Welcome to another edition of Chefs Share. Each month, we talk to Miami’s top chefs and share recipes from some of your favorite restaurants.
If you’re worried about your skills in the kitchen, don’t be: Although these are restaurant-quality recipes, they don’t require a culinary background. Expect easy-to-follow instructions and readily available ingredients in each recipe; your local supermarket or specialty store should have everything you need.
This month’s dish comes from chef Alex Chang of Taqueria Hoja in downtown Miami. Chang leads the kitchen at this humble Mexican eatery, which is known for its affordable, tasty tacos with fillings like carne asada, heritage pork, avocado and sweet potato. Burritos and quesadillas are also plentiful at the Ingraham Building restaurant.
If Chang’s name sounds familiar, it should: He opened Vagabond Restaurant in MiMo several years ago, which quickly made headlines for its innovative fare. Shortly after opening that restaurant, he won the StarChefs Rising Star Chef award in 2016. Afterward, he took a break from Miami and worked at places like The Broken Shaker in Los Angeles. He’s now back in downtown Miami and cooking up a storm.
One of the most popular items at Taqueria Hoja are the shrimp and potato flautas, which you’ll be making this month. A few things you should know about this recipe: It yields a lot of flautas. Consider making it for dinner parties, family gatherings or just meal prep for the week.
But, if you’re really hungry, just go for it. While it sounds like a lot of food, these flautas are surprisingly light; you’ll find yourself eating way more than expected. One other word of advice: Read the whole recipe beforehand to avoid any surprises – it’s short and sweet.
Here’s what Chang has to say about the dish:
“Many of our tacos are inspired from our favorites, eaten in different places in the world. The flautas are inspired by one of the most iconic dishes of Los Angeles, the fried shrimp tacos at Mariscos Jalisco in Boyle Heights. They are delicious and crunchy and the sauce is super fresh.”
Without further ado ...
Shrimp and Potato Flautas
SHRIMP AND POTATO FLAUTAS
Servings/Yield: 24
INGREDIENTS
- 16 ounces shrimp, cubed
- Salt to taste
- 5 ounces diced onion
- 2 ounces diced jalapeño
- 8 ounces Russet potatoes, peeled, diced and cooked
- 24 tk-inch corn tortillas
- X ounces tk oil
PREAPARATION
- Sauté shrimp, season with salt, remove from pan and cool.
- In the same pan, sweat onion and jalapeño until translucent; season with salt and cool.
- Combine cooled ingredients with cooked potatoes.
- Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each tortilla, then roll tightly and deep-fry at 350º F until crispy.