Tacos de Camarón Fresco 194- (Fresh Shrimp Tacos)

Tacos de camarón, juicy shrimp tucked into warm tortillas with just the right amount of spice to make fresh, simple tacos packed with flavor. If you love seafood tacos, this one’s a must.

About Antojitos Mexicanos

Antojitos Mexicanos was written by Josefina Velázques de León between 1940 and 1949, first published by Josefina’s publishing house Ediciones J. Velázquez de León. Antojitos translates into small snack or appetizers and that is precisely what you will find in this book. The recipes range from enchiladas, quesadillas, tacos, and more.

About Josefina Velázquez de León

Josefina Velázquez de León could easily be considered Mexico’s first celebrity chef. Between 1930 and 1960, she published over 140 cookbooks, ran a cooking school in Mexico City, hosted a TV show, wrote a magazine column, and even founded her own publishing house.

She was a trailblazer in celebrating regional cuisine, traveling across the country to highlight the diverse flavors of every state while giving credit to the women behind the recipes. The UTSA Special Collections Library houses nearly all of Josefina’s works, schedule a visit today or take a look at more Josefina recipes.

Velázquez de León, Josefina. Antojitos mexicanos : selección de 100 recetas de los principales platillos de la cocina mexicana. México, D.F. : Academia “Velázquez de Leon”, [194-?]. Pp. 23-24.

Original Recipe

Tacos de Camarón Fresco

• 24 tortillas
• 240 gramos de camarón fresco
• 230 gramos de tomates verdes
• 230 gramos de jitomate
• 175 gramos de manteca
• 75 gramos de queso fresco
• 2 cebollas en vinagre
• 2 zanahorias en vinagre
• 3 chiles en vinagre
• 1 lechuga

Manera de Hacerse:

Ya lavados los camarones, se cuecen, se les quita el pellejo y se parten en pedazos chicos. En una cucharada manteca se fríen una cebolla picada, el jitomate picada, y el camarón, se sazona de sal y pimienta y se deja en el fuego hasta que espesa.

Los tomates se cuecen en una cucharada de manteca, se fríen y se muelen. Las tortillas se fríen ligeramente, se pasan por la salsa, rellenan, se enrollan, se colocan en el platón, se cubren con el queso que rallado, se adornan con las cebollas en vinagre rebanadas, las zanahorias, los chiles y las hojas de lechuga.

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Translated Recipe

Tacos de Camarón Fresco

• 24 tortillas
• 1 cup of fresh shrimp
• 1 cup of tomatillos
• 1 cup of red tomatoes
• 2/3 cup of manteca
• 1/3 cup of queso fresco
• 2 onions in vinegar
• 2 carrots in vinegar
• 3 chiles in vinegar
• Lettuce or cilantro for garnish

Preparation:

Wash and remove shell from shrimp, then chop shrimp into small pieces. Heat a tablespoon of manteca in a pan and cook the chopped onion, red tomates, and shrimp, adding salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the shrimp is fully cooked.

Cook the tomatillos in a tablespoon of manteca until cooked. Lightly fry the tortillas, then add the salsa mixture [shrimp, onions, and tomatoes], wrap, and place on a large dish. Garnish with cheese, vinager onions, carrots, and leaves of lettuce/cilantro.

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Tacos or Enchiladas?

As you can see from the photos these tacos look a lot like enchiladas. The cooking method in the original recipe writen in the 1940’s is what I generally associate with enchiladas, the tortillas are dipped in oil then dipped in the sauce, then filled in rolled. If you want to use the filling to make a more modern interpreation of tacos, warm your corn tortillas, stuff with the shrimp filling, and top with queso fresco, the pickled vegetables, and the salsa. See more taco recipes in our index.

Ingredients

Fresh shrimp: Any size shrimp would work for this recipes. If you want to save time, buy already peeled shrimp. Frozen shrimp also works for this recipe.

Tomates verdes (tomatillo): In central and southern Mexico what we call in the US tomatillo is known as tomates verdes or simply tomates. Tomatillo are small green tomatoes covered in a papery husk. You can find them at your local Mexican grocery store.

Jitomate (tomatoes): Jitomate usually refers to Roma tomato, an oblong shaped red tomato.

Onions, Carrots, and Chiles in Vinegar: For the carrot and chiles in vinegar you can use the canned version of chiles en escabeche. For the onions I pickled a red onion in lime juice (see recipes notes).

Make Fresh Shrimp Tacos Step by Step

Top with queso fresco, pickled onions, pepper, and carrots.

Expert Tips and Tricks

If you want to lower the fat content in this recipe, instead of heating up the tortillas in oil you can heat them up on a comal (griddle) or in the microave.

Serving

Serve immedieatly after assembling.

Storing

These tacos don’t store well after being assembled, but you can store the filling in an airtight container for 2 days in the fridge.