Admittedly, this is more fried food. Which isn’t always a good thing. But as the summer approaches it is hard not to go for tasty, portable and filling food that rounds out a sunny day.
This can also be made just as well with any kind of solid white fish – cod, halibut, rock fish, etc. But, in this instance, the fresh shrimp just looked too good not to try out.
First – the coleslaw and guacamole.
COLESLAW
For 2-4 people chop 1/2 head of raw cabbage into thin strips or chunks and put into a large bowl. Add x2 peeled carrots cut into 1/4″ cubes and x4 finely chopped spring onions. Place 1-1/2 Tbsp Mayo and 1 Tbsp (pre-made) BBQ Sauce (we used the sweeter Hawaiian BBQ sauce because it is taking the place of adding a small amount of sugar – if you are not a BBQ sauce fan, replace with 3/4 Tbsp brown sugar). Add salt and pepper to taste, mix the whole things together very well and placed, covered, in the fridge to cool.
GUACAMOLE
I’m sure everyone has a favorite recipe for this, but here’s the basic that we use all of the time. Again, for 2-4 people mix together in a bowl: x2 large Hass avocados (not too ripe, but soft to the touch), 1/2 finely chopped and seeded tomato (2-3 Tbsps), 1 Tbsp chopped red onion, 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp ground cumin, salt and pepper. Mash it all together, gently, with the back and edge of a tablespoon so that it is still chunky and not too smooth.
SHRIMP
Peel and devein about 1 lb fresh shrimp and place in a bowl with about 1 cup beer (your choice, dark beer has the most overt flavor), 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin and salt & pepper. Let stand for anywhere from 30 mins to 4 hours.
Make the batter by whisking together about 1 cup of flour and 1/2 to 3/4 cup beer – it should be the consistency of slightly thin pancake batter so it will coat, but not too thickly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Heat enough vegetable oil on a pan so that the shrimp will float and not touch the bottom when they are placed inside. Get the oil just hot enough so that the top is shimmering. Coat the shrimp in the beer batter and fry in the oil, turning once with a slotted spoon, about 2-3 mins per side or until golden. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and let drain on the plate lined with paper towels. Do several batches.
Serve on soft taco shells, layered in shrimp, coleslaw, guacamole with grated cheddar cheese. Mexican beer on the side.
Dinner at Our Place 