Surf and turf experiment this weekend. I love adding bone marrow to salsa for an umami boost, so I tried a shrimp equivalent with these shrimp tacos – Thai jarred shrimp tomalley. Learned about it from Hot Thai Kitchen. Product is called “shrimp paste with soya bean oil,” by Pantai. It’s flavored with chile/garlic, so it blends in with Mexican food seamlessly.
Sautéed 4 cloves garlic, 3 spring onions, 2 chile manzano, and 1 chile guero in avocado oil. Added 1 chipotle in adobo, a splash of apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, 1/2 tsp. oregano, 1/2 tsp. coriander, and a bit of water. Blended. Added a spoonful of shrimp paste to a hot pan and let it fry for a minute. Added the blended mixture to the pan, briefly simmered, and served hot in a taco filled with mesquite-grilled marinated shrimp and chorizo, queso oaxaca, cilantro, and pickled red onions.
Salsa came out nice. The shrimp paste lended some big umami without becoming overbearing and without the funk that I’m used to from other types of shrimp paste. Def want to keep experimenting and may up the dose next time.
by super-stew
1 Comment
Chile Manzano is an underrated pepper. I used to get them from Berkeley Bowl all the time. Loved their heat and flavor.