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Please see the recipe below
Spice up your Friday night dinner with a Molcajete de Camarones Mexicanos Con Tequila and create street tacos at an entirely new level of deliciousness. Sizzling tender Camarones(Shrimp) with zests of tequila, lime, and garlic, topped with cilantro, mangos, purple onions, avocados, and habaneros in warm corn tortillas will delight your family and friends.
This Baja California-inspired recipe originated from my love for seafood, tacos, and our family's magical molcajete.
For thousands of years, Mexican home cooks have used molcajetes (mowl·kuh·hay·tays) and tejolotes to grind spices, make salsas, guacamoles, and hot dishes of savoriness. They're similar to a modern-day mortar and pestle. Their name originated from the Aztec words meaning "seasoning and bowl" and are often passed from generation to generation and are treasured family heirlooms.
Our family's molcajete immigrated from Mexico to California in the early 1920s with my Abuelita Magdalena. And for the last century, it's been our family's kitchen utensil powerhouse, filled with generational magic, and I use it daily to grind garlic and spices. A few years ago, while visiting one of my tias in Mexico, I went to my first Molcajete restaurant. The menu included a variety of seafood, beef, chicken, and vegetable molcajetes. After eating one of the best meals of my life, I became obsessed with creating new molcajete recipes.
So, pull out your molcajete, borrow your grandma's or buy one and keep the Mexican culinary cooking tradition alive!
Happy Cooking!
Big Hugs,
Molé Mama
Molcajete de Camarones Mexicanos Con Tequila Recipe
Tools
Molcajete (Can substitute with a casserole dish but may require longer cooking time)
comal (tortilla griddle)
Ingredients
Street Tacos Toppings
1 mango
2 avocados
8 habanero peppers
1/2 purple onion
1 bunch of cilantro
3 limes
Molcajete de Camarones Mexicanos Ingredients
1 head of peeled, crushed garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
1 Shot of reposado tequila (3 tablespoons)
small yellow corn tortillas
Directions
Street taco toppings prep
Finely chop all ingredients and keep them in separate bowls
Molcajete De Camarones Mexicanos prep
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
Place Camarones pelados (peeled shrimp) in a large strainer and rinse with cold water until the water runs clear.
Place Camarones (shrimp)in a large bowl
Crush garlic with molcajete or garlic press
Add crushed garlic, tequila, lime juice, and olive oil to Camarones and mix well with a large spoon.
Set aside and let marinate for 5-10 minutes
Arrange Camarones on the rim of the molcajete and add the remaining Camarones to the bowl of the molcajete. Best to wear gloves)
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until Camarones are completely cooked and pink!
3. Street Taco Time
Warm tortillas on a comal and place in a tortilla warmer or kitchen towel - need to have them ready to go.
Arrange all the toppings near the tortillas
Remove molcajete from the oven and place it near tortillas and street taco toppings.
And let the street taco fun begin! Fill tacos with baked camarones and topping!