Tacos are a great go-to dish for me since there are so many different things you can do with it. It was great to be able to incorporate a lot of the fresh produce coming in this Spring in the slaw and the salad at the farmer’s market this past Saturday. These tacos were loaded with flavor and a variety of nutrients. Slaw is a great way to eat a vegetable you know is good for you, but may not be a favorite, such as beets or radishes. They add complimentary flavors to the other vegetables without being overpowering. I was excited to try something new myself with an herb called lovage. It was leafy like parsley and similar in taste with the addition of celery and carrot notes. It taste great with the arugula salad I also made to go on the tacos. While I didn’t include it, you can always add salsa and sour cream to make your tacos your own. *Note the jam used in the marinade and dressing for the slaw came from the Red Stick Spice Company. You can always substitute with any berry or citrus jam you have on hand.
I hope you give these a try for a taste of something new! Check out the recipe below.
Serves 4
Shrimp marinade ingredients:
2 lbs. fresh peeled and deveined shrimp
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 ½ tsp. F.R.O.G. jam (figs, raspberries orange and ginger)
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
Slaw Ingredients:
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
½ cup shredded carrot (2 medium)
½ cup shredded turnips (2 small)
¼ cup shredded beets (1 small)
1/8 cup finely shredded radishes (1 medium)
1/8 cup chopped green onion
½ cup rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. F.R.O.G. jam (figs, raspberries orange and ginger)
2 tsp. local berry honey
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. coarse black pepper
Arugula and Lovage Salad Ingredients:
2 cups shredded arugula
1 cup fresh chopped lovage
1/8 cup of fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. local berry honey
Remaining ingredients:
1 tsp. olive oil (for cooking)
1/8 cup lemon juice
12-16 tortillas
Directions:
1. Peel and devein shrimp and add to a ziploc bag and refrigerate until ready to use. In a medium-sized bowl add vinegar and jam and whisk until jam is dissolved.
2. Add olive oil slowly while continuing to whisk. Squeeze lemon juice in, seeded side up to avoid getting seeds in the mixture and add in half of the remaining ingredients for the marinade. *If preferred, preheat the oven to warm your tortillas.
3. Mix until well blended and then add to the bag of shrimp and add in remaining seasoning. Close bag and massage the mixture gently to distribute marinade evenly. Set aside until ready to cook.
4. In the same bowl from the marinade, add the honey and jam with vinegar and dissolve by whisking. Add in half the seasonings and whisk until well incorporated. Set aside for slaw.
5. Remove large outer leaves from cabbage and rinse thoroughly. Cut off the end of the cabbage for stability and place it cut side down on the board. Cut in half and remove the core from one half of the cabbage.
6. Cut four strips into cabbage about an inch from the narrow end. This will make it easier to keep the cabbage together while you thinly slice it. Slice the cabbage and add it to a large bowl.
7. Rinse and peel roots vegetables using a potato peeler. Grate each vegetable into the bowl with the cabbage. Add dressing and remaining seasoning and toss gently with a spoon. Set aside until ready to plate.
8. Rinse arugula and lovage. Cut off long stems of arugula and chop into strips. Chop lovage like you would parsley and add both to a medium-sized bowl. Rinse bowl from marinade and slaw dressing and squeeze in half of a lemon, seeded side up and whisk with the olive oil. Add to the bowl with the greens and toss with a spoon.
9. *If warming, add tortillas to a non-stick baking sheet and brush each with a little water. (You can use a wet paper towel, a clean wet hand or a fine mist spray bottle). Place in the oven.
10. Place a tsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the pan heats (2-3 minutes) add the shrimp in an even layer. After 3 minutes of cooking, sprinkle with remaining lemon juice and flip the shrimp to cook for an additional 3 minutes.
11. Remove tortillas from the oven with one minute remaining on the shrimp. The shrimp should be white. If so remove from heat. If at all gray or translucent, cook an additional minute.
12. Chop shrimp and then make tacos.
13. Enjoy.