76. Roasted Garlic Shrimp Tacos with Arugula, Manchego, and Corn, Red Pepper, and Chive Salsa

One of the things that I love about summer is fresh corn on the cob!  It's funny - when I was a kid, I don't remember being able to get corn on the cob during other times of the year (unless it was frozen).  Now, it seems like you can get it almost anytime.  Just because you can, though, doesn't mean you should!  Am I right?  I try to avoid corn on the cob until summer, because it's usually a starchy disappointment.

For this recipe, I had my heart set on featuring a fresh, sweet corn salsa.  I thought shrimp would be the perfect protein to pair with it - shrimp has a lovely, delicate sweetness of its own!  I decided to cook the shrimp in a delicious, creamy roasted garlic sauce!

With all that sweetness and decadence, I needed some contrast.  Pleasantly bitter arugula seemed to be just the thing!  To top it off?  A hint of nutty manchego cheese!  (I know some people don't think seafood and cheese go together.  Well . . . I don't know what to say.  We like the combination every now and then!)

I left the corn raw in this recipe.  If it's in season, I think it's fine.  If you prefer that it be cooked, you can gently saute or microwave the corn before assembling the salsa.  I just didn't think it was necessary!

I'm still on my quest to create 100 taco recipes!  It's . . . going, but I've basically accepted that I will NOT finish this project at the one-year mark.  It might be a year and a month.  I don't know.  I'll finish as soon as I can, but I had no concept of how gargantuan this undertaking was when I started.

O.O

24 more to go!  Whew!  :)

I'm going to keep this introduction short because I need to think of another taco to make for tonight.  Ha ha.  Here's the recipe!  :)

Roasted Garlic Shrimp Tacos with Arugula, Manchego, and Corn, Red Pepper, and Chive Salsa

Serves 3-4 (about 8 tacos), with extra salsa 

Ingredients:
 

For the roasted garlic shrimp:

1 head of garlic
About 20 oz. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined (if desired) and tails removed

I used the same raw, already peeled and deveined shrimp that I've used for my other shrimp taco recipes.  They're already peeled and deveined - and wild-caught!  :)

1 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for drizzling the garlic
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
1 Fresno pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

For the corn, red pepper, and chive salsa:

2 ears of corn

One red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced chives

1 Fresno chile pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. Cholula
1/2 tbsp. honey

1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the dressed arugula:

2 cups baby arugula leaves

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. sherry vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

A few ounces of finely grated manchego cheese

8 to 16 corn tortillas, depending on their size and whether you plan to double them up

Instructions:

1.  Roast the garlic:  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Slice the top off of the garlic head and place on a sheet of foil.  Lightly drizzle it with olive oil.  Wrap in the foil to cover.

Place the foil-wrapped garlic in the oven and roast for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until tender and golden brown.  Uncover and set aside to cool.

That green clove looks . . . funky, right?  I didn't use that one.  I'm sure it was probably fine but . . . eew.

When it is cool enough to handle, squeeze the whole head of garlic over a small bowl so that the cloves are expelled.  Mash them into a paste, cover, and set aside.  

2.  While the garlic is roasting, make the corn salsa:  Shuck the corn and remove the silk.  Cut the kernels off of the cobs and place in a medium bowl.  Add all of the other salsa ingredients and stir to combine.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Cover and set aside.

3.  Prepare the shrimp filling:  Heat the 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and Fresno pepper and reduce the heat slightly.  Cook and stir for about 7 or 8 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.  Raise the heat to medium-high and add the wine and roasted garlic paste, stirring to combine.  Simmer for about 2 minutes or until slightly reduced.  Add the cream, salt, and pepper, and allow to simmer until the mixture has thickened slightly, around 3 or 4 minutes.

Add the shrimp.  Cook and stir until the shrimp is just done, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  (If you wish to reduce the sauce further, remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon, place in a bowl, and cover.  Then you can simmer the sauce to your desired consistency.  Afterwards, pour the sauce over the shrimp in the bowl.)

4.  Prepare the tortillas:  Heat the tortillas in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, one by one, until browned but still soft, about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.  As the tortillas are done, stack them on a sheet of foil.  When they are all finished, wrap them in the foil.  You can keep them warm in a 250 degree oven if you wish, but I didn't bother this time as heating the tortillas was almost my last step.

5.  Place the arugula in a small bowl.  Drizzle with the olive oil and sherry vinegar and toss.  Add salt and pepper to taste and toss again.

6.  Assemble the tacos:  For each taco, place a tortilla on a plate.  Spoon several shrimp (with sauce) down the center of each tortilla.  Top with some of the arugula and then some of the corn salsa.  Finish with a sprinkle of the manchego cheese.  Enjoy!

These were very tasty!  I wouldn't change much, but there are a few things to note.

My corn was very sweet.  You can use your own judgement with the honey in the salsa.  Taste it first.  If you wish, you could definitely use a bit less honey or leave it out entirely!

Next time, I might also use a bit less liquid in the sauce for the shrimp.  One cup (with the wine and cream combined) didn't seem like much to me, but I had to spend more time reducing than I anticipated.  You could probably use 1/4 or 1/3 cup of wine and be just fine.  It's really up to you.  The sauce was thin(ish), but I don't like thick, gloppy sauces, anyway!

These pretty much hit the spot!  They made a great summer dinner and left us with a small amount of delicious leftovers.  Nothing wrong with that, right?  

Feel free to comment on this recipe!  Did you try them?  What did you think?

Thanks for reading!  :)