Most of the time I try to plan ahead so I know what I’m going to post on the blog. I am able to photograph and document the entire cooking process from start to finish. Then there are those times that I come home after a long day at work, throw something together because we’re starving, and unexpectedly, it becomes one of my favorite things! And, even though I wasn’t planning on posting it…I figure a recipe like this is perfect for how most people operate during a busy work week. It’s simple, quick and doesn’t take a lot of prep time if you have the salsa and slaw dressing mixed up (or bought LOL) ahead of time! And, in the summertime, I seem to always have some type of salsa and slaw ready to grab from the fridge. I used variations of mango salsa (thanks to lemon tree dwelling for the mango recipe) and ranch dip recipes I found on Pinterest and adapted for my recipe. The dip is what I stir in with store bought bagged slaw mix as a topping for the tacos along with the salsa. I keep a bag of frozen shrimp on hand for convenience. But by all means, if you have fresh shrimp, go for it!
Ingredients
Jalapeno Ranch Dressing Slaw
- 1 cup mayo
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 (4 ounce) can green chiles
- 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro (use 1/2 for dressing, reserve other 1/2 for salsa)
- 1 ounce package ranch dressing mix
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 fresh jalapeño seeded, chopped (reserve the other half for the mango salsa)
- 1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
- store bought bagged slaw mix
Place all dressing ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. This will be the dressing you mix into the slaw. You just mix in a few big spoons of dressing to a few handfuls of slaw mix. It holds up pretty well if you want to mix it with the slaw ahead of time. Or, you can wait until you’re ready to serve. Either way, reserve some dressing to keep in fridge and dip with your favorite veggies or chips.
Mango Salsa
- 1 mango, peeled and diced
- 1/4 red onion, diced
- 1/2 fresh jalapeño reserved from the one used in the dressing, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice (about 1/2 of a lime, save the other half for the shrimp marinade)
- 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro (reserved from dressing ingredients)
Stir all ingredients together and cover. Place in refrigerator until ready for use.
Marinade
I confess, I really didn’t measure the marinade ingredients as I added them to the bag. I just sprinkled it in until it was a nice deep orangey red color! But I’ll estimate for our purposes here. And I made this for 2…so you can double if you’re serving more.
- 1/2 to 3/4 pound Shrimp (fresh or frozen, thawed according to package directions)
- about 4 T. canola oil, divided (3 T. for marinade, the rest for sautéing shrimp)
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp. chipotle chile powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 2 pinches salt
- juice from the reserved lime half
- chopped cilantro (optional, 1 T or so)
Place all marinade ingredients into a resealable bag making sure the shrimp is all covered and marinate for 10-15 minutes.
Tacos
- cooked shrimp
- mango salsa
- jalapeno ranch slaw
- various toppings and sides of your choosing: sour cream, regular jarred salsa, black beans, fresh lime wedges for squeezing on top
- flour or corn tortillas
Directions
It’s taco time! Heat a pan to medium and drizzle in some canola oil. When it’s heated, add shrimp and get a good sear for a minute or two. Turn over, and pour in some of the marinade from the bag. It will come to a simmer and cook with the shrimp, so it’s safe to add at this stage. Continue to cook the shrimp for another minute or two until done. Remove shrimp. Then you can assemble the tacos. I put about three shrimp in each tortilla. Top with some of the slaw, mango salsa, dollop of sour cream if you like, mix in some regular jarred salsa if you like and even some black beans on the side.