Recipe: Calabash Shrimp Tacos

It wouldn't be Taco Tuesday without some Dinner DeeAs inspiration, and we have an ‘idea for dinner’ to make it great! This idea comes from Gerry Sizemore, Chef de Cuisine at Tampa's Haven restaurant. Chef Gerry told us: "Growing up I spent most of my summer breaks in North Carolina. Fried seafood baskets were the thing to get when we had a Sunday family outing. I have memories of mounds of fried seafood coming out to our table and how delicious it was. One of my favorite foods today is fish tacos, So I decided that a fried shrimp taco would be a great thing for me to make."

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Buttermilk Crema

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• A pinch of kosher salt

Directions

1. Warm heavy cream in saucepan until slightly above room temperature.
2. Remove saucepan from heat and mix in buttermilk, stirring thoroughly.
3. Transfer mixture to airtight jar and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours to culture.
4. After 24 hours, add lime juice and pinch of kosher salt to jar.
5. Seal jar tightly and shake mixture until lime juice and salt are fully combined with cultured cream.

Okra Succotash

Ingredients

• 8 pieces of okra
• 1 ear of corn
• 1 green tomato, small diced
• salt brine (for green tomato)
• 1 poblano pepper, small diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat grill and char whole okra pieces until they develop smoky flavor and have grill marks.
2. Roast ear of corn on grill until it golden brown. Once cool, cut kernels off cob.
3. Dice green tomato and let sit in salt brine to enhance flavor.
4. In mixing bowl, combine charred okra (sliced if preferred), corn kernels, brined green tomato, poblano pepper, and onion.
5. Season succotash mixture with salt and pepper to your liking. Drizzle sherry vinegar and olive oil over succotash and toss together until well combined.

Calabash Shrimp

Ingredients

• 1 lb rock shrimp
• oil, for frying
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp smoked paprika

Directions

1. Heat oil in deep fryer or large pot suitable for frying.
2. In mixing bowl, whisk beaten eggs and buttermilk together.
3. In another bowl, combine all-purpose flour, garlic powder, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Mix dry ingredients thoroughly.
4. Dip shrimp into egg and buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip off.
5. Dredge shrimp in seasoned flour mixture, ensuring they are well coated.
6. Fry coated shrimp in preheated oil until golden brown and crispy.
7. Once fried, remove shrimp from oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.

Tortilla with Red Masa

Ingredients

• 1 cup red masa
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp salt

Directions

1. In mixing bowl, combine red masa and salt.
2. Gradually pour warm water into the bowl with dry ingredients.
3. Mix by hand until dough starts to form. Continue to knead dough gently in bowl.
4. Test dough by pressing a small amount between hands; if edges crack, dough is too dry and may need more water. If edges are smooth without cracks, dough is ready.
5. Portion dough into ping-pong-sized balls.
6. Place ball of dough between two sheets of parchment paper, and press into thin disk using tortilla press.
7. Repeat process with remaining dough.
8. Tortillas are ready to be cooked on hot griddle or skillet until slightly browned and flexible.

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