Surf & Turf Tacos with Carne Asada & Spicy Shrimp

I thought long and hard what my menu would be for Valentine's Day and decided that instead of that gourmet meal with 20 or more ingredients, I would go with our favorite: Tacos! It was one of the most wonderful Valentine's Day dinners ever. A few days before this, I had received a wonderful surprise package from my friend Deborah, who lives in San Antonio. In there was the most delicious-looking package of corn tortillas. That was my inspiration for these tacos. I knew I wanted to cook something surf and turf. Shrimp and steak.... Enjoy this any day you like!

Yields up to 8 tacos

Ingredients:

For Beef
1 pound chuck roast, sliced thin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon pepper
1 serrano chile, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons canola oil

For Shrimp
12 large or jumbo shrimp
¼ cup "Toasted Chile de Arbol" salsa recipe - listed below
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of salt

For Toasted Chile de Arbol Salsa:
12 dried chile de arbol
2 cloves garlic, minced
16 ounces tomato sauce
Salt to taste

Both the shrimp and beef cook up quickly!

You will also need 6 to 8 corn tortillas

Choose Your Favorite Garnishes
Avocado wedges
Radish slices
Chile de arbol salsa (see below for the recipe)
Lime pickled red onions
Mexican crema
Cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges

Click below on the links for the recipes for the lime pickled red onions and Mexican crema:

http://www.hispanickitchen.com/profiles/blogs/lime-pickled-red-onions

http://www.hispanickitchen.com/profiles/blogs/mexican-crema

Directions:

1. In a glass bowl, combine the beef with all the spices, vinegar, and oil. Toss well to combine, cover and marinate overnight. Preheat a nonstick pan to medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the stems from the chile de arbol and transfer to hot pan. Toast for just 2 to 3 minutes, turning as they become blackened and aromatic. Remove from pan, transfer to the blender, add remaining ingredients for salsa, blend on high until smooth, taste for salt and set aside.

2. One hour before cooking the beef, combine the cleaned shrimp with the ¼ cup salsa, spices, lime juice, and oil. Cover and keep chilled until ready to cook. Prep your garnishes and keep chilled until ready to serve. I would suggest serving the salsa at room temperature though. It brings out more of the flavors.

3. Preheat a stove top grill to medium/high heat for 5 to 6 minutes. Drizzle grill with a little canola oil to coat evenly. Cook the beef for just until browned, it will cook fast, turn as needed. Transfer to serving dish, and tent with foil paper. Remove shrimp from refrigerator. Drizzle a little more canola oil onto grill. Lay shrimp flat and cook for just a minute on each side or until shrimp turns pink. Transfer to serving dish with beef, cover to keep warm.

4. Heat tortillas and serve with reserved salsa and garnishes. To make it a little easier, I like to chop up the carne asada and shrimp into smaller pieces for making tacos. Yields up to 8 tacos.

Notes: If you do not have a stove top grill, just use a large nonstick pan. And if you do have a stove top grill, I like to line mine with easy release foil paper for a real easy cleanup!!

Other recipes by Sonia:

Mini Gorditas Stuffed with Chorizo and Cheese
Tilapia In a Green Chile Sauce With Coconut Lime Rice
Chile Relleno with Serrano Shrimp
Tequila Lime Shrimp
Steak Ranchero and Potato Tacos
Pumpkin Empanadas
Annatto-Citrus Marinated Chicken
Kickin' Sloppy Joe & Cheddar Pie
Chile Garlic Shrimp Kabobs
Avocado Fries
Chicken Enchilada Soup with Chayotes
Chocoflan / Pastel Imposible

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