Smoked Shrimp Tacos with Jicama Slaw & Candied Jalapeño

These are essentially Cajun blackened shrimp tacos with layers and layers of goodies. We like lots of garnish, so we made jicama slaw, lime aioli & candied jalapeños - if you're a no-frills kind of taco eater, feel free to skip any or all of the garnishes. The smoky, almost blackened shrimp is flavorful enough to stand alone.

Makes 3 tacos

- Ingredients - 
9 fresh shrimp
3-6 corn tortillas (double wrap if you like)

Brine
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Rub
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon paprika1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper

Candied Jalapeños*
2 jalapeños
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon water

Lime Aioli*
½ lime, zested & juiced**
**wedge the other half of the lime and use to garnish
**set 1 tablespoon of the juice aside to be used for slaw, below
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Jicama Slaw*
1 small jicama
½ cup shredded Napa cabbage
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/8 cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon juice from lime

Garnish*
1/4 cup crushed pineapple
1 avocado, sliced

*You can skip any of the garnishes if you're looking for a quick recipe. The shrimp is good on its own, as are each of the garnishes. Our ideal shrimp taco has all of it.

- Tools - 
Weston Vacuum Sealer + bag or canister
Weston Mandoline Slicer
Weston Kitchen Kit
Weston Smoker
skewer
smoker chips


Step 1 | Marinate & Brine
Combine the ingredients for the rub. In a Vacuum Sealer Bag, combine ingredients for the brine. Divide rub in half, add one half to the brine in the bag, and set the other half aside. Stir the rub into the brine until combined.

Place the shrimp into the Vacuum Sealer Bag with the brine, then seal with a Vacuum Sealer. Allow the shrimp to marinate and brine in the refrigerator overnight.

A pint vacuum sealer bag and Professional Advantage Sealer speed up the marination process.
The brine helps ensure that the shrimp won't dry out in the smoker later.

Step 2 | Prepare Candied Jalapeños*
Preheat your oven to 400° F. Use a Mandoline to slice the jalapeños to 1/4 inch thick.

Our V-Slice makes quick work of evenly sliced jalapeños

Lay the jalapeño slices (one layer, not touching) on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray. Roast them for 5 minutes on each side, Stir together the sugar and water, then use a basting brush to coat the roasted jalapenos with the glaze. Roast an additional 2 minutes on each side, until hardened. Keep an eye on them once coated with sugar - they can burn easily. Allow to cool, then set aside.

Candied Jalapeños

Step 3 | Prepare Lime Aioli*
Use the Kitchen Kit to juice and zest your lime. Be sure to set aside 1 tablespoon of the juice. Insert the kit's chopper blade and pour in the mayo. Blend together the juice, mayo, and zest. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Step 4 | Prepare Jicama Slaw*
Use your Mandoline to julienne the jicama thin and shred the cabbage.

The Weston V-Slice is ideal for quickly shredding, slicing, and julienne-ing with one slicer

Use the Kitchen Kit with chopper blade to roughly chop cilantro. Toss in remaining ingredients and chop until well coated and combined (just a couple of turns). Cover and refrigerate.

Step 5 (next day, after shrimp has brined) | Preheat Smoker
Soak wood chips for 30 minutes. While they soak, preheat your Smoker to 200° F. Fill the water bowl.

Step 6 | Rub
After brining, rub the shrimp with the remainder of the mix. Skewer, then place in the smoker.

Step 7 | Smoke
Smoke for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the shrimp turns bright orange with an internal temperature of 145°F.

Nice and blackened on the outside, juicy on the inside

Remove shrimp from skewers, wrap them in corn tortillas and assemble tacos with slaw, jalapeno, aioli, avocado, and pineapple. Serve.

*The candied jalapeños, slaw, and aioli can be made the night before, when you brine the shrimp. You can also prepare them later, while the shrimp smokes for an hour. And, as noted above, you can skip them altogether if you're looking for a simpler version.