Taco Box in Bucerias

So, back from vacation and finally getting around to going through some pictures and assigning them to the corresponding memory. Where do I begin..? I figured the above picture was as good a place as any to start.

• The pic: Taco Box in Bucerias, Nayarit, MX; located on Calle Morelos, west of Lazaro Cardenas.
• The memory: Our first night arriving to Bucerias, looking for a place to eat.

We had perused the menus at all the usual suspects who, by the looks of it, appeared to be catering mostly to folks north of the border, offering the continental-style surf & turf that we can easily find any day of the week back home. While they were all decent, repectable joints probably offering a good food within its class, this is not why we went to Mexico . No, we went for something different, a true experience. And, well, we got it on our first day!

What can I say about Taco Box..? For us it was a beacon in the night, literally. We had been strolling up and down Lazaro Cardenas, noticing lots of shops and restaurants were closed on the south side of town. We had decided to go into downtown, north of the residential area where we were staying when we noticed a food stand illuminated by a bright light. We figured, OK, our first night in Mexico, but hey, no better time to test the ol' gut (which I must say never really got tested in Mexico!). So we walked down the block to check out the offerings, and began taking in the sweet, smoky smell of pork searing on an upright rotisserie.

As we approached, Dany, the proprietor of Taco Box greeted us and asked us "how many?". We pulled up a chairs to a small plastic table positioned on the side of the street, made our order of 4 tacos each and a soda, and we were set. The tacos, besides being affordable by any standard, were amazing. Simple, perfectly flavored Al Pastor Pork on piping hot corn tortillas topped with a bit of, onion, chopped cilantro, and grilled pineapple. As we ate, we chatted with Dany about his Mexico City style meat seasonings, and watched as he prepared a rather large to-go order which his brother bagged up and set off afoot to deliver around the corner, confirming that it was not only us enjoying these tasty treats that night!

So, if you're in Bucerias and craving tacos one night on the south side of town, make sure to check out Taco Box.

Quick dinner - what's on hand?

Finding myself alone for dinner tonight, and not too inspired to go out or get creative with cooking for one, I decided to keep it on the simple side. For some strange reason, I had been thinking of Mexican food all day, and thought that the theme should carry into tonight's dinner. Not wanting to go and grab a bunch of ingredients from the market, I decided to do a bit of fridge and freezer clean out and work with what I had in-house.

What I found:

Partial bunch of cilantro
Frozen Shrimp
Whole Lime
Cojita Cheese
Corn Tortillas
Prepared Refrigerated Salsa (we use a fresh variety from San Juan Salsa Co.)


My creation:

Achiote Shrimp Tacos

Recipe for one person (amounts can be doubled, etc. for more people):

• 1/4 # frozen shrimp, thawed, drained and chopped into 1/8 - 1/4" pieces
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp oil (canola, olive, etc)
• 1 tbsp Achiote paste
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• Juice from 1/2 lime, and 2-3 sliced lime wedges
• 1/8 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 4 corn tortillas
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup crumbled Cojita cheese
• Salsa

Mix the shrimp, garlic, oil, achiote paste, sugar, lime juice, cumin, and salt together and set aside. This should form a slurry-like thin paste.

For the shrimp - Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat, and drop in a scant amount of oil.

For the tortillas - heat a small skillet over medium low heat.

Heat the tortillas in the small skillet, a couple of minutes each side, just enough to warm them through (make sure not to burn them, or dry them out). Wrap hot tortillas in a towel and place into a bowl, or a tortilla warmer, if you have one.

While heating tortillas, place shrimp mixture in the other heated pan, and saute until shrimp are cooked (5 - 7 minutes).

Serve the cooked shrimp on warm tortillas, and top with cilantro, crumbled cojita cheese, salsa and a squeeze of fresh lime.