Quick Prawn Tacos with Pineapple Salsa & Guacamole

Tacos are a family favourite around here with absolutely ANY filling but these prawn ones with zingy pineapple salsa and guacamole make for a really fresh and tasty change.

They are quick and simple to prepare so ideal for a midweek meal when there's less time. The below serves four and the salsa and guacamole can last in the fridge for a few days - but I doubt it'll last that long.

Quick Prawn Tacos with Pineapple Salsa & Guacamole

Here's how:

For the prawns:

• 350g king prawns
• Zest & juice of x1 lime
• x1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp hot paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp honey
• Pinch salt and black pepper

Pineapple Salsa:

• 60g pineapple (fresh, frozen or tinned works)
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 large red chilli
• big handful coriander

Guacamole:

• 1-2 ripe avocados
• 1 red onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tomato
• handful coriander
• Salt
• Juice of x1 lime

x8 Mini tortilla wraps

Firstly marinate the prawns in all of the above ingredients in a bowl and set aside for ten minutes whilst you prepare the salsa and the guacamole.

For the salsa, I simply add all of the ingredients to my Nutribullet and blitz for a thin salsa. If you prefer a chunkier consistency you could just chop everything or grind in a pestle and mortar. 

For the guacamole, the avocados are added to a mortar (or just use a hardy bowl) and add a generous pinch of sea salt and the lime juice. Dice the tomato into small chunks and finely dice the red onion and add to the mortar. Mince in the garlic and then roughly chop the coriander before adding both to the mortar then grinding with the pestle. I like a thick and chunky consistency for guacamole so only do to combine everything, but if you prefer smooth just do for longer. You can do with a fork and bowl too if you don't have a pestle and mortar.

Now in a pan add a drizzle of oil (olive, vegetable, rapeseed works well) and add the marinated prawns. Cook for approximately one minute on each side or until pink all over and remove from the pan. It's really easy for prawns for overcook so as soon as they're pink get them out of there to avoid rubbery overcooked prawns!

The tortilla wraps, I like to warm in the microwave for 30 seconds, then place each one into a toast rack (or you can place folder over a sauce bottle) for a minute to get the 'taco' style shape. 

Then pop onto a plate and load up with the prawns and serve your salsa and guacamole on the side or over the top. Enjoy!

Over Tex Mex style recipes I have shared include:

• Lamb Tacos
• Speedy Chorizo Nachos
• Prawn & Chorizo Jambalaya 
• Spicy Beef Quesadillas with Avocado Salad
• Easy Salmon Tacos
• Slow Cooked Mexican Beef

Naked Mexican Burgers with Guacamole (Slimming World Friendly)

These Naked Mexican Burgers are easy to make, taste fantastic and are completely syn-free if you follow Slimming World like myself. 

If you do have the homemade guacamole; and I recommend you do as it is fabulous with the burger, this will bring the meal to 6 syns per portion even if you load up with the Slimming World Chips and have all of the burger trimmings including the green leaves, sliced tomato, red onions, pickled gherkins and if you like a fiery kick, jalopenos. I used my HEA for 30g Cheddar too. 

The below makes two big burgers (think quarter pounder size) as well as two smaller, children's ones. 

Naked Mexican Burgers with Guacamole (Slimming World Friendly)

Here's how:

For the burgers:

• 700g lean steak mince (I use less than 5% fat)
• 1 large red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp Ancho Chilli Paste (if you can't get this use Chipotle Paste instead)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried coriander
• 1/2 tsp dried cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp garlic granules
• Handful fresh chives
• Pinch salt and black pepper
• Fry Light

To load up the burgers:

• Rocket leaves (or iceberg lettuce if you prefer)
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• Pickled gherkins
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1/4 jar of jalopenos
• Cheddar or burger cheese

For the guacamole:

• 1 avocado
• 1 tomato
• 1 red onion
• 1 lime
• Coriander leaves
• 2 chillies
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 garlic clove

Begin my making the burger patties. In a large bowl place the steak mince and add all of the herbs and spices, Ancho Chilli Paste or Chipotle Paste and tomato puree. 

Now roughly chop the onion and add to the mix, and peel and mince the garlic and add too. I snip the chives into the patty mix personally using kitchen scissors, but you can cut with a knife otherwise.

Now using your hands, work the meat together a bit like you would a dough, ensuring that all of the ingredients get distributed throughout the meat. 

Divide the meat into four burger patties of whichever size you prefer (you may wish to do x4 equal sized ones); and place onto a board or a plate. Take one at a time and work with your hands into a round, neat burger patty or of course you could use a burger press but I always use my hands. 

Once all of the patties are made, now wash and dry your hands, then tightly seal each burger with cling wrap and place into the fridge for 30 minutes or longer. This really helps the burger to keep it's shape and prevent it from falling apart on the BBQ or under the grill. 

In the meantime, to make the guacamole; slice the ripe avocado in half, you will know it's ripe from it feeling soft to the touch through the skin. If it's rock hard, it won't work well for guacamole. A trick for this, is to place into a brown paper bag with an apple which will speed up the ripening process. 

Once halved, and the stone is removed, place the flesh into a mortar, then add the handful of coriander leaves, the pinch of sea salt (it's good to use sea salt as it is abrasive and helps to break down the flesh), mince in the garlic clove then roughly chop the tomato and red onion. Finally squeeze over the juice of one lime. Now use the pestle to grind up. I prefer a slightly chunky texture but if you prefer puree, you could of course use a blender, food processor or a Nutribullet. 

When you are ready to cook the burgers, place the grill onto a medium heat. Remove the clingfilm from each burger and place under the grill for exactly 8 minutes with just 1 spray of Fry Light per burger on each side. 

After 8 minutes, use tongs to turn the burgers over, and cook for a further 8 minutes. If you want melted cheese, add this for the last four minutes of cooking. 

It's really important to rest these burgers for 4-5 minutes when they come out of the grill; as the juices will run and return to the meat and it will be tastier and more tender to eat than if you dig in straight away. 

Naked Mexican Burgers with Guacamole (Slimming World Friendly)

While they rest, load up the plate with some guacamole, the green leaves of your choice, tomatoes, gherkins, red onions, jalopenos and anything else you fancy. Enjoy!

El Guaca, Clacton-on-Sea

We recently visited Clacton-on-Sea, Essex for a weekend full of dance competitions with Bridget’s dance school, and on the Saturday afternoon we found ourselves with a few hours to kill and so headed to the seafront, a place I spent lots of time at during my own childhood. Following a couple of hours spent on the pier and the fun fair, we looked for something to eat.

We stumbled upon El Guaca and were enticed by the sound of the Mexican menu and then even more so once we saw that the children would eat a free 3-course menu with each full meal purchased by an adult – definitely the decider.

Accustomed to some great standard Mexican restaurants in London, I admit we wondered if this would meet those exacting standards, but was actually pleasantly surprised in that El Guaca actually surpassed some places that we frequent regularly.

We ordered some tortilla chips with guacamole to start over some Coronas, and these were a great start – freshly made guacamole really offset with a squeeze of lime.

El Guaca Tortilla Chips, Guacamole, Kiddie Nachos

The girls had some nachos which were simply baked with a little grated cheese – perhaps a bit bland but perfect for young taste buds and they devoured the lot.

The mains were an actual triumph all round though.

For the kids, we played it safe and opted for the chicken strips which came with chips and salad – the chicken was actually not the usual breaded situation, but instead deliciously marinated and tender slices of cooked chicken – much better than we anticipated.

Children's Chicken Strips, El Guaca

Also the kids menu is great – they had a good range of main courses from the likes of quesadilla, fajitas, burritos and paella; which I think is great – stepping outside of the ‘norm’ for children’s menus and much less patronising. It’s reasonably priced at £6.95 got three courses and includes juice in that price which is great compared to a lot of chain restaurants where the add ons for a juice mean you’re looking at £10-12 for a 3 year old’s meal.

I had the pork pibil enchilada and it was fantastic. The pork was juicy, tender and had a fiery chipotle heat running through it, it really packed a punch. The creamy, cheesy topping on top of the rolled and pork-filled tortilla was generous and helped make this a real comfort dish and despite it being a generous portion it was served on a bed of Mexican rice too and had a little heap of guacamole there too. I didn’t manage the rice, but the enchilada was just great. I’d return for that in a heartbeat.

Enchillada, El Guaca

Glen chose the beef Chimichanga; basically for the un-initiated, this is a burrito filled with all of the delicious things you would expect in a burrito – cheese, peppers, refried beans, rice and salsa and then deep fried and topped with more salsa, sour cream and guacamole. In a word – epic.Served with Mexican rice and demolished.

Chimichanga, El Guaca

The girls had an ice cream included with their meal or they could have had churros with chocolate sauce, a brownie or buenelos. It was a hot day though so the ice cream went down a treat.

El Guaca was such a great find in Clacton, if we return next year for the competitions, I’m sure we’d head back. The staff were super friendly, especially with the children, the location is great – right on the seafront, overlooking the comings and goings and there’s seating both inside and out. The place is bright and airy and has some of the kitsch Mexican items you’d expect, from sombreros for picture opportunities to the décor with skulls etc. Apparently there are several El Guaca restaurants dotted around Essex and one in Wiltshire and one is Suffolk, if they’re anything like the Clacton outpost I’d give it a try.

The offer we enjoyed – the kids eat free - is apparently available every Saturday and Sunday and I would highly recommend it. It's a great family restaurant with something for everyone.

We paid around £45 plus tip for our meal and that was with a couple of rounds of Corona. They also have a ton of cocktails on the menu that looked very appetising – maybe next time we’ll go without the kids.

Slow Cooked Mexican Beef

I'm a real advocate of cooking things low and slow, either on the hob or in the oven; it can really yield some fantastic results and this beef dish, was an experimental triumph.

I used braising steak here - an economical cut, but you could use skirt, shin or any other tougher cut that benefits from slow cooking.

I served this with a quick homemade guacamole, a dollop of sour cream, some sliced jalapenos and a simple salad, but it would go equally well with rice or a filling for a tortilla.

The below serves 3-4 adults.

Slow Cooked Mexican Beef

Here's how:

• 350g braising steak
• 1 white onion
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 green pepper
• Tin of good quality plum tomatoes (I use Cirio)
• 150ml chicken stock (I use Knorr)
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 red chilli
• 1 tbsp chipotle paste
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

For the quick guacamole:

• 1 ripe avocado
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 red chilli
• Pinch sea salt

Place the oven on at 180 degrees for the moment to pre-heat.

Now prepare all of the vegetables - slice the onions and peppers and place into a casserole dish with the tomatoes.

Add all the seasonings and set aside for the minute.

Now drizzle just a little oil in a pan, and quick-fry the braising steak to just sear and brown the meat.

Once browned, place into the casserole dish, and cover with the chicken stock.

Give a good stir, place the lid (or some foil) on top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes.

Now remove from the oven and stir, then place the lid back on and return to the oven. In the meantime turn the oven down to 150-160 degrees and set a timer for 3 hours.

If possible, check the dish every 30 minutes and stir, to ensure the meat is still immersed in the liquid and avoid it drying out at all.

When you remove the dish from the oven, check the meat with a fork and spoon to see if it will easily fall apart; if not return to the oven for a further thirty minutes. Then remove from the oven and leave to stand with the lid on for a few minutes.

Whilst standing, this is the time to prepare your salad and any other accompaniments.

If preparing the guacamole, simply slice the avocado and use a pestle and mortar to bash up a bit. Crush in the garlic and slice the chilli as fine as you can, then squeeze over the lime juice and stir. Garnish with sea salt before serving.

Enjoy!

Tip: if you have more time, make a chunkier guacamole with chopped red onion, tomatoes and coriander - the one above is a quick one that can be ready in two minutes.

A London Lunch No. 10: Wahaca – Mexican Street Food

So I’m heading to Mexico this weekend for this first time and on a recent holiday retail jaunt to Westfield Stratford with the boyf, we decided to get in the mood for the Mexican cuisine by heading to Wahaca.

The rapidly expanding chain has Thomasina Miers' name to it, and has been a firm casual favourite of mine for a few years – having spent many a lunch hour in the Covent Garden branch. This was the boyfriend’s first time at Wahaca and he has been quickly converted to this style of eating small plates as and when they arrive at the table, according to the varying cooking times.

We ordered some Guacamole with Tortillas and a Citrus Fizz each whilst we mulled over the menu. The guacamole was chunky, flavourful, citrusy and with that all-important chilli kick – absolutely delicious. The Citrus Fizz is like an innocent version of a mojito – sparkling water over crushed mint and lime – utterly refreshing and moreish.

We chose six small dishes – all priced very reasonably under the £4.50 mark. The first is my favourite – I cannot enter Wahaca without ordering it – the Pork Pibil Tacos. You get three mini soft corn tacos topped with the most delicious slow-cooked pork which is in a salty, smoky and meaty juice and topped with sweet, pickled pink onions and zingy coriander. It is completely unpretentious but one of the most satisfying little plates of food. We also had the Chicken Tinga Tacos – these again were topped with shredded, slow-cooked chicken in a barbecue style sauce topped with chilli and crema – and it was sensational.

 

We tried the Ceviche Tostadas as well, a first for me at Wahaca, and whilst it was pleasant enough, I probably wouldn’t repeat. Fresh and fragrant it was, but having eaten such great alternatives at Ceviche and Lima recently, it just didn’t live up to those standards. There was very little flavour from the scallops which was disappointing – Glen loved it though, so maybe give it a try.

Another first for me was the Potato and Chorizo Quesadilla. This had a lovely smoky taste running through from the chorizo and the melted cheese made it feel quite naughty but very, very nice. I have to say this, like a good slice of pizza, tastes oh so much better if eaten with your hands – it’s one of those kind of dishes.

Our final two dishes were the Marinated Chicken Taquitos and the Green Rice – both of which were good. The taquitos had the most fragrant, moist and tasty chicken inside and were topped with a refreshing citrusy green salad and a generous topping of crumbly and delicious Lancashire cheese – gorgeous. The rice is a beautiful looking little plate; blitzed coriander and onion make for the unmistakable flavours and colours of Mexican cuisine – once again showing that a simple dish can be so, so good. 

‘Simple yet satisfying’ is the mainstay of Wahaca and it never disappoints for me. I have enjoyed many a lunch at the various outposts and I’m sure I will continue to do so. There are tons of Mexican restaurants and burrito bars in London these days and I have tried a good selection, but what Wahaca has above most that I’ve tried, is you don’t come away with that awful bloated feeling and I think this had a lot to do with the quality of the ingredients and the freshness of everything used. Oh and with change from £30 for a very enjoyable and filling lunch for two I just don’t think you can go wrong.

If anybody has any recommendations for foodie or otherwise things to do in Cancun or the Riviera Maya in Mexico please do comment below.

Thomasina Mier's Fruity Chilli

I’m constantly tearing out recipes from magazines, saving or pinning online recipes and taking notes during TV shows of dishes I want to try and this weekend I finally made one I’ve had earmarked for a while.

Being a big fan of Wahaca, when Thomasina Miers’ Mexican Food Made Simple aired, I was avidly viewing week by week and one of the recipes she prepared that I really liked the look of was for a fruity chilli. After a bit of online digging and having to re-watch the episode via  Channel 5 Online yesterday afternoon, I took note of all of the ingredients, decided to omit from using banana and pear and popped out to get the remainder of the ingredients I didn’t already have in my brother’s stock cupboard, where I’ve been staying for a few nights.

I made a large batch, to freeze half for a pre-prepared mid-week meal, and the rest fed four of us comfortably. Combining both lean steak and pork mince, and with a sauce flavoured with charred vegetables and chipotle the end result was rich, smoky and delicious – a perfect warming, winter meal. I served it with rice, homemade salsa and guacamole, sour cream and some tortilla chips.

Here’s How:

500g each of lean steak and lean pork mince

2 large onions

6 large tomatoes

2 bell peppers

2 cloves of garlic

1 large red chilli

2 apples, peeled and chopped into cubes

Juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons of raisins or dried fruit

Heaped tsp of each of the following: ground cinnamon, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper

2 cloves

2 tablespoons of oregano (I used dried as couldn’t get hold of any fresh and it was fine)

75 chipotle paste

50 ml chicken stock

1 tin of red kidney beans

First off, whack the oven up to a high heat, and place on a baking sheet the tomatoes, peppers and the onions roughly chopped. Place them into the oven until the skin is blackened, then leave to one side to cool.

Brown off the mince and whilst it’s cooking, place the charred vegetables into a blender and blitz until liquidised – the blackened vegetables will give this basis of your sauce a great, smoked flavour. Now you need to add the flavours – add all of your herbs and spices, garlic and chilli along with the chipotle paste and blitz once more.

Once browned, transfer the mince to a saucepan, then cover with your sauce and stir through thoroughly. Next add your apples and raisins (and if you wish to stick to Thomasina’s recipe your pear and banana) and the chicken stock and kidney beans and stir again. Now place on a moderate heat for 45 minutes-an hour.

In the meantime prepare your salsa by finely chopping 2 tomatoes, 1 red onion and 1 chilli and a tsp of sun-dried tomato paste in a small bowl or ramekin. Pour in some garlic infused olive oil and then leave to intensify as the chilli is cooking.

For the guacamole, in a mortar, place a finely chopped red onion, chopped red chilli and 1 clove of garlic with 2 chopped avocadoes and some fresh coriander and grind with the pestle till you’re left with a fairly chunky texture. Next add the juice of 1 lime and add a pinch of salt and pepper then grind again. Just before serving, mix in some freshly chopped coriander.

Finally cook your rice to the packet instructions, or if you prefer jacket potatoes, and once cooked, plate up with a spoonful each of the salsa, guacamole and sour cream with a bowl of moreish tortillas in the middle of the table, and some grated cheddar cheese for a seriously satisfying, fiery, yet smoky meal.  It might not look very glam, but when it’s cold outside, this kind of a meal is balm, to whoever you’re feeding.

Two Ways With...

Halloumi

In the second of this series of posts I've chosen the Cypriot cheese that is increasingly popular in the UK. Readily available in most supermarkets and a frequent contender on menus in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurants, it is often used in one of two ways.

The first is as 'saganaki', which translated from Greek means frying pan, or fried, and simple as it is, I do enjoy this style. The second which I seem to see more and more of is sliced, grilled and piled up in stacks of grilled vegetables, simply drizzled with oil. Again this is nice, however I think this is a versatile cheese that has more to it than these two dishes let on.

So my two dishes this time cook the cheese in different ways, both ways paired with almost identical ingredients used in different ways. Two different plates of food, and two very tasty dishes.

What's more these are a great couple of dishes to offer to vegetarian guests - something that I seem to have a lot of!

You may notice that both of these recipes use chilli, mainly as I am slightly addicted to spice, and if you prefer a milder flavour then decrease the amount of chilli used.

Chilli and Lime Vegetables with Grilled Halloumi

This is an incredibly simple but seriously delicious hot salad topped with lovely grilled Halloumi, perfect for a warm summer's day when you fancy something light to eat, but don't want to compromise on flavours. I served this with a dip which works as an excellent alternative to Greek tzatziki - using coriander instead of mint, which works well with the lime and chilli.

100g Halloumi
1 courgette
1/2 an Aubergine
1/2 Red Onion
1 Green Chilli
4 Cherry Tomatoes
2 Tbsp Creme Fraiche
1Tbsp Coriander
1 Clove of Garlic

First cut the courgette and aubergine into ribbons using a vegetable peeler. Halve the tomatoes and chop the onion and chilli.
Pour a drizzle of olive oil into a large griddle pan over a medium heat and pop in all the vegetables.
Slice the Halloumi so it's at least 1/2cm thick.
Once the vegetables are nicely cooked, remove to a dish, cover with foil and pop under a warm grill whilst you add the halloumi to the griddle.
In the meantime place the creme fraiche in a small bowl. Crush the garlic and chop the coriander and add to the bowl and give a good stir.
Assemble the hot vegetables onto your serving plate and squeeze half a lime, or more if you require over them. Season with black pepper (don't use salt if you can help it as the cheese has a high salt content).
Once the Halloumi has been grilled for at least two minutes on each side place on top of the vegetables and you're ready to serve with your dip on the side.
For me this is like a taste of the Med.

Deep-fried Halloumi with Chunky Guacamole
100g Halloumi
1 Ripe Avocado
3 Cherry Tomatoes
1 Green Chilli
1 Clove of Garlic
1/2 Red Onion
1 Tbsp Coriander, chopped
1 Tsp Mint, chopped
1/2 Lemon or Lime Juice
1 Slice of White Bread
1 Egg, whisked
1/2 Cup of Plain Flour

Firstly make your guacamole by chopping your onion, garlic, chilli and tomatoes (try to remove seeds) and adding to a mortar.
Cut the avocado in half, remove the pip and skin and slice. Add this to the mortar with the coriander and mint and use the pestle to work into a paste, don't be too vigorous as it's good to still have some larger chunks of avocado.
Squeeze over the lime juice and give one last bash. Either pop in the fridge if you prefer this cold, otherwise just leave to one side.
For the Halloumi slice as in the above recipe.
In a food processor blitz the slice of bread and put into a shallow bowl. In another bowl pour in the flour and season. In a third bowl pour in the whisked egg.
For each piece of Halloumi first coat in the flour, next the egg and then fully coat in the breadcrumbs.
In either a deep-fat-fryer or if you don't own one, then fill a heavy-duty saucepan 1/3 of the way with vegetable oil and put on a medium heat.
Allow to heat up for four or five minutes and test it's hot enough by tearing off a small piece of bread and gently putting in with a metal slotted spoon. If this starts to sizzle then the oil is ready.
Once the oil is hot enough place each piece of breadcrumbed Halloumi into the pan with the slotted spoon. Cook for just over one minute, then use the spoon to turn over and brown on both sides.
Remove from the pan and place on a plate with kitchen roll. Then serve with the guacamole.
The cheese should be lovely, slightly melted and oozy and this works as a great starter or as a rather indulgent snack.