SHRIMP RANCHERO TOSTADAS
At the risk of sounding like Bubba in the movie Forrest Gump, there are few foods that are as versatile as the shrimp. This is a fun recipe that you can serve just about anywhere.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 Ounces vegetable oil
- 2 Cloves chopped garlic
- 1 Diced onion
- 6 Stalks chopped green onion
- 1 Chopped Serrano chili
- 4 Chopped tomatoes
- 4 Pounds chopped shrimp meat (16- to 20-count size)
- 1 Bunch cilantro, chopped
- ½ Tbsp. chipotle pepper paste
- 3 Limes split for juicing
- 4 Ounces tomato paste
- 1 Package corn tortillas
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Heat a large pot on medium. Add the oil, garlic, green onion, diced onion, Serrano chili and tomatoes. Let that simmer for five minutes.
Add the shrimp and chipotle and simmer for another 15 minutes. Season the shrimp and aromatics with salt and pepper.
Add the tomato paste to thicken up the mixture over low heat for 10 minutes.
Add the lime juice and cilantro at the end. Take a taste to check the seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if needed and then pull from the heat.
Purchase a package of your favorite corn tortillas from the grocery store. Take two cups of vegetable oil and heat it up in a sauté pan. Panfry each tortilla until it is crisp and a light golden color. Pull the tostadas out of the oil and let them drain on paper towels.
Top each tostada with the shrimp mixture and garnish with queso fresco, avocado and cilantro.
CHEF STEVE BLACK
Chef Steve Black attended Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1986. His hotel career began at the Sheraton Boston Hotel & Towers in 1984, where he developed his culinary skills working in the five restaurants and catering the private banquets. In 1990, Chef Black traveled abroad to Strasbourg, France, where he had the opportunity to work with several 5-Star Michelin Chefs.
Returning to the U.S. in 1992, Chef Black moved to San Diego and joined the culinary teams at the La Costa Resort & Spa and at the Hyatt La Jolla Aventine. In 1993 he became the Executive Chef at the Sheraton Hotel & Marina on Harbor Island. During his culinary career, Chef Black has been recognized as one of the leading chefs in San Diego. In 2002, he received the Gold Medallion Award as Chef of the Year from the California Restaurant Association. At the 2008 Gold Key Awards, he was nominated for the Food & Beverage Person of the Year by the San Diego Hotel & Motel Association. He has been awarded with “Best Recipe” from Maple Leaf Duck Farms and Contessa Shrimp.
For more than 17 years, Chef Black has catered the annual events for The Old Globe Gala, the RITZ, Jewel Ball and Patrons of The Prado. He has participated in major fundraisers for Meals on Wheels, Mama's Kitchen and the Shiley Eye Institute. During the 2007 devastating fires, he personally drove donated food from the Sheraton Hotel to the Valley Center High School to feed the many people that were displaced from their homes. Chef Black has had the opportunity to cater to celebrities such as Richard Dreyfuss, Hal Holbrook & Dixie Carter, John Kerry, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bob Dole and Mayor Jerry Sanders. In 2000, he had the privilege of meeting Julia Child as she was honored at the UCSD Cancer Center event. He's also an avid angler and you'll find him fishing the local islands as well as Mexico waters.
