Maybe it was the 50 degree weather or the bright sunshine that enveloped our small corner of the world, but for whatever reason the desire to spring clean struck the Soave household early this year. Saturday morning found Jay and I at the transfer station taking back an entire winters worth of recyclables and clearing out some much needed space in our garage.
Still buzzing on the cleaning high, I decided to clean out my closet next. Baptize might be a better word for what I did to it. The hangers and dresser drawers experienced true revival, but not without the help of friends.
Katie and Emily were coming over Saturday for tacos and a little girl time. I had no intentions of roping them into my project but when I mentioned what I wanted to do with my old clothes, Emily offered to check them out and take any off my hands she liked.
Before we knew it, every item of clothing I owned was ripped from the closet and dresser and strewn about on the floor. Emily tried on each item of apparel while I looked to Katie for guidance on what to keep and what to donate. Katie and I lived together right after I graduated college and many of the clothes I owned were from that time or things I had purchased with her on one of our many shopping trips. When we lived together I was in a very weird hippie/flower child/yellow mustard loving phase and it was finally time to move past that.
Katie, who had seen me through that oh-so-awkward transition from confused post college youth to professional working adult was there to coach me through saying goodbye to so much of what had been a part of my identity. I was happy to see some of the items I still loved but never wore anymore go to a good home with Emily, too.
I can’t begin to describe how good it felt to clear everything out and start new. I’m even more excited to fill up my closet again and if anyone needs to go shopping soon, hit me up.
The bright, fresh flavors of these tacos perfectly reflect how it feels when you’ve spent a weekend deep cleaning much of your home. Each bite is refreshing and enlightening. Crunchy cabbage slaw with sweet roasted pineapple are the perfect accompaniment to shrimp that gets baked in the oven to develop that perfect crispy texture.
I also made a hot pepper sauce to go in the cabbage slaw and on top of the shrimp. This was something our friends in florida showed us last week. It was so good on our fried fish so I immediately wanted to try it at home on these crispy baked shrimp tacos. It’s totally optional, but absolutely worth it. It should be made at least 2 days in advance to allow the flavors to infuse with the vinegar.
In fact, the pineapple salsa and cabbage slaw can also be made a day or two advance so all you have to do when you want to serve them is bake the shrimp and warm up some shells.
Crispy Baked Shrimp Tacos with Roasted Pineapple Salsa
For the Pepper Sauce
- 3 Rosemary Sprigs
- 3 Garlic Cloves, smashed
- 1 Jalapeño, sliced in half
- White Vinegar
In a squeeze bottle combine the rosemary, cloves, and jalapeño. Poor white vinegar over the top and allow to refrigerate for 2 days.
For the Roasted Pineapple Salsa
- 1 Jalapeño Pepper, sliced in half, seeds removed
- 9-10 Pineapple Slices, cut 1/2 in thick (about 1/4 of a whole pineapple)
- 1/2 Cup Red Onion, chopped
- Juice from 1/2 a lime
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro
Preheat the oven to 425. Place the pineapple and jalapeño on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for about 30 minutes, flipping after 15. Allow to cool and chop the pineapple and jalapeño. Combine with the onion, lime juice, and cilantro.
For the Cabbage Slaw
- 2 Cups Shredded Red Cabbage
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt
- Juice from 1/2 Lime
- 1 Tbsp Homemade Pepper Sauce (Recipe Above) Vinegar or White Vinegar
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro
Place the cabbage in a large strainer and sprinkle with salt. This will draw out any excess liquid in the cabbage and help soften the cabbage. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Combine the yogurt, lime juice, vinegar, and cilantro and add the cabbage to the mixture. Mix thoroughly and chill for at least an hour before serving.
For the Shrimp
- 1 Lb Raw Shrimp, deveined, peeled, and tails removed
- 1 Cup Flour
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1/4 Tsp Pepper
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 Cups Bread or Panko Crumbs
Preheat the oven to 450 and grease a baking sheet. Add the flour, salt, and pepper in a large ziplock bag and add the shrimp. Toss the shrimp in the flour mixture until each piece is coated. Remove and shake of the excess flour. One by one, dip each shrimp in the egg mixture then role in the bread crumbs. Place the shrimp on the prepared baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Cook for 6 minutes, then flip the shrimp, spray with cooking spray and cook for another 6 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
Serve everything with corn or flour tortillas.
