OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle

mexican

Grilled Seafood Tostada

by Leave a Comment

Grilled shrimp and scallops get piled high on a crunchy tostada with fresh corn and tomato salad drizzled with a refreshing cilantro lime vinaigrette.

We’re one week away from Cinco de Mayo and I’d say that’s a reason to celebrate Mexican food! I mean, do we really need a reason? I could eat Mexican food everyday especially if it’s paired with succulent seafood.

All those bright, fresh colors and textures layered with a depth of spices and the crunch….Yep, Mexican food has it all. When you fuse it with Pacific Northwest flavors it just gets better. Elegance.

Shrimp and scallops get gently grilled adding a hint of smokiness as they top a fresh and crunchy salad that’s drizzled in cilantro lime vinaigrette. This Grilled Seafood Tostada has it all, the crunch, the freshness and the smoky sweetness of the shrimp and scallops all in one weeknight meal.

Print

Grilled Shrimp & Scallop Tostada With Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Grilled shrimp and scallops piled high on a crunchy tostada with fresh corn and tomato salad drizzled with cilantro lime vinaigrette
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword Cinco de Mayo, Seafood tostada
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Seafood:

  • 12 shrimp peeled, deveined, leave on tail
  • 8 sea scallops patted dry
  • 1 tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce
  • ½ cup mayonnaise

Salad:

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • ¼ cup red onion fine diced
  • ½ clove garlic minced
  • ½ jalapeno diced
  • 1 cup red cabbage finely shredded
  • 2 ears corn grilled and cut off cob (brush with olive oil and grill until charred . I like to do this before the seafood when grill is super hot)
  • 1 avocado diced
  • ¾ of the Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette:

  • 1 lime juiced
  • ¼ cup cilantro fine chopped
  • ½ clove garlic minced
  • 1 tsp agave nectar
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 can of Mexican seasoned pinto beans such as Bush’s Cocina Latina
  • 4 oz Monterey Jack cheese shredded
  • 4 Tostada shells
  • A few kabob sticks
  • Lime for serving

Instructions

  • Prepare grill.
  • In a small bowl, mix together chipotle in adobo and mayonnaise.
  • Toss together with seafood and keep in fridge until grill is ready.
  • In a small saute pan, heat can of pinto beans and keep on low until ready to use.
  • Prepare Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl.
  • Prepare Salad by gently mixing all ingredients together in a large bowl.
  • Drizzle ¾ of vinaigrette over salad and gently combine. Set aside until ready to use.
  • Thread seafood on kabob stick. Shrimp will cook quicker than scallops, so thread shrimp on separate kabob stick from scallops.
  • Grill seafood until cooked through and slightly charred. Remove from heat and remove from kabob sticks for plating.
  • Place tostada shell on plate. Spoon ¼ on the beans over tostada, sprinkle ¼ of the cheese over beans, mound up about a cup of the salad, top with three shrimp and two scallops and drizzle with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette.

Crispy Mexican Pizzas

by 1 Comment

Crispy Mexican pizzas blend two of my favorite foods together and it’s a great way to us leftover pulled pork. Crispy tortilla, bean smear, creamy Jack cheese and, of course, all the fun toppings. Pickled onions brighten everything, cilantro adds the freshness and cotija cheese for a little saltiness. These little cuties are ready in no time at all!

Back in the day, my friends and I would come in from a night of fun, with the 2 a.m. munchies. The first thing we would do was raid the cupboards for anything that could make with quickness. We made this thing we liked to call Mexican Pizza. Although a little less refined than this recipe, basically we topped a flour tortilla with pizza sauce and cheese then zapped it in the microwave for a minute and chowed down. It satisfied all the late night cravings of greasy, cheesy and crunchy.

Print

Crispy Mexican Pizzas

Two of my favorite foods combined into one crispy bite
Course Main Course
Cuisine Burgers, Sandwiches, Pizza
Keyword crispy flour tostadas, Mexican pizza
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 16 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Pulled Pork

  • 6-7 lb pork shoulder roast, bone in
  • 1 tbsp achiote paste Found in Mexican aisle at grocery
  • 1 tbsp Tajin Mexican seasoning
  • 1/2 lime, squeezed
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 1 1/2 – 2 cup water

Pickled Red Onions

  • 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt

Salsa Verde

  • 6 tomatillos, husks removed
  • 1 yellow onion, quartered
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tsp sugar

Other ingredients

  • 12 tbsp prepared bean dip
  • 8 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 12 mini flour tortillas (street taco size)

Instructions

Pulled Pork

  • Mix achiote paste with lime juice and massage over pork roast.  Season with Tajin Mexican seasoning and place in crockpot together with onion and water.  Cook about 6-8 hours or until fork tender.  Remove, let cool and shred.  You will only be using 1-2 cups of the meat.   Save the remainder for another use, like burritos.

Pickled Red Onions

  • Mix together  vinegar, salt and sugar in a medium bowl.  Place onions in mixture, cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour.  You may need to stir every 15 minutes if the liquid doesn’t reach all of the onion slices.

Salsa Verde

  • Place tomatillos, onion and jalapeno on a sheet pan and broil until charred.  Remove from oven and blend together with water and sugar. (This makes more than you will need for pizzas.  Save remainder for another use like salsa or burritos)

Assembly

  • Microwave flour tortillas:  Place 2 tortillas on a paper towel and cover with another paper towel.  Microwave for 1 minute. They should be firm.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  
  • Move tortillas to sheet pans. Spread 1 tbsp bean dip on each tortilla.  top with 1 tbsp Monterrey Jack cheese and about 1 tbsp shredded pork. Broil until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and garnish with pickled red onion, salsa verde, cotija cheese and cilantro.

Notes

Use leftover pulled pork to make this recipe quick

Bacon Wrapped Poblano

by Leave a Comment

Fire roasted poblano stuffed with creamy Oaxaca cheese and crumbled sausage, wrapped in smoky bacon and served on a plate of corn crema

Bacon wrapped poblano stuffed with Oaxaca cheese and sausage served in corn crema

One of my favorite dishes to make are Bacon Wrapped Poblanos. I’ve made them a million different ways, but this might just be my favorite. If you’ve ever tried a poblano pepper, sometimes called pasilla pepper, you know that one time you’ll get a spicy one and other times they have a definite kick to them, which makes this sweet corn crema the perfect way to eat these up! These babies are stuffed with a creamy Mexican melting cheese called Oaxaca and spicy crumbled sausage, them wrapped up in a smoky piece of bacon. You’ll want to make extra of these!

Bacon Wrapped Poblanos are hearty enough to serve as a main dish or perfect for an appetizer.  Serve with Enchiladas Suiza and a plate of freshly shredded lettuce, sliced tomato and avocado.  If you are having friends over, set out a couple poblanos, a batch of Frijoles Charros, your favorite tortilla chips and pico de gallo for an Out West inspired gathering.

Related Recipes

  • Flavorful broth based Poblano Corn Tortilla Soup with cilantro, lime and Queso Oaxaca
  • Frijoles Charros are creamy pinto beans are cooked with bacon and chorizo to get that smokey, spicy flavor and a mirapoix of celery, carrot and onion add a richness. Topped with crumbed cotija and crispy fried tortilla strips, you've got a family friendly meal in a bowl.
  • Carne en su Jugo
Stuffed poblano wrapped in bacon in cream corn sauce
Print

Bacon Wrapped Poblano

Fire roasted poblano stuffed with creamy Oaxaca cheese and crumbled sausage, wrapped in smokey bacon and served on a plate of corn crema
Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword bacon wrapped peppers, pasilla pepper, stuffed pepper, stuffed poblano
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 5

Ingredients

Poblano Peppers

  • 5 poblano peppers (pasilla peppers)
  • 1 lb hot ground sausage
  • 10 oz Oaxaca cheese, grated (found in Mexican section of dairy)
  • 5 slices bacon

Corn Crema

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cup corn, frozen
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tsp lime juice, fresh
  • 1/2 tsp sugar

Instructions

Bacon Wrapped Poblano

  • Heat oven on broil
  • Place poblano peppers on sheet pan and broil on each side until blackened
  • Remove from oven and quickly place in a bowl with lid.  Leave here for about 5 minutes to allow the skin to steam off.  After 5 minutes, remove and place on cutting board.
  • Carefully, using the back side of your knife, scrape off the blackened skin. Make a small slip in one side of the pepper and remove seeds.
  • In a medium pan over medium heat, cook sausage untl browned and crumbled.
  • Place bacon slices between two thick paper towels and microwave for two minutes, cooking partially.  Set aside.
  • Stuff peppers with 1/5 of cheese and 1/5 of cooked sausage.
  • Wrap a piece of par cooked bacon around each pepper and secure with a toothpick. 
  • Place on a sheet pan and bake for about 10 minutes while you make the corn crema.

Corn Crema

  • Heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat.  Saute onion until softened about 2 minutes. Add corn and cook another two minutes. Add chicken broth, cream, cilantro, lime and sugar. Remove from heat. 
  • Blend mixture using an immersion blender or pour into a standard blender and blend until creamed.

Plate

  • Place a ladle of the corn crema on plate, set poblano on top and serve with desired garnishes such as lime and cilantro.