Mezcal Shrimp Tacos with Guac Crema

Total Time:	30 min
Cook Time:	30 min
Serves:	4
Level:	Easy

Ingredients

Guac Crema:

• 1 small green chili pepper, Serrano or small jalapeno
• 1 ripe Haas avocado 
• 1 lime 
• 1/4 small red or white onion 
• 1 cup Mexican crema or sour cream 
• A pinch of salt 

Tacos:

• 1/2 small red or white onion
• 1 can (14 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes 
• 32 medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off 
• 6 cloves garlic 
• EVOO
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 1 scant teaspoon cumin seed, measure in your palm 
• 1 teaspoon (1/3 palm full) pimenton or paprika
• 2 chipotle in adobo, plus a couple spoonfuls sauce 
• About 1/4 cup mezcal 
• A drizzle of honey, about a teaspoon 
• Salt and pepper
• 1 lime
• Twelve 6-inch corn tortillas 

To Serve:

• 1 head iceberg lettuce
• 1 lime, wedged
• Cilantro leaves
• Sliced pickled jalapenos, mild or hot
• Thinly sliced small radishes
• Crumbled cotija or queso fresco
• Sliced scallions 

Directions

1. Gather your ingredients.
2. For the crema: Seed and chop green chili. Halve and pit avocado. To a food processor or high power blender, add the juice of 1 lime, chili, scoop in the avocado, onion and crema or sour cream and process into a smooth sauce. Season with salt to taste.
3. For the tacos: Finely chop onion. Place tomatoes in a strainer to drain. Pat shrimp dry. Peel garlic and thinly slice, grate or chop garlic.
4. Heat a large cast-iron or wide, shallow skillet over medium-high heat with EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Melt butter into oil and when it foams add onion, garlic, cumin, paprika and chipotle in adobo. Swirl and toss a minute. Add tomatoes, cook a minute or 2 more, then add mezcal and a drizzle of honey — be mindful of a flare up. Swirl a minute more. Add the shrimp to the sauce, season with salt and pepper and cook, turning occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes. Add juice of lime, remove from heat.
5. Char tortillas in a hot stainless pan over high heat or over open flame on gas burners. Blister the tortillas 20 to 30 seconds and stack in a cloth napkin or towel to keep warm.
6. Serve shrimp in serving bowl with tortillas, crema, lettuce, lime wedges and toppings alongside.
7. To build tacos: Slather or squirt sauce on tortilla, top with lettuce, shrimp — squirt on more lime juice of you like, cilantro, jalapenos, radishes, cheese and scallions.