I spent many years wishing I were the healthy kind of person who ordered fish tacos at restaurants.  Truth be told, I’m more of a Beef Manhattan kind of gal.  I finally tried a few versions as small plates and realized, when done well, they are memorable (in a good way…not in a Carneros Creek Wine Tasting, sick for 2 days afterwards kind of way).

I’ve made fish taco recipes which are delicious and ridiculously complex.  I think a lot of people are put off by the fish available in the Midwest.  So I played around with using shrimp, prepping it similar to how I use it in a peach and rice stew, because I don’t want to eat flavorless shrimp in a taco.  Here is a meal I served my family last week, and it was well-received.  I call it Rookie, because it’s both easy, and a good fit for folks new at trying fish.

Recipe:

Take a pound of thawed shrimp and put it in a tupperware container.  Sprinkle with cumin, brown sugar, and salt and pepper.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and mix.  Cover and marinate for as little as an hour, and up to 8 or so.

Saute until done (no more than 5 minute or so, because overcooked shrimp turns to rubber), and serve on taco shells (my kids like soft, but I like crunchy) with lettuce, tomato, and taco cheese.

I serve it with sides of guacamole (which I always top with chopped tomatoes) and chips and something I call Fiesta Corn.

Fiesta Corn:

Use fresh or frozen sweet corn kernels. Saute a bit of finely chopped white onion, garlic, and chopped orange and red sweet peppers, until softened.  Mix into cooked corn with 1 tablespoon of butter, and salt and pepper.