mercadito's tacos de camarón

you may know my opinions about mercadito. so when i received an email about a mercadito "cooking class" i was ecstatic--and demanded friend number 2 join me.

when we showed up and saw what was on the menu for the demonstration (not really a cooking class), i got even more excited: mercadito's chipotle shrimp tacos! they're literally one of my 2 choices to order every time i'm there (my other choice is the chicken tacos with crispy manchego and pickled sweet potato. now if only i could get my hands on the recipes for those pickles...)

as for the demonstration, executive chef-owner patricio sandoval was a wonderfully engaging host. he talked and cooked, we ate...all in all a beautiful thing. especially when you consider we walked away stuffed with delicious food (an assortment of tastings of guacamole, ceviche, tacos and dessert aaaaaand a pepino margarita) for $45 AND the recipes to recreate at home--I WIN! ahem. WE win!

keep your eyes on the sabores autenticos de mexico website for upcoming cooking demonstrations and events including mexican restaurant week.

a little less exciting than all of this awesomeness was learning the secret of what makes the shrimp tacos so delicious: mounting the sauce. aka adding tons and tons of butter. more specifically, whisking cold butter into the sauce at the end of cooking it. i should have guessed...so, if you're in the mood for something delicious and slightly indulgent, have at it. or on a less-indulgent day, skimp out on the butter (which is what friend number 2 and i did the other day when we finally got around to trying the recipe for ourselves).

mercadito's tacos de camarón
courtesy of patricio sandoval

makes 4 tacos

• 2 tablespoons canola/olive oil blend
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons red onion, diced
• 6 ounces marinated shrimp (recipe below)
• 2 teaspoons chipotle puree (we blended chipotles in adobo, since they're easiest to find. if you use these, just make sure to taste as you go so that you don't wind up with something that's too hot to eat...)
  
• lemon juice to taste
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• salt to taste
• 4 homemade corn tortillas (ha, whoops, i must have left my homemade tortillas at home...not gonna happen)
  
• 4 slices avocado

• heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet; sauté 1 tablespoon garlic until brown. add red onion and sauté 30 seconds.
• add marinated shrimp and cook 1 minute. stir in 2 teaspoons chipotle puree, lemon juice, and butter; season with salt to taste. cook 2 to 4 minutes.
• heat corn tortillas. top each with shrimp and 1 slice of avocado.

marinated shrimp

• 6 ounces diced shrimp
• 1/2 can of chipotle peppers (blend chipotle peppers in blender)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon canola oil