Tacos are always enthusiastically received at our house, but sometimes it’s fun to change things up a bit from the usual beef or chicken. In this delightful seafood dish, spicy, buttery shrimp are balanced by a creamy cilantro-lime slaw and piled with crumbled Cotija cheese on warm corn tortillas. I prefer using fresh shrimp for this recipe, but if you start with frozen, make sure they’re fully thawed. For extra heat, feel free to ramp up the chipotle chile powder and leave the seeds in the jalapeños for the slaw. So close your eyes, smell the salty air and pretend you’re having dinner on the beach (on a regular ol’ Wednesday night)!
YIELD: 6 SERVINGS
SHRIMP
8 tbsp (1 stick [113 g]) butter, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces
½ cup (120 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp (8 g) chili powder
1 ½ tsp (3 g) ground cumin
½ tsp chipotle chile powder
2 tsp (8 g) House Seasoning
2 lb (910 g) large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
CILANTRO-LIME CABBAGE SLAW
⅓ cup (76 g) Greek yogurt
1 tbsp (15 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup (10 g) fresh cilantro leaves, minced
1 medium jalapeño, seeds and membranes removed, minced
1 tbsp (15 ml) honey, optional
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 cups (175 g) thinly sliced green cabbage
12 (6-inch [15-cm]) corn tortillas, for serving
Cotija cheese, for serving
Minced fresh cilantro, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving
In the bottom of a large slow cooker, combine the butter, chicken broth, chili powder, cumin, chipotle chile powder and House Seasoning. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 30 minutes to 1 hour to allow the butter to absorb the flavors of the spices.
In the meantime, prepare the Cilantro-Lime Cabbage Slaw by whisking together the Greek yogurt, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, jalapeño, honey (if using) and salt and pepper in the bottom of a large bowl. Add the cabbage and stir to combine. Adjust the seasoning to taste, cover the slaw and refrigerate it.
Thoroughly stir the butter mixture in the slow cooker, reduce the heat to low and add the shrimp. Toss the shrimp in the butter mixture until they are evenly coated, then cover the slow cooker and cook for 10 minutes. Stir the shrimp and cook for 10 more minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through and opaque.
Fill the corn tortillas with shrimp. Top the shrimp with the Cilantro-Lime Cabbage Slaw, crumbled Cotija, minced cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.