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Prep time
10 minutes
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Cook time
10 minutes
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makes
8 tacos
Author Notes
Buttery shrimp tacos with toasted flour tortillas and melted cheese.
In 1987, the governor of Sinaloa, Francisco Labastida, planned a visit to Mazatlán and made a reservation to eat at Los Arcos. Eduardo Angulo, the owner, began to plan a menu and remembered that the governor loved his wife’s shrimp tacos. Trying to outdo the governor's wife, Eduardo and his chef created this taco, and when the governor asked the name of the taco, he replied, tacos gobernador. —Rick Martinez
Test Kitchen Notes
Recipe reprinted with permission from Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico (Clarkson Potter, May 2022).
This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. As an Amazon Associate, Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to. —The Editors
Watch This Recipe
Tacos Gobernador
Ingredients
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2 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil
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1 pound
(453 grams) large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
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3 tablespoons
(42 grams) unsalted butter
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1/2
medium white onion (154 grams), thinly sliced
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1
medium chile poblano (125 grams), stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced into strips
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1
medium celery stalk (49 grams), thinly sliced crosswise on the diagonal
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1
medium chile serrano (24 grams), stemmed and thinly sliced into rings
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2
garlic cloves, finely grated
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1
teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
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3/4 teaspoon
(4 grams) Morton kosher salt, plus more to taste
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1/2 teaspoon
crushed or ground coriander seeds
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1
medium Roma tomato (113 grams), cored and chopped
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8
tortillas de harina
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6 ounces
(170 grams) queso asadero, quesillo, or Monterey Jack cheese, grated
- For Serving
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Lime wedges
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Your favorite salsa
Directions
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In a large skillet over high, heat the oil. Arrange the shrimp in an even layer in the skillet and cook, turning once, until just starting to brown, for about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
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Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter. Cook the onion, chile poblano, celery, chile serrano, garlic, oregano, salt, and coriander, tossing occasionally, until the onion and chile poblano are beginning to brown, for 6 to 8 minutes.
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Add the tomato and cook, tossing occasionally and scraping up any browned bits, until the tomato begins to break down, for about 5 minutes more. Transfer to the bowl with the shrimp and toss to combine. Taste and season with salt.
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Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel. Working with 2 or more tortillas at a time (if you can fit 2 tortillas in your skillet), cook the tortillas until lightly toasted on one side, for 2 to 3 minutes.
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Flip and add a small mound of cheese in the center of the toasted side. Top with some of the shrimp filling and fold over like a taco. Cook the untoasted side until the cheese is beginning to melt and the tortilla is lightly toasted, for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip to toast the second half. Continue with the remaining tortillas, cheese, and shrimp.
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Serve with a squeeze of lime and your favorite salsa.
Rick Martinez is currently living his dream—cooking, eating and enjoying the Mexican Pacific coast in Mazatlán. He is finishing his first cookbook, Under the Papaya Tree, food from the seven regions of Mexico and loved traveling the country so much, he decided to buy a house on the beach. He is a regular contributor to Bon Appétit, New York Times and hosts live, weekly cooking classes for Food Network Kitchens. Earlier this year, he was nominated for a James Beard Award for “How to win the Cookie Swap” in Bon Appétit’s holiday issue.
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