Whenever we hit a new town, especially the small towns, we love to stop at a taco truck and try out the local flavors. We especially love how the most authentic of them will serve up their tacos on two fried corn tortillas, a little bit greasy and crispy on the outside.

They’re so good, we had to figure out how to make them in our van… cause, you know, there’s not always an available taco vendor where we adventure.

This particular recipe came about during a resupply. The peppers are plentiful and the corn tortillas were fresh. There’s not a lot of fresh seafood in New Mexico, but the frozen shrimp is pretty reliable and inexpensive at most grocery stores. They turned out even better than we expected

Makes 5 tacos

Ingredients:

• 10 jumbo shrimp, raw, peeled and de-veined
• ½ package low-sodium taco seasoning
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 2 plum tomatoes, diced
• 2 jalapeños, sliced
• ½ bunch fresh cilantro, washed and chopped
• Sour cream, salsa and sliced scallions to garnish

Preparation:

Prep all the vegetables. Thaw the shrimp and toss with the taco seasoning and olive oil. Bring a non-stick frying pan to a medium heat, add the shrimp and cover. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn the shrimp and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the shrimp turn opaque. Remove to a bowl and cover to retain the heat.

Stack 2 tortillas per taco. Add 1 tsp olive oil to pan and bring to a high heat. Now here’s where it gets tricky in a small van with a small stove and a small frying pan. The corn tortillas are only 6” in diameter, but we can’t get two stacks side-by-side in our pan without the tortillas riding up the sides. Not ideal, but it works if we’re careful. After 2-3 minutes, flip the stacks. There should be some blistering and scorching on the cooked side. After another 2-3 minutes, remove the tortilla stacks to two bowls or plates.

Place two of the jumbo shrimp on each taco. Add diced tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeños and garnishing as desired. If you put too much on the taco, it can be a messy meal to eat with your hands, so be prepared. Having two tortillas per taco also helps keep everything together until the last yummy bite.