A spicy, south-of-the-border twist on an Italian specialty, highlighting the green chile pepper, juicy jumbo shrimp, gooey frying cheese, & creamy avocado.
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican
Keyword mexican shrimp cocktail, taco boats
Prep Time 1 hourhour
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
Servings 6
Calories 437kcal
Author Erica
Ingredients
½poundmedium shrimppeeled/de-veined & cleaned
8jumbo shrimpunpeeled & cleaned
1can green chilis
1tablespoongarlicminced
½limejuiced
3tablespoonscilantrominced
1teaspooncumin
1tablespooncrushed red pepper
1teaspoonsea salt
1package soft taco boats
2cupslettuceshredded
2medium tomatoessliced 1/4-inch thick
1large ripe avocado
12ounces frying cheese ("queso de freir")sliced 1/3-inch thick
¼cupolive oil
2tablespoonstaco sauce
Instructions
Combine chiles, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, spices, and salt in a large bowl with both kinds of shrimp. Toss to coat, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to marinate.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set taco boats on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until they begin to crisp. Remove from oven and set aside.
In a large saute pan set over medium heat, saute large shrimp and 2 Tablespoons of reserved marinade for 3-4 minutes until they turn pink, then add medium shrimp and remaining marinade. Cover and simmer for an additional 5 minutes or so, until shrimp is cooked through. Remove from heat but keep covered.
Portion shredded lettuce and medium shrimp into each taco boat. Prep tomatoes and avocado slices, and have them ready to layer.
In a medium saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add 2-3 slices of queso at a time, frying each side until it's golden brown, about 2-3 minutes total. (Don't add too many slices at once - it will spread the heat too much, and your slices will need to fry longer and absorb the oil flavor.) Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to dry.
After your cheese slices cool a bit (no more than a couple minutes), layer your caprese on top of the lettuce and shrimp - tomato slice, queso, avocado slice, then jumbo shrimp. Drizzle with taco sauce (and more lime juice if you'd like), garnish with a spring of cilantro, serve and enjoy!