Dude Cookin' at its Finest...

...that is, dude cookin' that doesn't involve big chunks of red meat. I was in the mood to do some grilling this evening, and it's been a while since I've made some good baja-inspired fish tacos. So I consulted "Weber's Big Book of Grilling," which is currently on sale for $9.98 at Powell's (in the interest of disclosure, I am receiving compensation from neither Weber nor Powell's) and managed to merge two recipes, Tequila Shrimp* and Red Snapper Fajitas, with an adjustment or two of my own, into the preparation I now present to you: Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Acocado Black Bean Salsa!

We'll start with about a pound of raw shrimp. Peel and devein said crustaceans by running a paring knife up the back of each shrimp, just under the shell. Peel away the shell and tail, and pull out the vein with the tip of the knife (the "vein" by the way, is actually not a vein at all, but rather the shrimp's digestive tract). Once all of your shrimp are peeled and deveined, place them in a plastic bag with the marinade:

3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
Zest of one lime
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp kosher salt
A few twists of fresh ground pepper

Let the shrimp marinate for 45 minutes. While this is happening, assemble the following ingredients into a salsa:

1 large tomato, cored and diced
1 avocado, pitted and diced
1 cup cooked black beans
1 small red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro*
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Zest of one lime
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
A few twists of fresh ground pepper

Once the shrimp are done marinating, thread them onto bamboo skewers which have been soaked in water for an hour, and place them on the grill:


Cook the shrimp over high direct heat for four minutes, flipping and rotating 180 degrees each skewer halfway through. Remove from heat. Place four flour (or corn, if you like) tortillas on the grill over the same high direct heat for one minute. In order to keep the tortillas from becoming too brittle, spritz each one before and after grilling with a little water (I didn't do this, as you can tell from the photo).

Put about seven shrimp on each tortilla, cover with a mound of the salsa, and fold over into a taco (for those of you back east who are used to those rigid corn taco shells from Old El Paso, this is what we know as tacos here on the west coast).

Serve with some fine Mexican beer and enjoy!

* I opted to make this without tequila or cilantro, as I don't much care for either. If they suit your taste, then go for it. Replace about half of the lime juice in the marinade with tequila. What to do with the rest of that bottle of Reposado is up to you...