By: Justin &brKayla Butts Photos by: RachelbrBenavides
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The mighty Aztecsbrhad been enjoying tacos for a thousand years before Cortez and his warriorsbrarrived in Mexico in 1519. Tacos were daily fare in Tenochtitlan.
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For the Aztecs,brtacos were corn tortillas (they did not yet have wheat from Europe) with abrfilling of venison, fish, or lizard, topped with fresh salsa made from tomatoesbrand peppers. They did not use cheese, because they did not yet have milk frombrSpanish goats.
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ThebrConquistadors brought their own long-cherished taco traditions with them. Forbrthe Spaniards, tacos were flour tortillas (they did not yet have corn frombrAmerica) with a filling of meat or seafood, plus cheese, but no salsa (they didbrnot have tomatoes, either).
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When these magnificentbrcultures collided, their first argument was most likely about who made betterbrtacos. But there is one thing we know for sure: whether Aztec or Spanish, thebringredients were locally harvested and completely fresh.
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Localbringredients remain the best (and only) way to make truly world-class tacos. Becausebrtacos are so simple, it is imperative that every ingredient is of the highestbrquality.
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To begin, we makebrour tortillas from scratch. We use pastured lard from a local farm; there is nobrsubstitute. Let the tortilla dough rest for ten minutes before rolling to givebrthe baking powder time to do its work.
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For our fajita-stylebrtacos, we source our beef from Tim Fitch of Palo Verde Cattle Co. Fitch raisesbrgrass-fed beef on his ranch outside Beeville. This dry-aged beef has thebramazing flavor of local grass, rather than the aftertaste of GMO corn from somebrdistant cattle feedlot.
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We prefer the FlatbrIron steak instead of the actual fajita cut, which can be a little tough. ThebrFlat Iron steak has the tenderness and flavor of a Ribeye but is quite a bitbrcheaper.
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For our shrimpbrtacos, we begin with live shrimp from the iconic Mom’s Bait Shop inbrRockport. You can buy live Gulf shrimpbroff the trawlers at the Corpus Christi Bayfront or Roberts Point Park near thebrferry in Port Aransas. Shrimp this freshbris one of the true joys of living in The Bend. br
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Find yourbrvegetables freshly harvested at a local farmers’ market, or from a neighbor’s garden,bror best of all from your own garden. This avocado cilantro cream is from heaven—makebrplenty.
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What worked forbrthe Aztecs and the Spaniards still works for us today. Fresh ingredients,brlocally harvested and prepared with love, always make the best tacos. Even if webrstill argue about whose tacos are best!
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Gulf Shrimp Tacos with AvocadobrCilantro Cream
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Makes 4 tacos
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Prep time: 40brminutes
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Cook time: 7brminutes
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Ingredients:
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4 corn tortillas
1 cup cabbage,brthinly sliced
1lb Gulf shrimp,brpeeled with tails and head removed
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp blackbrpepper
¼ tsp cumin,brground
Juice of 1 lime
3 cloves garlic,brminced
2 tbsp olive oil
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Quick-pickled radishes
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3 radishes,brthinly sliced
¼ cup whitebrvinegar
1 tsp sugar,brgranulated
Pinch of salt
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Avocado Cilantro Sauce
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¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup packedbrfresh cilantro
3 tomatillos
1 avocado,brpitted with skin removed
Juice of 1 lime
3 cloves garlic
½ jalapenobr(seeded for mild)
½ tsp salt
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Directions:
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In abrmedium-sized bowl, combine shrimp, salt, pepper, cumin, lime juice, and olivebroil. Let marinate while you move on to the radishes.
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Combine whitebrvinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and stir to dissolve. Add in radishesbrand immerse in vinegar solution. Set aside while you prepare the avocadobrcilantro sauce.
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Place remainingbringredients in a blender or food processor. Blend for 5 minutes or untilbrsmooth.
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Preheat abrskillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook for 3 minutes on each sidebror until no longer translucent. Meanwhile, heat corn tortillas on a skilletbrover medium-high heat for two minutes on each side.
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To assemble tacos:brPlace a layer of shrimp in the center of a warm tortilla. Layer on slices ofbrradishes and shredded cabbage, as desired. Sprinkle on fresh cilantro and topbrwith a thin line of avocado cilantro cream. Serve with slices of fresh lime.
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Flat-Iron Steak Fajitas with Homemade Flour Tortillas
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Makes 8 tacos
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Prep time: 15brminutes
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Cook time: 25brminutes
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Ingredients:
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2 lbs grass-fed,brflat-iron steak at room temperature
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp freshlybrground black pepper
1/2 tsp groundbrcumin
¼ tsp chilibrpowder
¼ tsp groundbrcoriander
3 tbsp butter,brdivided
3 cloves garlic,brminced
1 large, sweetbronion, peeled and sliced
2 bell peppers,brseeded and sliced
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Directions:
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Place abrmedium-sized cast-iron skillet on high heat. After steaks have reached room temperature,brpat steak dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Brush steak withbroil. In a small bowl, combine salt,brpepper, cumin and coriander and mix well. Massage spice mixture into steak.brOnce pan is preheated, cook fajita for 5-7 minutes on each side (or untilbrinternal temperature reaches 130°F for medium rare). Remove steaks from heatbrand let rest for at least 10 minutes
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Reduce heatbrunder skillet to low-medium flame. Add 2 tbsp butter, scraping the bottom tobrfree up any bits clinging to the pan. Once butter is melted, add garlic andbrstir constantly until garlic is fragrant (about 30-45 seconds). Pourbrbutter-garlic mixture onto prepared steak.
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Replace skilletbrover low-medium heat and add remaining butter, onion, and peppers. Stirringbroccasionally, cook about 7 minutes, or until tender. Slice steak thinly goingbragainst the grain.
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To assemblebrtacos: Place four to five slices of steak in the center of a flour tortillabr(see recipe below). Top with onion-pepper mixture, sliced jalapeno, andbrguacamole or sliced avocado.
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Homemade Flour Tortillas
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Makes 16brtortillas
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Prep time: 30brminutes
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Cook time: 35brminutes
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Ingredients:
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3 cupsbrall-purpose flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp bakingbrpowder
1/3 cup lard
1 cup water
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Directions:
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Combine drybringredients in a large bowl and mix well. Using your fingers or a pastrybrblender, incorporate lard into flour until the mixture resembles rolled oats.brAdd water and knead for about 1 minute, until a smooth dough is formed. Letbrdough rest for 10 minutes.
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Preheat abrcast-iron skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle a clean work surface with abrgenerous amount of flour. Divide dough into 16 pieces and shape each into abrdisk. Roll out the dough to a 6-7” diameter. Cook each tortilla for about onebrminute on each side, until golden spots form. Transfer to a warmer or coverbrwith a tea towel to keep warm.