Open-Faced Shrimp EnchiladasOpen-Faced Shrimp Enchiladas

Yields 6 enchiladas / Serves 6

This is a good hot weather recipe, a great first course for summer brunches and light meals.

INGREDIENTS

For the vinaigrette:

  5 guajillo chiles, cleaned, destemmed, deseeded, and dry roasted (see page 58)

  2–3 chipotles en adobo

  Zest of 1 orange

  ¾ cup (178 ml) rice wine vinegar

  1 tablespoon (10 grams) fresh ginger, peeled and grated

  1½ teaspoons (1 gram) fresh oregano or ½ teaspoon (1 gram) dried Mexican oregano

  ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground allspice

  ½ medium white onion, peeled, small dice, rinsed in a sieve, and patted dry

  2 tablespoons (26 grams) sugar

  1 ¼ cups (296 ml) vegetable oil

  Kosher salt to taste

For the shrimp:

  24 medium shrimp (1¼–1½ pounds, 567–680 grams, before preparing)

  2 tablespoons (30 ml) avocado oil or other vegetable oil

  Kosher salt to taste

  Guajillo chile powder to taste (see note)

For the assembly:

  24 inner leaves from hearts of romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces

  6 fresh white corn tortillas

  12 cherry tomatoes, halved

  Cilantro microgreens (or substitute arugula, radish, or other spicy microgreens, see note)

DIRECTIONS

Start with the vinaigrette:

  Soak the prepared guajillo chiles in hot water until soft, about 15 minutes.

  Place in a blender along with the chipotles en adobo, orange zest, and vinegar, and pulse until the chiles and zest are finely minced.

  Add the ginger, oregano, allspice, onion, and sugar.

  With the blender running, slowly add the vegetable oil until emulsified.

  Add salt to taste. Whisk or shake well before using.

Prepare the shrimp:

  Peel and devein the shrimp.

  Place the avocado oil in large pan over medium-high heat.

  When the oil is hot, add shrimp and cook, frequently stirring or tossing, until just opaque, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to overcook.

  Remove the shrimp from pan. Season with salt and guajillo chile powder to taste, place on a warm plate, and loosely cover with foil.

Assemble the enchiladas:

  Have the salad components ready and at hand.

  Toss the romaine lettuce with just enough vinaigrette to coat.

  Warm the tortillas on a dry comal, iron griddle, or skillet until soft and pliable.

  Place the tortillas on individual serving plates, 1 per serving.

  Top with the dressed romaine lettuce and shrimp, 4 per serving.

  Garnish with the cherry tomatoes, 4 halves per plate, and microgreens to taste.

  Drizzle a little more vinaigrette over the top just before serving.

Note: To make the ground guajillo chile powder: Clean, destem, deseed, and dry roast a guajillo chile until crisp and grind to a powder in a spice grinder.

Microgreens are tiny vegetable greens that are harvested when a plant is very young—less than 2 weeks old and 2–3 inches in height. They add both flavor and visual interest to a dish.