puree then taste and season with salt and pepper Cover and set aside until ready to serve To make the tacos in the food processor combine the tomatoes onion garlic oregano teaspoon salt and teaspoon pepper Pulse to a coarse puree about pulses Transfer to a small bowl To the food processor add the shrimp and pulse until finely chopped about pulses In a -inch skillet over medium heat the tablespoons oil until shimmering Add the tomato-onion puree and cook stirring occasionally until greater part of the moisture has evaporated to minutes Add the flour and cook stirring until well incorporated about minute Add the shrimp and cook stirring constantly until the shrimp turn pink and the mixture has thickened about minute Set aside off heat Heat a -inch skillet over medium until water flicked onto the surface forthwith sizzles and evaporates Add tortillas in a single layer it s fine if they overlap slightly and heat flipping them once until warm about seconds per side Transfer to a kitchen towel and wrap loosely to keep warm and pliable Repeat with the remaining tortillas stacking and wrapping them in the towel Add the remaining cup oil to the skillet keep warm over low while you fill the tortillas Lay of the tortillas on a work surface and divide half of the shrimp mixture evenly among them placing the filling on one side of the tortilla Fold the unfilled sides over and press lightly leave the edges open do not seal them Fill the remaining tortillas with the remaining shrimp mixture in the same way Return the oil to medium and heat until shimmering about F Methodically add of the tacos and cook until golden brown and crisp on the bottoms about minutes Using a thin metal spatula flip each taco and cook until golden brown on the second sides about minutes then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate Fry the remaining tacos in the same way adjusting the heat as needed Transfer the tacos to a serving platter and spoon on various of the salsa Top with the avocado slices and serve with the remaining salsa and lime wedges on the side EDITOR S NOTE For more recipes go to Christopher Kimball s Milk Street at milkstreet com ap Source