Spicy shrimp tostadas hit the spot | Life

My native fuel firm found a fuel leak exterior the home final weekend and, due to all of the rules, it’s taking ceaselessly to get the road repaired. So together with studying to take pleasure in chilly showers, I’ve needed to modify how I often cook dinner.

Even with out my fuel stovetop/oven working, I nonetheless had choices when it got here to dinner. I might fireplace up the grill, pull out the On the spot Pot or reheat my takeout leftovers within the microwave. One evening, a sympathetic neighbor took pity and dropped off Thai meals.

Immediately, craving one thing each fast and crunchy as I patiently watch for the plumber, I made a decision to cheer myself up with one among my favourite no-cook Mexican dishes, tostadas. They’re constructed on corn tortillas which have been baked or fried till crispy — both do-it-yourself or commercially made and bagged — after which topped with issues like refried beans, cheese and a favourite protein.

The recipe is customized from my well-thumbed copy of “Enchiladas: Aztec to Tex-Mex” by Cappy Lawton and Chris Waters Dunn. It options cooked shrimp tossed in a barely spicy chili sauce made with ancho chilies and chipotle in adobo on prime of crisp tostadas loaded with chopped recent veggies. Orange juice and sugar tame the warmth of the chipotles with simply the correct amount of tang and sweetness.

I used cooked grocery retailer shrimp, however grilled shrimp can be even higher, should you don’t thoughts cooking out. Roasting the chilies over a flame earlier than mixing them into the sauce will even improve the dish. Moreover, you’ll be able to (and may) heat the tostada shells in a 350-degree oven for 4-5 minutes earlier than utilizing.

You could find premade, bagged tostada shells at most bigger grocery shops close to the taco shells and in any Mexican grocery.

To make do-it-yourself tostadas:

• Flippantly spray either side of 8 corn tortillas with cooking spray; place them in a single layer on a baking sheet; evenly season with salt; and bake for 10 minutes, flipping midway by, till they’re crispy like a chip.

5 ancho chiles, cleaned, de-stemmed and de-seeded

3/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1-inch knob recent ginger, peeled and grated

1/2 teaspoon floor allspice

1/2 medium white onion, peeled and diced small

1 pound medium cooked and peeled shrimp

Romaine or butter lettuce leaves, chopped

1/4 cup diced white onion

8 cherry tomatoes, quartered, for garnish

Crumbled queso fresco and/or Cotija cheese, for garnish

Contemporary cilantro leaves, for garnish

Put together sauce. Wipe chilies with a humid paper towel to take away mud, then use a knife or scissors to chop a slit down the aspect to take away the seeds, veins and stem.

Soak roasted chilies in a bowl of sizzling water till smooth, about quarter-hour. Drain, then place in blender with chipotles, orange zest and juice and vinegar, and pulse till the chilies and zest are finely minced. Add ginger, oregano, allspice, onion and sugar.

With blender operating, slowly add vegetable oil till emulsified. Add salt to style, then put aside when you put together shrimp. You may additionally need to add extra orange juice, sugar or vinegar to style.

Lower shrimp into bite-sized items, place in a big bowl and toss with desired quantity of ready sauce. (I added about 1/3 cup; add extra should you prefer it saucy. You’ll have greater than you want.)

Heat tostadas in a 350-degree oven for 4-5 minutes, then place on particular person serving plates, 1 per serving.

High tostadas with chopped lettuce, cucumber and onion. Add sauced shrimp after which garnish with cherry tomato quarters, crumbled cheese and cilantro leaves.

Serves 8 as an appetizer, or 4 as a lightweight meal.

– Tailored from “Enchiladas: Aztec to Tbex-Mex” by Cappy Lawton and Chris Waters Dunn