Chipotle Cream Shrimp Tacos (Camarones Enchipotlados)

It's August's Mystery Box Madness Challenge at I Heart Cooking Clubs this week--where we find a recipe from the current IHCC chef (Jacques Pépin) or any of the other eleven former IHCC chefs that contains at least three of the ten MBM ingredients selected for that month.

August's Mystery Box Madness Ingredients:

Any Red Fruit  

(Apples, Berries, Plums, Tomatoes...)
Corn
Tortillas (Any kind)
Skirt or Flank Steak
Oregano
Heavy Cream
Goat Cheese
Pumpkin Seeds
Baby/Fingerling Potatoes 
Caramel or Cajeta

Having a crazy work week, it took me until Friday to get time to figure out what to make. I immediately turned to Rick Bayless as several of the ingredients lend themselves to Mexican cooking. I went to Chef Bayless's website where he so conveniently has an Essential Ingredients search tool on his recipe page. I clicked on Mexican Oregano and quickly zoned in on his Chipotle Cream Shrimp Tacos. Not only did I have 1/2 a bag of frozen wild shrimp in my freezer, the recipe used four of this month's MBM ingredients: Oregano, Heavy Cream, Corn Tortillas and Tomatoes (aka "any Red Fruit"). 

Chipotle Cream Shrimp Tacos (Camarones Enchipotlados)
Adapted from Mexico-One Plate at a Time-Season 8--via RickBayless.com
(Makes 12 Tacos--enough to serve 4)

3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/2 of a 14.5-oz can tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted), lightly drained
2 to 3 chipotle chiles en adobo, removed from their canning liquid, seeded if you wish and roughly chopped (I used 2 small chiles with seeds)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup Mexican crema, creme fraiche or heavy (whipping) cream
3/4 tsp (or more) fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
salt
1 1/4 lb medium-to-large shrimp, peeled and deveined, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
12 warm corn tortillas
(I added 2 tsp lime juice)

(I served the shrimp mixture with shredded romaine lettuce, sliced avocado, cilantro leaves and lime wedges)
 
Roast the unpeeled garlic in an ungreased small skillet over medium heat, turning from time to time, until completely soft and blackened in places, about 15 minutes; cool and peel. 

In a blender or food processor, combine the garlic, tomatoes and chipotle chiles; blend to a smooth puree. In a medium (10-inch) skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the puree and stir until reduced to the consistency of tomato paste, 5 minutes or so. Stir in the cream, pepper and oregano, reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for several minutes for the flavors to come together. 

Taste and season with salt, usually 1/2 teaspoon. Add the shrimp and stir until they are just cooked through (just losing their translucency at the center), about 3 minutes. 

Serve immediately with warm tortillas.

Notes/Results: What a great recipe this turned out to be! Simple, creamy, and full of amazing flavor. I used two chipotle chiles en adobo because I like spice but not too much, and it was perfect for me--definite heat in every bite, without being overpowering. The sauce has a rich smoky, spice to it and I felt it needed a touch more acidity, so I squeezed in some fresh lime juice--which really brightened it up. I also served my tacos with lime wedges, as well as sliced avocado, shredded fresh romaine and cilantro. I think it not only looks prettier, it adds a nice contrast to the rich and creamy sauce. This is a pretty quick and easy recipe to make and I could see it being equally delicious over rice or even pasta, A lucky find thanks to the MBM Challenge--I will definitely make it again. ;-) 

And, if you did want to work a fifth MBM ingredient into the recipe, topping the shrimp tacos with crumbled goat cheese is pretty tasty too--as I discovered with the leftovers. ;-) 

You can see what mystery ingredients, recipes and chefs other participants chose for August's Mystery Box Madness Challenge by checking out the picture links on the post at the IHCC website.