Spicy Shrimp Tortas
These are similar to a shrimp po boy, but instead of serving them with a creamy spicy sauce, I topped lightly toasted bolillos with creamy mashed avocado and topped the spicy shrimp with tangy pickled red onions.
Servings: 3 to 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh or frozen large shrimp
- 8 New Mexico red chile pods
- ½ tablespoon masa harina corn flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 to 4 bolillos or other crust rolls split and toasted
- 1 avocado mashed and seasoned with salt
- Pickled red onions
Instructions
- Thaw shrimp if frozen. Peel and devein shrimp. Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels.
- Remove stems, seeds, and veins from the chile pods. Place in a colander and rinse well with cool water.
- Add the chiles to a large pot and add enough water so they are just covered. Bring water to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Drain cooked pods and allow time to cool down before blending.
- Fill blender with 1 cup of cooking liquid, chile pods, flour, garlic, and salt. Blend until smooth.
- Combine shrimp in a large bowl with red chile sauce and set shrimp aside to marinate 10 to 15 minutes.
- In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high. Add shrimp; turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Remove shrimp from skillet.
- To serve, spread mashed avocado on bottom of rolls. Divide shrimp among sandwiches and top with pickled red onions.
Video
Notes
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when cooking the shrimp and only let them cook a couple minutes on each side until they are just opaque.
- What is the best kind of shrimp to use for this recipe? I'd recommend grabbing shrimp that are somewhere in the size 16-30 range.
- Are frozen shrimp okay? Heck yeah! Unless you live in a coastal town, the "fresh" shrimp in the grocery cooler were likely frozen at some point anyway. I recommend frozen shrimp for the most economical way to enjoy this yummy crustacean.
- What's the best way to defrost frozen shrimp?I find that placing frozen shrimp in a colander under cool, running water is the best way to defrost them. Move the shrimp around every few minutes to ensure they thaw evenly. They should be ready to cook in about 10 to 15 minutes if you follow this method.
Nutrition
Calories: 516kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 381mg | Sodium: 2600mg | Potassium: 881mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1240IU | Vitamin C: 186mg | Calcium: 283mg | Iron: 6mg