Shrimp and Black Bean Tacos

2/7/2017

Have you been to Amelia Island? We made our first trip there last month and we fell in love immediately. I feel like Amelia is Florida's best little kept secret. We spent time walking the beach on a gorgeous January morning, browsing the little shops, exploring the state park and sampling the local food of course.

Since I live in land locked Atlanta I tried to take full advantage of the fact that we were on the coast and consume as much seafood as I possibly could in one weekend. (And quite a bit of ice cream too.) :)

One of the very best meals that I tasted that weekend was a baked macaroni and cheese with bacon and shrimp from The Salty Pelican. It was sooo good and it wasn't even mine - it was actually Courtney's dinner. Luckily it was way more that even the 2 of us could finish.

That bacon and shrimp baked macaroni and cheese was life changing and I'm not quite ready to tackle that meal at home but I do have a new appreciation for shrimp after our weekend at Amelia. I decided to whip up a slightly healthier shrimp recipe: Shrimp and Black Bean Tacos.

My shrimp doesn't even compare to the shrimp that we ate at the Salty Pelican but I think that's partly due to the environment. Sitting outside, smelling the ocean air and overlooking the harbor is just not something that I can replicate in my kitchen.

Shrimp and Black Bean Tacos
2 teaspoons canola oil
3/4 pound medium shrimp
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/8 teaspoon red pepper
15 ounce can black beans, drained (Reserving liquid)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup fresh salsa
2 Tablespoons green onions, sliced
1 ripe avocado, sliced

Heat oil in skillet. Add shrimp, 1 t. cumin and pepper. Cook until shrimp are cooked through. Remove shrimp from pan.

Add beans, 2 T. reserved bean liquid, 1/2 t. cumin and chili powder to pan. Cook 3 minutes. Mash beans with a fork.