Shrimp and Toasted Pumpkin Seed Tart
Made with Mexico’s famous green salsa, this recipe features a corn tortilla crust, fresh shrimp, roasted pumpkin seeds, and sour cream.
Ingredients
sour cream
about 0.5 cup
medium shrimp (shelled and deveined, each cut into 4–5 pieces, shells reserved)
0.75 pound (350 g)
large eggs
3
water (for cooking the shrimp shells)
2 cups
all-purpose flour (measured by the dry-cup method, leveled off)
about 0.75 cup
salt (for the dough)
1 teaspoon
stone-ground yellow cornmeal
about 0.75 cup
baking powder
1 teaspoon
cold unsalted butter (cut into 10 pieces)
8 tablespoons (1 stick)
large egg (for the dough)
1
raw pumpkin seeds (hulled)
1 cup
unsalted butter
3 tablespoons
ground cumin
about 0.5 teaspoon
dried oregano
about 0.5 teaspoon
ground cloves
about 0.25 teaspoon
cilantro leaves (washed and patted dry)
1 cup
fresh serrano chiles (stemmed, halved, and seeded)
2 to 4
white onion (coarsely chopped)
about 0.5 cup
Instructions
1
Make the dough
Pulse the dry ingredients in a food processor fitted with the metal blade to combine. Add the butter and pulse until incorporated. Add the egg and pulse, about ten 1-second pulses, until the dough forms a ball. Shape the dough into a disk, flouring the dough and the work surface as needed.
2
Shape the tart shell
Roll out the dough according to the instructions for Rich Pie Dough on page 128, to fit the tart pan. Chill the shell while you prepare the filling.
3
Make the shrimp-shell stock
Place the shrimp in the refrigerator while you work. Combine the shells, water, and salt in a nonreactive saucepan. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 1 cup. Strain and discard the shells. Reserve the liquid.
4
Preheat the oven
Set a rack on the lowest level of the oven and preheat to 375°F (190°C).
5
Toast the pumpkin seeds and cook the shrimp
In a skillet, lightly toast the pumpkin seeds until just golden. Do not let them brown. Pour the seeds into a blender jar and set aside. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the same pan. When the butter melts and foams, add the shrimp. Toss once, then sprinkle the cumin over the shrimp. Sauté the shrimp until firm and pink, no more than 1 minute. Scrape the shrimp onto a plate or in a bowl.
6
Make the sauce
Add the reduced shrimp liquid, oregano, cloves, cilantro, chiles, and onion to the blender jar with the pumpkin seeds. Process until smooth.
7
Mix the filling
Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and stir in the pumpkin seed mixture. Cook, stirring, until hot, then stir in the sour cream. Remove from the heat and stir in the shrimp. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then stir the shrimp mixture into the eggs. Pour the filling into the tart shell.
8
Bake
Bake the tart until the dough is cooked through and the filling is set, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately.
