Half Master {smoky/spicy shrimp tostadas w/charred green onion sauce}

Hello! Yes I am alive. I’ve been living under a rock for several reasons (busy semester, dying from the plague for over 2 weeks straight, work, thawing post-winter, etc). It’s been a nutty few months here in Ann Arbor. But I’m officially halfway to my Master’s degree! I’m a half master. The madness has been worth it, and I am still so so happy to be back in school. Yay learning and stuff!

things you find when the snow melts

Really, though, after a long slog, I am very happy and grateful for my program and the people around me. It’s not easy to move somewhere new, knowing no one, but these people have made my life 100000% more wonderful just being around. And they help me get through when my family is 3000 miles away (though they’ll be here this week!).

other cool grad school things: winning a wine tasting dinner with several of your esteemed professors (Carl Simon threatening us with champagne)

Oh yeah, and I’m moving to Chicago for the summer to do an internship. What??? Still need to find a place to live, but that’s no matter. I’m so excited to explore a new place! Suggestions are requested as things to do/see/eat during the summer in the Windy City.

cheese care packages from friends because FRIENDSHIP

Anyway, today I have nothing to do, nowhere to be, and I just wanted to use my alone time to cooooook. Last night in my post-working-at-a-restaurant-during-grad-weekend stupor, I grabbed corn tostadas, unsure of what I was going to do with them. This morning, slightly less stupor-y, I drew up a game plan and slowly but surely got my life together. Well, not my life, but some tostadas. And then I ate them over the sink, because I’m a grown-ass woman and I do what I want!

Heidelberg Project

Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, so I guess that makes these festive? Doesn’t matter, because they are G.O.O.D. Like, so good. Like, make them today. The charred green onion sauce is the bomb.com, and methinks it will end up on some breakfast tostadas tomorrow….for me. Again. Please see above paragraph as to why.

These are crunchy, creamy, spicy, smoky….all the things you hope for as spring slowly turns to summer. They’re worth it to make for yourself, and maybe if you’re feeling generous, you should even share them…or nah. It’s your party, you can hog your tostadas if you want to.

THIS. #MOOD.

Smoky Spicy Shrimp Tostadas

(makes ~4-5 tostadas)

What you’ll need:

Smoky Shrimp 

• 1 lb shrimp, peeled
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Olive oil

Charred Green Onion Sauce (From Seven Spoons via Sprouted Kitchen)

• 6 green onions
• 2 jalapeños
• Big pinch smoked paprika
• 1/2 c plain greek yogurt (I used 2%, the recipe just indicated not nonfat)
• 2 tbsp mayo
• 1 small bunch of cilantro, trim off any gross bits
• Zest and juice of one lime
• 1 tbsp agave nectar
• 1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & Pepper

Tostada Time

• Corn tostadas
• Shredded red cabbage or other greens of choice
• Diced avocado
• Cilantro
• Thinly sliced radishes

A cocinar:

Prep charred green onion sauce:

• In a large skillet, toast the green onions and jalapeños over medium heat until they are well charred on all sides. This will take anywhere from 5-10 minutes, depending on your heat level. Allow them to cool before trimming off the roots of the green onions and stems of the jalapeños.
• Throw veggies and the remaining ingredients into your food processor or blender and give them a whirl until you’ve got a pretty smooth sauce. Unless you’ve got a fancy piece of equipment, you’ll still see bits of the cilantro and green onion, which is awesome and fine.

green glory

Shrimp Time:

• Heat your oil up in a large skillet over medium heat, then add in your spices, stirring for roughly 30 seconds. We’re “blooming” the spices much like we did with my gambas al ajillo.

sidebar: loved how the spices looked because fun colors and stuff

• Throw in your garlic and cook for another minute, stirring regularly so it doesn’t burn
• Toss in the shrimpies and a large pinch of salt, then stir it all up to distribute our spicy oil and garlic, then let cook for a few minutes on one side before flipping the shrimp and cooking for another few minutes. This is the beauty of shrimp: that quick cook!
• Once they’re cooked, chop them into bite-sized pieces and return to the juices in the pan. They are read-AYYY!

Assembly: you’re grown, do as you wish!

• I spread a layer of the charred green onion sauce, then topped that with my cabbage and avocado, then some shrimp, then cilantro, radishes, and cotija. BOOMSHAKALAKA

SO MUCH YAAAASSSSS

layers of deliciousness

And the sun looked upon the tostada with favor.

Fuhhhrullll though you guys. Make this ish. It’s delicious. You could easily translate this into taco time instead of tostada time, but you do you and I’ll do me and that’s cool.

¡Buen provecho!

Emily 🙂