Summer Recipe - Grilled Shrimp and Steak Tacos

This is a quick and easy recipe for a weekend brunch, especially when having an outdoor barbecue gathering. The salsa and tortillas can be prepared ahead of time. You can use store bought salsa to save even more works. Just slap the steak and shrimp on the grill, also heat up the tortilla on the side. Serve with additional chips and salsa, and most importantly, icy cold beer. 

Grilled shrimp and steak tacos (for 2 to 3 portions) -

Ingredients?

Salsa:

• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups of chopped onion
• 2/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 skinny cucumber
• 1 lime
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika

Spicy tomatillo sauce:

• 1 green tomato
• 1/4 cup jalapeno 
• Some salt

• 5 large shrimp
• 1 lb steak
• Some olive oil
• Some salt
• Some freshly ground black pepper
• Some tortillas
• Some chips
• Some extra lime wedges (optional)
• Some Tabasco sauce (optional)

How?

This recipe yields three different salsas that are slightly different in taste. Store-bought salsa also works, but why not brings it up a notch by using homemade version especially when the salsa can be prepared ahead of time. 

Prepare a big bowl, add in 2 cups of chopped tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups of chopped onion, 2/3 cup of chopped cilantro, 1 zest of lime, 1 juice of lime, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix well and this will be the basic salsa used for chips.

Take 1/3 of the basic salsa and mix will 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika, this will be used for steak tacos.

Take another 1/3 of the basic salsa and mixed with 4 tablespoons of peeled and diced cucumber, this will be used for shrimp tacos. 

For the simple tomatillo sauce, roughly chop the green tomato and add into a food processor. Also add 1/4 cup of jalapenos and a small pinch of salt and blend till smooth. Taste and see if more salt is needed. 

Peel and devein the shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Leave the steak in room temperature for about 10 minutes before cooking, also sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Wipe some olive oil to the bottom of the skillet or on the grill to prevent sticking. Heat it up then cook both ingredients till desired rareness. Once ready, remove from heat and let them rest for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into smaller chunks. 

Just about fully cooked through for my shrimp -

And medium rare for my steak strips -

I couldn't find taco size tortillas so I used a round baking mold to cut the tortillas into smaller portions. Heat up both sides on a skillet or on the grill before serving. Don't leave the tortilla on heated surface for too long otherwise it'll start to crisp up.

Pour some chips on the plate and serve with basic salsa. Remember to use the cucumber salsa for the shrimp tacos and the smoked paprika salsa for the steak tacos. Drizzle some green sauce over the tacos. Put a bottle of Tabasco sauce on the side and maybe add a few lime wedges on the plate. 

It's a good idea to make extra salsa. You can always serve the leftover salsa with grilled fish, pork, or even add into grilled cheese sandwich for future meals.

Other Summer Recipes:

• Summer bites: brioche burger with seared tuna and Sriracha uni sauce
• Cooking for one - Japanese cold noodles with the best in season cherry tomatoes plus a touch of lemon
• Grilled shrimps with mango salsa (and a kick of deadly chilies)
• Chinese cold dish using chicken, cucumber, bean sprouts, and lots of appetizing seasonings