Tag: Latin American
Shrimp Tacos with Arbol Chile Salsa
Shrimp Tacos with Arbol Chile Salsa
These shrimp tacos will be your new favorite way to make tacos; especially considering they take less than 10 minutes to make. The shrimp are briefly marinated in garlic and lime, then quickly sautéed. They are then topped on corn tortillas cooking on the griddle with cabbage, radishes, cilantro, and arbol chilies salsa. I like to use 26/30 ct peeled and deveined shrimp. They are the perfect size for corn tortillas. If cooked for no more than 2 minutes a side, they turn out moist and succulent. I also prefer to use shredded cabbage as opposed to lettuce. Cabbage adds a nice crunch to the tacos without turning soggy.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 lb 26/30 ct shrimp peeled and deveined
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 lime juiced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- corn tortillas
Arbol Chile Salsa
- 2 tomatoes
- 20 dried arbol chilies
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Taco Toppings
- green cabbage shredded
- radishes thinly sliced
- cilantro chopped
- lime wedges
Instructions
Arbol Chilies Salsa
- Place the tomatoes and arbol chilies in a small pot of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Place in a food processor with the garlic cloves and 1/4 cup of the boiling liquid.
- Purée until smooth. Stir in the vinegar and salt. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Shrimp Tacos
- Marinate the shrimp with the garlic, lime juice, oil, and salt for 15 minutes.
- Heat up a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add in the shrimp in a single layer.
- Cook for 90 seconds-2 minutes a side. Remove from the pan.
- Add the tortillas to the pan. Cook for 1 minute. Flip.
- Add some shredded cabbage and 4 shrimp to each tortilla. Cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the pan.
Frijoles Antioquenos
Frijoles Antioquenos
Frijoles antioquenos is a Colombian bean soup that’s bursting with flavor. Pinto or cranberry beans are simmered with pork hocks, plantains, and carrots. After simmering, the carrots are scooped out, puréed in a food processor, then stirred back into the soup to thicken. But the main source of the flavor of this soup comes from the alinos and hogao sauce, which I’ve attached the recipes for below.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried pinto beans soaked overnight
- 3 smoked pork hocks
- 1 plantain cubed
- 2 large carrots each cut into 3 pieces
- 1/2 cup alinos sauce
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 9 cups water
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 cup hogao sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the beans and smoked hocks to a pot of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the cumin, alinos, carrots, and plantains. Simmer for 1 hour.
- Add in the hogao, cilantro, salt and pepper. Continue simmering for 30 minutes.
- Scoop out the carrots along with 1 cup of the bean broth.
- Purée until smooth.
- Add the purée back into the beans. Scoop out the hocks. Cut off any meat and return to the pot. Simmer for 10 more minutes.
Aliños Colombianos
Aliños Columbianos is a seasoning paste used in Colombian cuisine. It is a similar in concept to a sofrito that’s used in Puerto Rico and Cuba. It can be used as a base to soups and stews such as sancocho and as a marinade for meat and poultry. This paste keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1/2 medium white onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 4 green onion
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 packet Goya Sazón with azafran
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor.
- Pulse until a paste if formed.
Hogao Sauce
Hogao sauce is the Colombian version of a creole sauce. It is used as a base in many Colombian dishes as well as a dipping sauce and a topping for arepas. This is extremely simple to make. The most important thing to do in preparation is to occasionally give the sauce a stir to prevent any burning. Hogao stores in your refrigerator for up to a week.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cups tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 cup green onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Heat up cooking oil over medium high heat in a sauté pan. Add all of the ingredients except the salt. Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the salt. Reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
Chicharron de Pescado
Chicharron de Pescado
This is a great way to prepare fried fish, Peruvian-style. I used walleye, but tilapia, catfish, snapper, cod, or haddock are suitable substitutes. The two main flavor profiles come from the adobo seasoning and the aji amarillo paste used to marinate the fish. You can deep fry the fish, but I feel that’s a waste of oil. I like to pan fry in an inch of oil. Depending on the thickness of the fish, it will take 4-5 minutes a side to cook through. Serve the fish with lime wedges.
Ingredients
- 1 lb walleye fillets cut into pieces
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 2 tsp adobo seasoning with pepper
- 1 tsp aji amarillo paste
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 large egg beaten with 2 tsp water
- vegetable oil for frying
Garnish
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Mix together the lemon juice, garlic, 1 tsp adobo seasoning, and aji amarillo paste.
- Marinate the fish fillets for 30 minutes.
- Mix together the flour, cornstarch, and 1 tsp adobo seasoning. Dredge the fish in the flour, then the egg wash, then back in the flour.
- Heat up 1” deep of oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Cook the fish in 2 batches, making sure to not overcrowd the pan.
- Fry for 4-5 minutes a side. Drain grease on a rack.
