Smoky Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Mission Organics^®. All opinions are entirely my own.

#TacoTuesday just got way more delicious with these Smoky Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema! Made with Mission Organics^® White Corn Tortillas topped with corn, black beans and fresh cilantro make these THE BEST tacos you’ll ever eat!

Show of hands, who’s a taco lover? This girl is for sure! Actually, we both are. Tacos are a weekly thing for us. Give me warm Mission Organics White Corn Tortillas and I’ll dazzle you with a million different flavor combinations.

 

Taco night growing up was a huge deal in our house. I can remember walking into the kitchen after school and immediately I could smell taco seasoning and warm tortillas. Mom gave me the job to chop all of the veggies for her standard beef tacos – seasoned ground beef, shredded cheddar, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, homemade salsa and sour cream.

Mom only ever used Mission Tortillas as they always had THE BEST TASTE and were made with the best ingredients. However, when Mom made them, she would make at least 50 tacos at a time for the family and sure enough, every single one went. Tacos were that guilty pleasure as a kid, as it was food we could eat with our hands. Dinner time and the table conversations were a bit more casual and giddier. Even to this day, I equate taco night to fun and family; a tradition that Mr. Fantabulous and I both enjoy immensely.

 

Throughout the years, I’ve stuck with only ever buying Mission brand products as they have the best flavor and most authentic taste. Having traveled all throughout Mexico and even learning how to make tortillas from scratch while there, these Mission tortillas are still my number one favorite!

Growing up, ‘organic’ wasn’t in existence or something readily available. Plus, let’s face it – a ‘foodie’ wasn’t a ‘thing.’ What I love about being a chef today is that so many folks are foodies and more importantly, people care about their food. They want to know where their food comes from and that there are no additives; they want to be educated.

When Mission introduced their Organics line I was absolutely thrilled! We live an educated lifestyle when it comes to the foods and products we use/eat. I want delicious and quality! The Mission Organics White Corn Tortillas not only taste amazing, but they are also USDA organic certified AND they are Non-GMO project verified! Being USDA organic certified is a HUGE DEAL folks! To get this certification, organic operations must demonstrate that they are protecting natural resources, conserving biodiversity, and using only approved substances.

When you make tacos, what are some of your favorite fillings?  For me, I want to keep the filling lighter, that way the flavors of the warmed Mission Organics White Corn Tortillas are front and center AND we can still stick to our educated lifestyle. People often make several mistakes when they make tacos. They stuff them with way too much stuff and they never warm the tortilla (2 habits I had to break Mr. Fantabulous of when we first got married). You want to taste all of the ingredients; especially the Mission Organics White Corn Tortillas! Serving them warm ensures you get all of the full flavor!

As I mentioned earlier, you can pretty much fill a taco with anything. This Smoky Chipotle Shrimp recipe is one of my top 5 most favorite taco recipes EVER! Just a simple seasoning on the shrimp, corn and beans and you’re eating in no time! One thing I strongly recommend is definitely letting the shrimp marinate with the dry rub on it. The flavor will then infuse into the shrimp, giving you a delicious, flavor-packed bite each and every time.

Speaking of delicious, flavor-packed bites, have you guys tried the new Mission Organics^® Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips yet??? OMG people! So, anyone that knows me knows that I am a HUGE chip person! Like I’d skip cake, pie, chocolate, cookies for a bag of delicious chips. And these ones are well…they are perfect! That hint of sea salt on the Mission Organics Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips are pure heaven!

While my shrimp and veggies were basking in the dry rub, I opened up a bag of chips and proceeded to snack. That first bite of that saltiness hitting my lip was …. it left me speechless folks! And the CRUNCH!!!! WOWZERS! Seriously, this is a chip that needs no salsa or cheese sauce. This chip stands on its own! Plus, they are also USDA organic certified, Non-GMO project verified, are gluten-free and are free from artificial preservatives, colors and flavors!

Anyway, as I was marinating the shrimp, Mr. Fantabulous came out to the kitchen to see what I was up to (i.e., he wanted something to eat). When he spied all of the fixings for my ‘famous’ tacos he immediately got a huge smile on his face. These are one of his FAVORITE tacos ever. As I was sautéing up the shrimp, I heard a ‘CRUNCH!’ followed by a ‘Mmmmmm crunch crunch crunch!’ He found the chips, obviously. Now he’s not a big chip eater as he’d rather have sweets but even he commented on how amazing the chips were.

And like history would indicate, as soon as I put some of the finished shrimp into the above bowl, he snuck a few. Side note – this will happen to you as they smell absolutely AMAZING and are totally irresistible!

I opened up the bag of Mission Organics White Corn Tortillas and warmed them in an ungreased skillet (no fat, no butter, no oil – nada) on the stove top for about 15-30 seconds each side. Now since it’s just us, I only make 5 tacos at time (3 for him and 2 for me). Here’s a tip to keep them warm; As soon as one is removed from the pan, place them on a plate lined with a clean linen towel and cover. It will keep them warm while you’re heating up the rest of the tortillas.

What I love about these tortillas are the associated memories. As they are warming up, it immediately flashed memories of walking through the streets of Mexico City smelling those amazing warm corn scents. Thanks to Mission Organics White Corn Tortillas, I can now bring Mexico City to my kitchen whenever I want. Plus, honestly, the flavor. They are just so fresh, so authentic!

Let’s take a minute and talk a bit more about this recipe itself. As I mentioned, this is one of my (our) top 5 favorites! What makes this shrimp taco recipe different from the other million out there? Well, several things to be honest.

1. The Smoky Chipotle Chili Spice Rub is absolutely KEY for flavor.
2. Allowing the dry rub to marinate on it for 30 minutes is also KEY as that is how it gets infused into the shrimp.
3. Searing the shrimp, in the last minute with fresh lime juice – just trust me on this.
4. That lime crema – seriously, you’ll want to make like a bucket of it.
5. Lastly, but definitely most important, those warm Mission Organics White Corn Tortillas.

Every time I make tacos with Mission Organics White Corn Tortillas Mr. Fantabulous gets a huge smile on his face as he knows that our meal is not only going to be delicious but it’s also fun. Oh sure, we always have a blast when we eat but there’s just something a bit more colorful when we eat tacos. We’re raised to eat our food using utensils but when you get to use your hands there’s just something a bit more carefree about it.

These Mission Organics White Corn Tortillas are easily available in most grocery stores in the tortilla section and I love the fact that we do not have to worry about anything artificial in my meals. When I create recipes, I create them with fresh, delicious and readily available products.

For this specific recipe it’s always best to with the freshest ingredients. Now living in Pittsburgh it’s not like I can go down to one of the Three Rivers and net my own fresh shrimp BUT, if the season is right, I can get fresh corn. For the shrimp I go with fresh shrimp from the seafood department at my local store or I will go with fresh, flash frozen raw shrimp. To save time, go with already cleaned and deveined shrimp. For the beans you can go with fresh beans that you soak and cook overnight or, you can go with a really good quality canned bean.

To help give this dish a lighter, brighter and more fresh taste, add fresh cilantro and fresh lime zest & juice. One quirky thing we used to do as kids for tacos is ‘toast’ with it. We’d each pick up a taco and then ‘toast’ each other like you would when you clink glasses. I don’t remember what started that tradition to be honest but it was just something we always did.

And if dad was feeling giddy, he’d even make some silly toast speech before we ‘taco toasted.’ Silly I know, but it left me with such happy memories.

I can remember the first time I mentioned to Mr. Fantabulous about toasting our tacos. Guys, he looked at me like I lost my mind. But he could tell that it was something important to me (plus the fact that I had the biggest smile on my face – I looked happy) that he did it. We toasted. After a while we’d make silly little speeches before we’d toast. One night we toasted to the fact that all of the laundry was done AND most importantly all of the socks matched – no single sock remained. lol

But then one night Mr. Fantabulous took our toast to a new level. As we were holding up our tacos to toast, we went to touch tacos, and he immediately pulled his away and replaced it with his face. The man literally bit into my taco mid-toast! How rude! Lol haha needless to say every toast after that I’m more cautious and have developed ninja skills.

Do you guys have a favorite taco memory or perhaps Taco Tuesday traditions? What about your favorite taco filling (aside from this one being your newly favorite one)? Leave a comment below and let me know what you’d stuff your Mission Organics Tortillas with!

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