Honorable Mention, Savory: Strawberry Shrimp Tacos with Strawberry Jicama Salsa

These tacos—semi-finalists in the 2017 California Strawberry Festival in Oxnard—can be served with Avocado Chipotle Sauce or Chipotle Lime Yogurt Sauce.

“The salty ocean breeze…The aroma of freshly cut cilantro…The lingering sweet scent of the strawberry fields on a warm Ventura County summer day…Creamy, dreamy avocados…Taste and scent are so intertwined. These tacos are Ventura County!” --Katie Hagan

By Katie Hagan | June 02, 2017

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 4 tacos

Strawberry Jicama Salsa

1 pound strawberries, cut into ¼-inch dice
1 small jicama, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 2 cups)
1 small red onion, cut into ¼-inch dice (about ¾ cup)
1 jalapeño, finely chopped
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 lime, zest and juice
Salt

Shrimp

12 large shrimp
½ cup Strawberry Jicama Salsa
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
¼ teaspoon cumin
Splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt

Avocado Chipotle Sauce

1 ripe avocado
½ lime, zest and juice
½ teaspoon chipotle powder
Salt

Chipotle Lime Yogurt Sauce

¼ cup Greek yogurt
Juice and zest of ¼ lime
¼ teaspoon chipotle powder
Salt

Taco Assembly

4 corn tortillas
Enough oil to fry
Salt
Shredded cabbage
Extra cilantro
Sliced radish

Preparation

Strawberry Jicama Salsa

This recipe makes extra salsa to serve with chips.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside ½ cup for shrimp. Place rest in refrigerator.

Shrimp

Shell and devein shrimp. Place shrimp, salsa, garlic, cumin, olive oil and salt in a bowl. Mix and let marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Avocado Chipotle Sauce

To make avocado sauce: Mash avocado. Add lime juice and zest, chipotle powder and salt. Blend well. Set aside.

Chipotle Lime Yogurt Sauce

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Blend well. Set aside

Taco Assembly

Before cooking shrimp, I suggest frying up your taco shells. Lightly salt and place in a warm oven until shrimp are cooked.

Heat a cast iron skillet on high heat until it is very hot. Place shrimp in skillet. (If your skillet is not well-seasoned, add a bit of oil so the shrimp don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.) Shrimp take about a minute to cook on each side. (Shrimp meat will be opaque white when cooked.)

I like to assemble with shredded cabbage in the bottom of shell, followed by 3 shrimp, cilantro, avocado sauce, salsa and radish slices.