Once you find a good source for those hard-to-find dried chiles, preparing your favorite Mexican dishes becomes much easier. This recipe for chile cascabel shrimp tacos is ready in minutes once you prepare the salsa. And not only for shrimp, but this same recipe can also be used with thinly sliced chicken, pork or beef. I actually prepared this recipe in late fall when the farmers markets were winding down here. They had a nice selection of cabbage, peppers and carrots in all different colors.
Impress your friends and family by layering the corn tortillas and then add all of the filling and garnish! In the video below I will show you how to prepare those easy cheese crusted tortillas for all of your favorite tacos! Is it a taco or a quesadilla? Hmmm!
Crispy cheesy shrimp tacos! Place 1/4 c shredded chihuahua cheese on preheated nonstick skillet. Place a corn tortilla on top. Once the cheese melts and begins to form a crust, flip it over. Add 3 extra-large cooked shrimp. Fold over like a taco. Cook until tortilla is mostly crispy. Turn over as needed. Add slaw, chipotle crema, chile serrano toreado and a squeeze of lime
They had a nice selection of cabbage, peppers and carrots in all different colors. And any chance I get, I really enjoy shrimp or fish tacos with a fresh and colorful cabbage slaw. The dried chile cascabel are one of the more difficult peppers to find in my area. Lucky for me, I found a source online and the best source of all, family that lives in Texas! Make taco night special and prepare a small batch of homemade tortillas. Find the link at the end of blog post. Get the family involved and make it a fun family taco night.
Have you tried chile cascabel?
The chile cascabel is more of a mild/medium heat, so I like adding a few chile de arbol for a little more heat. Cascabel refers to a rattlesnake. The sound the pepper makes resembles the sound of the rattlesnake when you shake it! Find chile cascabel at Toluca Foods online. Or check the local Mexican markets.
Once you have your salsa prepared using dried chiles, you can use it for so many different recipes. If you don’t think you will use it fast enough, you can freeze it in small portions. Defrost at room temperature when ready to use.
If your store does not carry chile cascabel, you could use two chile ancho instead.
Chile Cascabel Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
Salsa
- 8 dried chile cascabel stems and seeds removed
- 6 dried chile de arbol, stems removed
- 4 medium roma tomatoes sliced open(in half)
- 1/4 medium white onion sliced
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tsps. avocado oil
- 3 cups water
- salt to taste
Shrimp
- 2 tbsps. of avocado oil
- 1 lb. medium- large shrimp cleaned
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup chile cascabel salsa
Slaw
- 4 cups red cabbage shredded
- 1 large carrot peeled and shredded
- 1/3 large red onion sliced thin
- 3 tbsps. cilantro chopped
- 1 Red Fresno, serrano or jalapeno seeded and sliced thin
Chipotle Crema
- 1/3 c crema
- 1/3 c mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tsps. yellow mustard
- 2 chipotles in adobo. minced
- 2 tbsps. adobo from chipotles
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Garnish
- Lime wedges
- your favorite spicy salsa
Instructions
- Remove the stems and seeds from chile cascabel and tear into two pieces. Remove just the stems from chile de arbol, if any. Transfer to a preheated comal(griddle) pan, at medium heat, to toast. This is a fast process. As soon as the chiles begin to become aromatic, remove them from the skillet.
- To that same skillet at medium heat, add the tomatoes, flat side down onto hot surface. Also add the onion and garlic. Drizzle in 2 tsps. of avocado oil. Roast, turning as needed for about 10 minutes.
- Pour in 3 cups of water to the tomatoes. Add the dried chiles back into the skillet. Bring up to a light simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off cover the skillet. Let the ingredients steep while you clean the shrimp and prepare the slaw.
- After you peel and clean your shrimp, season lightly with salt and pepper and chill until ready to use. Combine all of the ingredients for the slaw. Cover and chill. Prepare the chipotle crema. Cover and set aside.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer all of the ingredients from the skillet to the blender jar. Pour in 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Season with salt, to taste. Blend on high until smooth.
- Preheat 2 tablespoons of avocado oil in a skillet at medium heat. Once it is hot, pour in the salsa from the blender jar. Rinse out the blender jar with 1/2 c of water. pour it into the skillet. Stir well to combine. Bring it up to a light simmer. Taste for salt. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Preheat 2 tablespoons of oil to medium/high heat in another skillet for a few minutes. Remove shrimp from refrigerator. Once oil in the skillet is hot, add the shrimp in a single layer. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time. Pour in 1/4 c of the chile cascabel salsa. Stir well to coat all of the shrimp. Serve with warm corn tortillas, slaw, chipotle crema and extra cascabel salsa or a spicy red salsa. Store the extra cascabel salsa in a glass jar refrigerated for up to two weeks.
Notes
Reader Interactions
Comments
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Would this be really spicy? Sounds delish
If you leave the chile de arbol out, I would say it’s a medium heat. But, then again, I don’t know what your hrat level is Lory. I do love my food more on the spicy side. You could mix some chile ancho in with the cascabel if you want it a bit more mild. Or you could add a few more tomatoes too.