Thursday, November 27, 2008

Shrimp Breakfast Tacos (Tacos con huevos y camarones)

Irene wanted shrimp for breakfast. This recipe is my response:
  • olive oil or bacon grease
  • sweet onion, finely chopped
  • roasted, peeled, seeded, chopped Hatch green chile, one per medium onion (may substitute Anaheim, or Poblano)
  • two peeled cloves garlic per medium onion
  • chili powder or, (preferably Tears of Joy Armadillo Rub!) barbeque rub
  • pinch salt
  • a half dozen medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and coarsely chopped
  • two authentic flour tortillas (small, taco size; HEB house brand has lard but is nice Central Market and Whole Foods now carry oil or butter based tacos in these parts.)
  • Two eggs, cracked in a bowl and blended
  • black pepper
  • fresh lime
  • ripe Haas avocado slices

You will need two frying pans, one nonstick and one cast iron.

1) Fry onions and chiles in oil or grease slowly, adding pressed or crushed garlic cloves, salt and spice blend to taste in nonstick frying pan.
2) when onions are translucent, remove most of the vegetable blend from pan and save for some other recipe; you will need just a small amount here.
3) Add shrimp; fry the shrimp with veggies until just barely cooked. Take nonstick pan off heat.
4) Warm tortillas in hot cast iron pan on each side until heated through and one side starts to brown. (If they start to puff up, you have the authentic kind. Remove them just as they start to inflate.) Put in warm oven or ceramic tortilla dish to keep warm.
5) Reheat nonstick pan. Once hot, add eggs. Scramble until no longer runny. Put into warm tortillas.
6) Sprinkle generously with lime juice and freshly ground black pepper. (This step is crucial.)

7) Garnish with avocado slices.

Serves two, obviously. Scales up to the number of eggs you can scramble in your pan. (Hungry younger folk can easily handle two tacos each.)

Serve with refried beans, orange juice or mimosas, and if you can find such a thing in Texas, a halfway decent cup of coffee. Enjoy! And don't ever tell me I never had an original idea in my life.