c/o Isabel Kapner

Take a second and imagine with me. You’re sitting with your favorite people at a table outside, watching the sun begin to set, basking in the deep summer warmth. You’ve just spent the past hour cooking and finally get to sit down, relishing the time spent together and the delicious collaborative meal. That meal is the incredible shrimp tacos that this article hopes to share with you.

Shrimp tacos are my favorite thing to make with my friends and my family. It’s a very simple meal and anyone, regardless of cooking experience, can help with a step. Maybe it’s because I made these over and over this past summer, but the flavors remind me so much of that perfect August evening. The tomato and avocado mixtures add an incredible freshness and zest, while the beans bring an aspect of warmth, with the spicy shrimp bringing it all together in a wonderful amalgamation of flavors and textures. As it starts to warm up at Wesleyan and summer quickly approaches, these shrimp tacos will allow you to best savor the time left with your friends.

Fish Tacos for Friends (technically they aren’t fish tacos, but we make sacrifices for the sake of alliteration)

Ingredients

Serves 3–4 

c/o Isabel Kapner

• 1 pound shrimp, defrosted and patted dry 
• 1 can black beans 
• 2 hearty tablespoons sour cream or Greek yogurt 
• 3 handfuls cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 2 big avocados, diced
• 1 pack mini flour tortillas
• 2 limes 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Taco seasoning, tajin, or your spicy and zesty seasoning of choice
• Salt

Instructions

1. In a bowl, toss the shrimp with taco seasoning or with a mixture of cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Set aside.
2. In a second bowl, add the diced avocado, a 1/2 lime’s worth of juice, tajin (to liking), and salt. Loosely mix together.
3. In a third bowl, add the diced tomatoes, diced red onion, a 1/2 lime’s worth of juice, and salt. Loosely mix together.
4. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then add rinsed black beans. Cook for 3–5 minutes until warm.
5. Add the cooked black beans to a bowl and mash together with the sour cream or Greek yogurt. 
6. Heat the pan back up to a medium, and add the shrimp. Cook each side for 3–4 mins, until pink. They should curl into a “C” shape when done. An “O” shape means they are overcooked.
7. While cooking the shrimp, toast or warm your tortillas. 
8. Cut the remaining lime into slices and put in a bowl.
9. Assemble: add a layer of the beans, the avocado mixture, and the tomato mixture down the center of each tortilla, and top each one with a few shrimp. Enjoy!

Issie Kapner can be reached at ikapner@wesleyan.edu.