One of my favorite things about football season (besides the football) is the food!  Apparently, I have passed this trait on to our kids.  One of their favorite things is having “snacks for dinner”.  This stems from Sunday afternoons watching football on the couch together… surrounded by meatballs, pizza, wings, potstickers, seared tuna, pigs in a blanket, and spinach dip.  The return of football has prompted requests for “snacks for dinner” so we decided to kick off the season with something new and delicious!

This is one of those great ‘clear the fridge’ or ‘clear the pantry’ concepts!  Whatever you have on-hand and whatever you like is what you should use.  So, you will see what WE used, but you can alter this to suit your own taste.

Rock Shrimp & Chorizo Nachos:

• Tortilla Chips
• Rock Shrimp  (I used 3/4 lb for 4 people)
• Corn
• Black Beans
• Cheese  (I used Pepper Jack and Cheddar)
• Sliced Chorizo
• Additional Toppings  (lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeno, etc.)
• Raw Garlic & Cilantro Cream  (see below)

I started by prepping all the ingredients.  I charred the corn over the gas stove, but this is completely optional.

Raw Garlic & Cilantro Cream:  This is really easy.  It’s a great way to cool off spicy things, but the raw garlic actually gives it quite a bite of its own.  I put one cup of sour cream in the blender with a bunch of fresh cilantro, the juice of one lime, and 2 cloves of raw garlic.  I added water, one teaspoon at a time, just until it was thin enough to blend and become combined. 

On to the rock shrimp…  they are like little tiny lobster tails.  They are already peeled and deveined.  Just rinse and dry and you’re ready to go.  They have a firm, snappy texture and a clean sweet flavor.  I seasoned them with a very small amount of cumin and chili powder.  (Avoid seasoning with salt because there is PLENTY of salt here between the Chorizo, the chips, and the cheese.)  I sautéed them over high heat just for a minute until they were opaque and slightly curled.

Go ahead and assemble your nachos!  Make sure you use an oven-proof platter with plenty of room to spread everything out.  Chips, then cheese, and then the toppings.  If you are using lettuce, don’t put that on until you are ready to eat the nachos.

    
Put this in the oven at 450 degrees for about ten minutes.  Everything will be all melty and crispy.  This is when you drizzle the cream over the top and add your lettuce.

The verdict:  DELICIOUS!  The Chorizo is JUST spicy enough to keep things interesting, but not so much that the whole family won’t enjoy it.  The Garlic Cilantro Cream adds a very fresh and bright twist to something that can be so mundane and tired.  (Save the leftovers and drizzle it over grilled chicken or fish!)  As I stated before, the possibilities with nachos are pretty much endless.  Play around with the flavor combinations until you find one that is perfect.