FRIDAY FISH: Air Fryer Shrimp Louis Tacos

Shrimp (or Crab) Louis is a famous old school California salad. Here I transform it into tacos for FRIDAY FISH. While this dish is fast enough as it is, you could make it even faster/easier by buying cooked shrimp, purchased guacamole, and Salsa Ranch or old school Thousand Island dressing you can tart-up at home. Fresh crab could sit in for the shrimp any day and you’d have CRAB LOUIS TACOS! Fresh crab could sit in for the shrimp any day and you’d have CRAB LOUIS TACOS. I used a 6-quart air fryer and my very large shrimp took 3 minutes to cook after 10 minutes of preheating. A different fryer or smaller/larger shrimp could change the cooking time.

Makes 10 (5-6)inch tacos

Equipment

Air Fryer

Ingredients

FOR THE SHRIMP LOUIS SAUCE:

2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup chili sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce-Spicy a problem? Start with ¼ teaspoon and add more to taste.
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Pinch each kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

FOR THE SHRIMP:

Cooking spray
1- pound 16 ounces large raw, tailed, shelled and deveined shrimp
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon EACH: dried oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, sweet paprika, and fresh ground black pepper (plus extra pepper after the shrimp is cooked)
½ teaspoon kosher salt- plus extra salt after the shrimp is cooked
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice- added after shrimp is cooked

FOR THE TACOS:

10 5-6 inch corn tortillas-- heated or grilled
1 ½ cups finely shredded iceberg or Romaine lettuce
2 medium ripe tomatoes--cut into large dice
½ English cucumber-- very thinly sliced
5 hard-cooked eggs-- peeled and cut lengthwise into ¼’s
2 ripe large avocados, peeled and cut into large dice
5 baby carrots sliced thinly lengthwise
3-4 scallions-- sliced at an angle, peeled and cut into large dice
Very-thinly sliced red onions or radishes--optional
2 lemons or limes-- cut into wedges for serving
Cooked shrimp
Shrimp Louis sauce
Tabasco (pass at table)

Instructions

MAKE THE SAUCE: Whisk all of the ingredients together and taste/adjust seasonings. Store in fridge until needed. (Can be made a day ahead and stored well-covered in the fridge.)
AIR FRY THE SHRIMP: Preheat air fryer at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Spray fryer pan with cooking spray. Meanwhile, stir together all of the shrimp ingredients except the lemon juice until shrimp are evenly coated. Using tongs, add seasoned shrimp to the sprayed, hot air fryer pan in an even layer. Cook for 3 minutes or until shrimp are barely firm and just pink. If not done at 3 minutes, turn shrimp over and cook another minute, checking again. Remove shrimp to a bowl. Sprinkle with another pinch each salt and pepper and drizzle with the lemon juice; stir. (Can be made a day ahead and stored well-covered in the fridge.)
ASSEMBLE TACOS: To each tortilla, layer about 2 tablespoons lettuce, 2-3 pieces each of tomato and cucumber, two 1/8 pieces of cooked egg, 2 pieces of diced avocado, 2 cooked shrimp, a generous drizzle of Shrimp Louis Sauce, and a wedge of lemon or lime. Pass the Tabasco at the table for those who would like more heat. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. (The vegetables and the eggs might be prepared a day ahead –with the exception of the avocado – and stored overnight well-covered in separate containers.)

Notes

Leftover sauce is good for vegetable dip or a sandwich spread, though I like it best as a shrimp dip, of course! Inspiration for sauce is from Epicurious.