Shrimp & Mushroom Tacos. My first attempt at a copycat of 3 Margarita's Prawn Appetizer.

We got a 3 Margaritas restaurant here a few months ago... here it's just called Margarita's though.  We went there on my birthday in April and Brian & I tried the Prawn appetizer.  We loved it!!  It's "medium prawns, sautèed in butter with mushrooms, and our special mild tomato sauce, served in a bed of rice, and Jack cheese".  I've had it 3 times now & think it's fab... so I decided I would try to copycat the recipe since they won't hand it over & I can't find a copycat on the internet.

This was my first attempt.  I still need to tweak the tomato sauce as this one wasn't close enough to the original and I used shrimp instead of prawns because they are a perfect substitute.  The original comes on a platter that you can eat with a fork... but we asked for tortillas & put the appetizer into them like tacos... so that is how we ate them tonight & that is why I called them Shrimp & Mushroom Tacos. 

These were really good.  I would them again... but I'm still on the quest for the perfect copycat of the 3 Margarita's Prawn Appetizer.  Attempt #2 may be a while... shrimp does not grow on trees. lol

Here's the low-down on my attempt:

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Shrimp & Mushroom Tacos

 Mild Mexican Tomato Sauce:

• 2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
• 1 small White Onion, chopped
• 1 clove Garlic, finely chopped
• 2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (I used a pint of Fire Roasted Tomatoes I canned)
• 1/2 tsp. Sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Ground Pepper
• 1/4 tsp. Chili Powder (or to taste)

Heat oil in a sauce pan.  Fry onion and garlic for 3 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients and cook over low heat for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
*I pureed my tomatoes because I didn't want any chunks.

Shrimp & Mushrooms:

• 2 lb. Shrimp or Prawn  (I used large de-veined, tail on, pre-cooked)
• 2 lb. Button Mushrooms, sliced
• 1 stick Butter

Remove tail from shrimp if necessary.  Melt butter in a large fry pan.  Add mushrooms & shrimp, then saute until completely cooked.

3 cups cooked Rice (white or brown)
Pkg. of 6" to 8" Flour Tortilla Shells (heat according to package directions)
1 lb. shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

 Assembly:

When shrimp & mushrooms are done cooking, drain any liquid from pan, then stir in tomato sauce & the 3 cups of rice.   Mix thoroughly.














Fill tortilla shells with shrimp & mushroom mixture & top with cheese.
Enjoy!

                                   











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Thoughts:

• I'm going to continue to work on the tomato sauce... it's not right yet.  Next time I'm going to try an enchilada sauce recipe & only add 1/4 tsp. of Chili Powder until I reach the desired "heat".  I'll see how that works.  I'm also not going to use my fire roasted tomatoes... I think they added the wrong flavor, tomato wise that is. lol
• I used fresh mushrooms but pre-cooked shrimp, so while sauteeing I ended up with a lot of extra juice that I had to drain off.  Next time I will cook the mushrooms for a bit before draining them & adding more butter & the shrimp.  Then I will continue sauteeing until cooked completely.
• I would say that this probably made about 15 to 18,  6" tacos.