Smoky Shrimp Tacos with Chorizo Beans and Mango Salsa
Morita chiles are red, fully mature Chipotles. This gives them a unique, medium – hot smokey flavor which is popular in many Southwestern dishes. These can be added to sauces (including Mole) to add smokey flavor and maintain the red color of the sauces. These peppers are about 2-4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and have a deep brick reddish brown color. The word Chipotle translated to smoked chile. Consider the Chipotle a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest). Scoville heat units 7,000-25,000.
Suggested Use:
Use Morita in enchilada sauces, chili, stews, barbecue ribs, and corn bread. Their smoky quality combines well with poultry, meats and fall squash.
Chorizo Beans:
3 oz. pork chorizo
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup mango nectar or juice + more as needed
Smokey Shrimp:
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
2 Tbsp. chipotle chiles that have been rehydrated in hot water first
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 ½ Tbsp. honey
2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp. canola or grapeseed oil
Mango Salsa:
2 fresh mangoes, peeled and diced
¼ cup red onion, finely diced
Zest and juice of 1 lime
2-3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Tacos:
8 – 6 or 8 inch corn tortillas, toasted or grilled
½ cup Cotija, Chihuahua or Queso Fresco cheese
½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt + 1 Tbsp. lime juice for drizzling {lime crema}
Instructions
To make beet chorizo beans: Heat small saucepan to medium-high heat. Add chorizo and cook until browned; drain of excess fat. Add black beans and mango juice; reduce heat and place lid on saucepan and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add additional mango juice if mixture becomes dry.
To marinade shrimp: Combine chili powder, smoked paprika, chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, lime zest, lime juice and honey in a bowl. Place shrimp in the bowl and allow to marinade while you make the salsa.
To make mango salsa: Combine mango, red onion, lime zest, lime juice and cilantro in a bowl. Mix and set aside.
To cook shrimp: Heat oil in a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add shrimp to hot pan {possibly in 2 batches so they aren’t crowded} and sauté until shrimp starts to curl. Turn heat off.
To assemble tacos, scoop a few tablespoons of chorizo beans in each tortilla. Place 3-4 shrimp on top of chorizo beans. Top with crumbly cheese and mango salsa and drizzle with lime crema.
Notes
To grill shrimp, thread on skewers {after it has marinated} and cook on a hot grill for 2-3 minutes, turning once, until they start to curl. Remove from skewers and add to tacos.
Adapted from a recipe by Julie Andrews