Chipotle Shrimp

Update October 2010 -I no longer eat shrimp for several reasons (health, environment) so recommend you use this method for wild caught salmon.

Welcome to What’s Cooking Wednesday, hosted by Tales from the Fairy Blogmother. Be sure to check out the other recipes submitted for WCW.

Today’s recipe is one of those super-easy ideas when you don’t have a lot of time and just want to get a quick dinner on the table. I find keeping shrimp in the freezer is great for that – they defrost very fast. The original recipe is from Real Simple, but I just took the shrimp idea and paired it with two other favorite taco toppings – guacamole and a jalapeno/onion/green pepper topping – rather than the slaw recipe they suggest.

Chipotle Shrimp for 2
Inspired by Real Simple

3/4 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp, defrosted and patted dry
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp, ground chilies, oil, and salt.Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

We then usually eat those as part of tacos with guacamole (our favorite is pretty simple, just avocado, lime juice, salt, and some finely chopped onion and cilantro) and either a salsa verde (like this one) or a topping that was part of another recipe in Cocina de la Familia. The topping is easy – saute equal amounts of chopped onion and chopped peppers (I like a combination of green and jalapeno) in a bit of olive oil, then douse with lemon juice.

The night I took these pictures, I think we may have used a bit too much cilantro in the guacamole. I also took a bit of the guacamole, thinned it out with some rice vinegar and a bit of olive oil, and used it as a dressing for the salad: