Camarones al pastor? Why not shrimp al pastor? Spicy shrimp, grilled pineapple, it goes hand in hand in my opinion.
When you think of the traditional “al pastor” Mexican recipe, it’s usually prepared with pork. Those impressive-sized trompos layered with pork, onions and pineapple are some of the most delicious tacos I have ever had. The vibrant red marinade typically includes achiote/annatto paste, citrus, chipotle, garlic and spices.
Preparing a home-cooked version is easy, provided you can find the main ingredients. If you cannot find the ingredients at the local Hispanic market, there are many online stores that carry the hard-to-find ingredients. This makes it easier to re-create those dishes from home just like Mom used to prepare. Instead of pork, I decided to lighten the recipe by using shrimp instead. All of the flavors in the marinade are perfect for seafood. Sweet, savory, spicy are all present with this recipe for Camarones al Pastor.
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 1 Chile ancho pepper
- 2-4 Chile de arbol
- 1-2 Chipotles in adobo
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Juice of 1 orange
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 fresh pineapple diced
- 1/2 achiote paste
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
- Salt to taste
You Also Need
- 1½ pounds jumbo shrimp cleaned and peeled
- 1 small red onion sliced into thick rings
- 6-8 fresh pineapple chunks
- 1-3 serrano jalapeno or fresno chiles
- More oil
Garnishes
- Sliced avocado
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Shredded cabbage
- Your favorite salsa
- 8 corn tostadas
Instructions
Directions
- Remove the stem and seeds from the chile ancho. Combine the chile ancho and the chile de arbol in a sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
- Drain the chiles and transfer to the blender. Add all of the remaining ingredients for the marinade. Blend on high until smooth and taste for salt. Pour all of the marinade over clean jumbo shrimp and stir to coat evenly. Cover and marinate for no more than 1 hour.
- After an hour, remove the shrimp from the marinade and shake off excess marinade. Discard marinade. Transfer shrimp to a plate and let it come to room temperature. Heat your outdoor or stove top grill to medium/high heat. I highly suggest you use a pan on top of the grates of an outdoor grill or easy-release foil paper if using a stove-top grill pan.
- While the shrimp comes to room temperature, grill the pineapple, red onion and fresh chiles. Drizzle with a little olive oil and grill for a few minutes per side or until desired consistency. Remove from heat and set aside.
- If using a stove-top grill pan, add a new piece of easy-release foil paper and drizzle with oil. Cook the shrimp for about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and tent loosely with foil paper.
- Roughly chop the pineapple, red onions and chile peppers and transfer to serving dish. Serve the shrimp on tostadas with your favorite salsa, avocado, cilantro, lime, shredded cabbage and grilled pineapple/onion mixture.
Notes
Great recipe for the summer months when grilling is ideal!
Grilled pineapple and shrimp are the perfect combination of flavors!
Easy grilled corn tostadas are easy to prepare. Grill corn tortillas on a preheated outdoor grill. They need constant attention or they may burn. Turn often and as needed until crispy!
On this day, I did not have any pineapple. I had some of the al pastor marinade leftover and marinated a few extra large shrimp for grilling. The scallops were also grilled, seasoned with olive oil, lime, salt and pepper. The scallops were then basted with spicy serrano hot sauce. See recipe for hot sauce Here The tostadas are grilled with no oil. I prepared a quick slaw of shredded cabbage, jalapeño, radishes, cilantro, onion, fresh lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
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Comments
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I absolutely love this recipe. My family told me it’s a keeper. Thank you for sharing this. I will be making this again.
Thank you so much Grisel! I appreciate you taking the time to comment on the recipe!