I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to dislike nachos (or at least it should be). I mean, who doesn’t like nachos? Seriously, who? Never have I ever met a soul that said “no thanks” to a big cheesy pile of chips. I think one of my first loves in life was nachos. A simple plate of chips, beans, cheese and jalapeños. Very very simply but oh so delicious. I think It’s really hard to screw up a plate on nachos. You would have to be blindfolded to mess up something like this. So I started off with the simple nachos as a kid… and as the years went by in my childhood, I realized how many wonderful combinations of nachos there are in the world.
So how did these chipotle shrimp nachos come about? Well I didn’t know what to do for dinner so I looked in my fridge for random ingredients. What did I find? Well, I found all the ingredients to put together this beautiful plate of nachos. I think some of the best creations are when you don’t plan for them. I love to scavenge for ingredients in my fridge and pantry and putting my creativity to the test. I encourage everyone to use the ingredientbsthey have on hand and create something you normally wouldn’t. I hate wasting food, so I do this often and it’s surprisingly delicious each and every time.
CHIPOTLE SHRIMP NACHOS
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Serves: 2
INGREDIENTS:
FOR SHRIMP:
- 1/2 lb. small white shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 7 oz. canned chipotles in adobo
- 1 pink kosher salt
- 1 dash garlic powder
- 1/2 lime, juice of
- 1 tbsp butter, salted
FOR NACHOS:
- Click for PICO DE GALLO
- Click for CHILI SPICED TORTILLA CHIPS
- Click for THE BEST GUACAMOLE
- 2 tbsp mayonaise
- 1/2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp chipotle puree (recipe follows)
- 1/2 lime, juice of
- 1 can pinto beans
- 2 links chorizo, casing removed (like brand: Banderita chorizo)
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 dash garlic powder
- 1 dash ground cumin
- 1tbsp rendered bacon fat
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup gruyere cheese, shredded
DIRECTIONS:
- Prepare chili spiced tortilla chips, pico de gallo and guacamole.
FOR SHRIMP:
- Place can of chipotles in adobo in a blender. Blend till smooth. Set aside 2 tbsp for shrimp and 1 tbsp for chipotle mayo (recipe follows).
- In a large bowl mix together 2 tbsp chipotle puree, salt, garlic powder, lime juice and shrimp. Mix well so that each shrimp is coated. Let sit for 10 minutes to marinate.
- Pre heat a pan to medium heat. Add in butter and let melt. add in shrimp and cook about 2 minutes a side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
FOR CHORIZO REFRIED BEANS:
- Heat a small pot to medium high heat and add in chorizo. Cook for about 5 minutes while stirring occasionally, or until chorizo is fully cooked. Add in pinto beans. Begin to mash beans with a potato masher. Mash until beans are smooth but still slightly chunky.
- Bring to a soft boil and add in bacon fat, salt, cumin, garlic powder and sour cream. Mix to combine. Turn off heat and set aside.
FOR CHIPOTLE MAYO:
- In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, 1 tbsp chipotle puree, water and lime juice. Set aside.
TO ASSEMBLE:
- Pre-heat the oven to high broil.
- Place tortilla chips in a baking sheet. Dollop on beans on each chip. sprinkle on pepper jack and gruyere cheese.
- Place in the oven till cheese is melted and chips are slightly golden on the edges. (about 5 minutes)
- Remove from the oven and top with chipotle shrimp, pico de gallo, guacamole, and a drizzle of chipotle mayo.