The trick: Sear in juices.
For her Southwestern Shrimp Soft Tacos, Jacki Pearson, executive sous-chef at Green Valley Spa in St. George, Utah, turns on the high heat to lock in the marinade and the shrimp's natural flavors — with hardly any oil. Use this technique with thin cuts of pork, beef, or poultry, too: Toss a piece of meat into an extra-hot pan and sear both sides (a minute or two) until a golden crust forms and meat cooks through.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Marinade
Corn relish
Tacos
Preparation
Combine marinade ingredients with 1/4 cup water and season with salt. Add shrimp; refrigerate 1 hour. To make relish, cut corn kernels off cob. Lightly spray a sturdy skillet with cooking spray and heat over moderately high heat. (Avoid Teflon pans, which should not be used when cooking at such high temperatures.) Stir-fry corn until golden brown. Pour corn into a bowl and add remaining relish ingredients; season with salt. Remove shrimp and reserve marinade. Lightly spray the same skillet with cooking spray and heat on high until very hot. Toss in a few shrimp at a time and cook until just opaque; remove shrimp. Pour marinade into pan, bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes; lower heat and simmer until thick. Put 4 shrimp on each tortilla; top with corn relish and marinade sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro and green onion.
