Cook-venture: Shrimp and Mango Salsa (Two Ways)

I had a mango that was ready to be eaten, and a craving for some red onion and cilantro (weird, I know) so I decided to combine the three to make a salsa! Combine that with the easiest protein to make: shrimp! I always have a bag of raw frozen shrimp and use as needed. It thaws quickly in warm water, and cooks even faster. Shrimp absorbs any flavor you want it to and is the perfect bite size. I know it probably doesn't sound great to keep frozen shrimp, but until I can afford to buy it fresh on the regular, this is how it goes!

Making these in two different ways reminded me of when Errol and I went to Cancun and essentially lived on tortilla chips and corn tortillas added with some sort of seasoned meat and pico de gallo or guacamole (and can't forget plenty of margaritas). That was the life...

Tip: To cut mango into pieces, cut a grid (be careful not to cut all the way through the skin) and spoon out the pieces. After taking these out, still chopped them up a bit for the salsa, but you could also just eat it this way alone.

Salsa: Combine pieces of salsa, small dices of red onion, and chopped cilantro to taste (I like more red onion than most people). Add some dashes of lime and let flavors marinate at least 1 hour. I waited overnight, but not by choice - already had something else made to eat. 

Crema: Mix plain Greek yogurt, taco seasoning, and a few dashes of lime juice. I used 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt, and 2 teaspoonsful of taco seasoning. I love substituting Greek yogurt for sour cream - it works perfectly! 

Shrimp: At salt, pepper, taco seasoning, and lime juice to shrimp in a bowl and let marinate for 30 minutes. Melt a pat of butter or olive oil onto a skillet at medium-high heat. Once hot enough, put about 4-6 shrimp (per serving) into the skill. Once the tails of the shrimp are pink (1-2 minutes), turn over until shrimp is all pink. 

Way #1 - Taco: Assemble the taco like you would prefer to eat one (nice instructions, eh?). I put shrimp first, then salsa, then Greek yogurt, and cheese. I will admit to microwaving for 15 seconds to melt the cheese (probably a huge cooking faux pas!) 

Way #2 - Tostada: Put a flour tortilla into a toaster oven and toast until firm but not burned. Put a layer of the Greek yogurt onto the bottom to make a base for the other ingredients to stick to. Spread shrimp evenly across the tortilla. Top with mango salsa! 

Things I learned for next time:

• Use smaller tortillas. I think what I got were one size too big. 
• Try corn tortillas (these are flour). 
• Use a firmer mango for a bit more of a sour kick and texture.
• Make a slaw, or just use shredded cabbage to fill out the taco (again, for texture)