Crispy Panko Shrimp Tacos

I never really deep fried much because I thought it was a pain in the ass. Well not only are these simple, but they are so damn good - Kelly has asked for them again - and that's saying a lot.

Serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS

• 6 cups canola or vegetable oil
• 1/2lb  31/40 raw shrimp, deveined and tails removed
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle or reg chili powder
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 1 cup non-fat greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon chipotle adobo sauce
• 2 cups napa cabbage, shredded
• pack small wheat tortillas

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oil in wide deep pot to 350 degrees
2. Mix yogurt and chipotle adobo sauce
3. Bread your shrimp individually: dusting of flour, dip in egg, coat with panko 
4. Warm tortillas
5. Gently place shrimp in oil, cook in batches of approx 8 (the temperature goes down the more shrimp goes in. For each batch bring heat back up to 350) cook 1 minute
6. Build taco: tortilla, yogurt sauce, cabbage, shrimp, eat.

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ASIAN CHICKEN TACOS

These spicy little tacos are silly good, and healthy too…. so what are you waiting for?

Makes about 4-6 tacos

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1  1/2 cup broccoli coleslaw mix
• 1  1/2 cups deli roasted chicken, dark meat, shredded
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon Chili Paste (Sambal Oelek)
• pinch Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 4-6 wheat tortillas

Slaw Dressing:

• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon soy
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 lime, juice
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In medium bowl mix all the dressing ingredients, throw in the slaw, mix again
2. Preheat smoking hot grill pan, add oil, chicken, ginger, salt, cook 2 minutes
3. Add chili paste, cook 30 seconds
4. Warm tortillas
5. Build your taco: Sour cream, slaw mix, chicken mix, eat!

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PASTRAMI & EGG TACO

What’s better than pastrami? A pastrami taco. And what’s better than a pastrami taco? A pastrami & egg taco. And what’s better than a pastrami & egg taco? One that has an over-easy egg in it. Boom! 

Makes 4

INGREDIENTS

• 8 slices Pastrami
• 4 Wheat tortillas
• 4 slices Provalone cheese
• 1 cup iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup French Fried Onions
• Kosher salt  
• fresh black pepper
• 2 tablespoons horseradish
• 2 teaspoons Dijion mustard

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix horseradish and Dijion
2. Preheat large skillet on high heat, cook pastrami 1 minute each side. Gather 2 slices per taco, add 1 slice cheese on top, cook until melted
3. warm tortillas
4. In another skillet heat butter, cook over-easy eggs
5. Build tacos: tortilla, spread sauce, lettuce, pastrami/cheese, egg, sprinkle French  onions.

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Ribeye Steak Tacos

Nothin’ amazing you say? Pretty normal ingredients you says? Perhaps, but the combination of ribeye, grilled onions and the rest are simply sublime. Sublime you say? Just try it.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large Ribeye steak (chill in freezer for 10 minutes), thinly sliced
• 1 red onion, finely sliced
• 1/2 cup lettuce, finely shredded
• 4 White American cheese, slices
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons steak sauce
• 4 wheat tortillas
• black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Caramelize onions, in oil/butter on low heat for 10 minutes, mix sauce, warm tortillas
2. Preheat skillet, on high, add oil, add ribeye, black pepper,  cook for 2 minutes
3. Portion up the ribeye, add slice cheese on top heat for 30 second
4. Build taco: sauce, lettuce, beef/cheese top with red onion

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CREOLE CATFISH TACOS

You can't beat a simply cooked catfish taco. Wait... you don’t like catfish? What’s wrong with you?

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 1 catfish fillet, diced
• 4 Wheat or corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 1/4 cups our cream
• 1/2-1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
• 1 avocado, sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. Prep everything, warm the tortillas... the catfish will cook quick
2. Preheat skillet on medium/high, add oil, catfish, creole seasoning, cook 2 minutes
3. Build your tortilla: sour cream, lettuce, catfish, avo, pinch creole seasoning

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San Diego Fish Tacos

Makes 6 tacos

While they are no hard rules for an authentic SD fish taco - I believe a few things are key. A nicely battered & crispy outside, a moist & tender inside served with a simple white sauce and of course shredded cabbage for crunch. Most any whitefish will do, but we made ours using sculpin from Tommy at Catalina Offshore.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup Tempura Flour
• 3/4 soda water
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 1/4 pounds white fish, skinned, deboned and patted dry - sliced into 1" x 3" pieces
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup green salsa
• 6 corn tortillas, warmed
• 1 1/2 cups green cabbage, shredded
• Hot sauce & lime wedges  for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Whisk flour, soda water and Old Bay in a large bowl until smooth
2. Heat a couple inches of oil to 360 degrees in a deep sided pan or pot
3. Combine sour cream & salsa in a small bowl, mix well and set aside.  
4. Dip fish into batter until well coated and gently shake off excess
5. Carefully slide into the oil and cook a couple minutes on each side or until golden brown
6. Remove with a slotted spoon and dry on paper towels
7. Put sour cream sauce on a tortilla, add some cabbage, the fish and top with some hot sauce and a squeeze of lime 
    

Chris' Sand Bass Bacon Tacos

Makes 8

Named for my friend Chris, but not because he cooks - because he can't...or doesn't (same thing really). But he can fish so that partially makes up for it.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup green salsa
• 1 lime, cut in half (one half left whole and the other into wedges)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup yellow onion, diced
• 1 pound Sand Bass fillet, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 8 corn tortillas
• 3/4 cup green cabbage, shredded
• 12 strips bacon, cooked until just crispy & crumbled
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Mix sour cream, salsa & juice from ½ the lime, set aside
2. Heat non-stick pan to medium high, and add oil, onions and bass
3. Cook until the onion has softened and the bass is just evenly cooked – about 5 minutes
4. While fish cooks, warm tortillas until just starting to get a little crispy
5. Build the tacos: tortilla, salsa cream, cabbage, fish, avocado slices, bacon and finally add a squeeze of fresh lime juice

Spicy Steak & Corn Soft Tacos

Serves 4-6

I love this. A lot.

Ingredients

• 3 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 small red onion, sliced thin
• 1 red pepper sliced into thin strips
• 1 pound steak, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup canned corn kernels
• 1 jalapeno chopped fine with seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Sour cream for serving

Directions

1. Heat oil and cook onion & red pepper in large skillet over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes then set aside
2. Heat skillet again, add a little more oil and cook steak just until the pink is gone - a couple minutes
3. Add the corn, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder along with the onions & peppers
4. Mix well and cook for another couple minutes until all is heated through
5. Serve on warm tortillas with some sour cream, salsa and lime wedges to squeeze on top.

Fresh Red Snapper Tacos

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon oil
• 1 lb. red snapper, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
• Juice from 1 lime
• Corn tortillas
• Red cabbage, shredded
• Sour cream
• Salsa

Directions

1. Cook onion in oil over medium heat until softened.
2. Add Red Snapper and Old Bay, and saute until cooked - not long, less than 5 minutes
3. Add lime juice, and saute for another minute
4. Bingo - you're done
5. Spread a little sour cream on the warmed tortilla and add a little cabbage then some of the fish - top with salsa - yum

Shrimp Tacos

Makes about 4 or 5

I say it all the time - keep a bag of raw, unpeeled shrimp in the freezer for easy last minute recipes like this. The chipotle/sour cream/lime mix that goes with this is so good. But don't get all freaked out with the chipotles, they're not weird. You just buy them in a little can for about a buck and a half in the supermarket. Actually, buy 2 cans - I also use them in my Chicken Enchiladas.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb peeled, uncooked shrimp, (31/50's are perfect) cut into smallish pieces
• 2 limes
• 1/2 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
• corn tortillas
• purple cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 small chipotle from a can, pay attention now - not a whole can of them - just one as they're hot, minced fine

Directions

1. Mix well sour cream, chipotle and juice from 1/2 a lime in small bowl - set aside
2. Heat pan well then add oil
3. Add shrimp and stir fry quickly - the shrimp will cook fast
4. When almost cooked, sprinkle with Old Bay then squeeze juice from half a lime on top
5. Give 'em a quick mix and you're done
6. That's it. I like to put everything out and let people make their own. Put some of the chipotle sour cream on a tortilla, add a little cabbage, add the shrimp and squeeze a little more fresh lime juice over the top.
7. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Mango Dessert Tacos

Makes 4

Simple, messy and gooey - just like they should be. No one gets a fork. No one!

Ingredients

• 4 flour tortillas
• butter
• cinnamon sugar (1 tablespoon sugar mixed with 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon)
• 2 fresh mangos, peeled & diced
• About 1 cup vanilla ice cream (it should be a really good vanilla)
• powdered sugar
• honey
• 1/2 whole lemon

Directions

1. Brush both sides of tortillas lightly with butter and sprinkle well with cinny-sugar
2. Cook on both sides in a non-stick pan over medium heat until slightly crispy and brown - remove to a serving plate
3. Add 1/2 cup of the ice cream to each tortilla, the mango on top
4. Drizzle with honey and a squeeze of lemon juice then a final sprinkle of powdered sugar
5. Now just fold and eat kinda like a taco

Tuna Tacos with Mango

Makes 6

I'll be the first to admit that tuna tacos don't really sound very good - but they are. In fact, they're deeelicious.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe mango, diced small
• 2 tablespoons red onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 fresh lime, squeezed
• 3/4 pound yellow fin tuna, uncooked and diced medium
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• corn tortillas
• 1 tablespoon oil

Directions

1. Mix first 4 Ingredients and set aside
2. Heat oil to almost high
3. In medium pan and add tuna
4. Saute quickly & when almost done stir in seasoning
5. Put in a warmed tortilla and add mango salsa
6. That's all - ok, so it wouldn't kill you to add a little extra squeeze of fresh lime

Mashed Potato Tacos

Makes 4

You know those left-over mashed potatoes you don't know what to do with? Well here's the answer...

Ingredients

• 4 corn tortillas

• 2 tablespoons sour cream

• 1 cup leftover mashed potatoes

• Hot sauce - I like Cholula, about 4 teaspoons

• 1/3 cup green onions, chopped fine

• 4 handfuls of potato chips - preferably the extra crispy kettle kind

Directions

1. Heat the tortillas in a non-stick skillet until just beginning to get a little color in spots

2. Heat potatoes in a small pot of in the microwave

3. Spread some sour cream onto each tortilla

4. Add about 1/4 cup mashed potato to each tortilla

5. Drizzle with the hot sauce and then sprinkle with the green onions

6. Take a handful of the potato chips and crunch them over the top of each taco

7. Fold in half and eat

WATCH ME MAKE THIS, AND A BUNCH MORE

Salmon Tacos

Makes 2

Who says Asian & Mexican food can't mix?

Ingredients

• 4 green onions, white & light green parts only, sliced into thin shreds
• 1/4 cup jicama, sliced into thin shreds
• 1/4 pound salmon fillet without the skin, cut into small pieces 
• 3 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon Asian chili paste
• 2 corn tortillas
• Peanut oil

Directions

1. Combine green onions and jicama into a "slaw" and set aside
2. Also mix Hoisin and chili paste in a small bowl and set aside
3. Preheat a skillet or wok well on fairly high heat - also preheat a nonstick skillet to heat the tortillas
4. Add 1 teaspoon peanut oil, then the salmon and cook quickly until still a bit moist inside
5. Heat the tortillas in the nonstick skillet
6. Spread some sauce on the each tortilla, top with salmon and then some of the jicama slaw - eat

GRILLING ALTERNATIVE

Preheat grill to medium heat. Keep Salmon fillet whole, rub with peanut oil, plus rub a little oil in grate. Grill for 5-6 minutes each side, flake into large chucks.

Fish Stick Tacos

Makes 10

No laughing - I have not lost my mind and these are really good.

Ingredients

• 20 fish sticks, yes those little frozen-in-the-bag kind
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup green salsa
• 10 corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup green cabbage, shredded
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Bake sticks according to package directions
2. Mix sour cream and salsa, set aside
3. Warm tortillas until they get a tiny bit brown
4. Take a tortilla, add sauce, cabbage, 2 fish sticks and finally a squeeze of lime

Mashed Potato & Stuffing Tacos

Makes 4

The only word for what started out as a simple Mashed Potato Taco is legendary...

And if it's not Thanksgiving, a box of Stove Top works beautifully...no really.

Ingredients

• 4 corn tortillas
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 3/4 cup leftover mashed potatoes
• 1/3 cup leftover stuffing
• Hot sauce, about 4 teaspoons
• 6 pieces of bacon, cooked until crispy and then crumbled
• 4 handfuls of potato chips - preferably the extra crispy kettle kind

Directions

1. Heat the tortillas in a non-stick skillet on both sides until just beginning to get a little color in spots
2. Warm up potatoes & stuffing - small pot on the stove...microwave...in your pocket - it's up to you
3. Spread some sour cream onto each tortilla
4. Add some of the mashed potato then stuffing
5. Drizzle with the hot sauce, add crumbled bacon and then take a handful of the potato chips and crunch them over the top of each taco
6. Fold in half and eat...you can thank me later