Recipes Shrimp Tacos with Pickled-Red-Onion Salad 5.0 (2,152) Add your rating & review After chef Dean Fearing made these spicy shrimp tacos with pickled onions for the BubbleQ, he served them at his Dallas restaurant, Fearing's. They are now the signature dish. "To me, anything wrapped in a flour tortilla is absolutely delicious," he says. More Tasty Tacos By Dean Fearing Dean Fearing F&W Star Chef » See All F&W Chef Superstars Dean Fearing, chef at Fearing’s in Dallas, tells F&W about his grandmother's famous cheese ball, his favorite cookbook and the right way to heat a tortilla. What’s the one dish you’re most known for? Our tortilla stuffing. It’s something I came up with years ago, a south-of-the-border take on cornbread stuffing, in which we use fried tortillas along with a traditional cornbread, and instead of chicken stock we add tortilla soup. Then we add fresh jalapeños, a little bit of cumin, along with sage and thyme. Instead of baking it in a pan, we shape it into balls that we brush with a little olive oil to give them a nice crust. Part of my whole philosophy of food is that on every plate something has to be crunchy. What’s your favorite cookbook of all time?Oscar of the Waldorf’s Cook Book, by Oscar Tschirky. Somebody gave me this book when I was first starting as an apprentice. Tschirky was the maître d’ of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel restaurant in New York, and he came out with this cookbook in 1896. It’s as thick as an encyclopedia. We all think that everything’s new, but a lot of it was being done in New York in 1896. You talk about truffle sauce or hollandaise or even crab cakes and corn chowder, it’s all in there. The unbelievable part is there’s not one amount given, like 1 cup or 2 tablespoons—he explains how to make every recipe verbally. Yet his recipes are so thorough. The book is so complete, it covers everything from killing wild game to canning and pickling and how to poach, sauté or fry a fillet of sole. I’ve used this book through my whole career. What’s a technique everyone should know? The best way to heat a tortilla. If you want the perfect tortilla—corn or flour—take a stack of five out of the bag and heat them, uncovered, for 15 to 20 seconds, depending on how powerful your microwave is. We do that at home, because my boys love migas in the morning when I’m cooking them breakfast. Some people say to hit the tortillas with a little water, but forget it. I think it’s because they steam so quickly, but microwaving works better than heating them on top of the stove at times. The stove can dry them out if you’re not careful. Out of the microwave they’re more pliable, perfect for migas, tacos or for getting a tight roll for enchiladas. Can you share a great entertaining tip? I grew up in Eastern Kentucky, and had two grandmothers who lived just blocks from us. They were both unbelievable country cooks. My grandmother on my dad’s side, Granny Fearing, would always make a cheese ball of cheddar cheese, cream cheese and blue cheese with Tabasco, Worcestershire, some salt and chives or green onions, all blended together and covered with chopped pecans. She’d let it come to room temperature so the cheese was soft, put a butter knife in there and set it on a platter, and surround it with overlapping layers of Triscuits and Ritz Crackers. For me, that was like decoration deluxe. Talk about food preparation, and display. Boy, we would just dig into that. And I think they’re still good. You can make them ahead of time, and when people come over, for late-night party drinks or the cocktail hour or afternoons, you can just bring it out of the refrigerator and design your own cracker display. There are many cooler crackers you can use these days, but to me nothing beats that taste on a Triscuit. If I have that, I’m back on Newman Street in her house in Ashland, Kentucky, and it’s 1961. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 4, 2017 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Quentin Bacon Active Time: 40 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins Yield: 4 tacos Ingredients Red Onion Salad 1/2 cup white wine vinegar 1/2 cup sugar Salt 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced 1/2 cup fresh orange juice 1 small white onion, finely diced 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup 2 tablespoons malt vinegar 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1/2 large ripe mango, cut into thin sticks 1/2 cup thinly sliced green cabbage 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves Shrimp Tacos 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 small white onion, finely chopped 1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup barbecue sauce 1/2 cup shredded jalapeño Jack cheese Four 6-inch flour tortillas, warmed 2 tablespoons salted roasted pumpkin seeds, 1 thinly sliced seeded serrano chile and 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, for garnish Directions In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the hot pickling liquid over the red onion in a small, heatproof bowl and let cool, then refrigerate overnight. In another saucepan, combine the orange juice, white onion, maple syrup, malt vinegar and cumin seeds. Boil over moderately high heat until the liquid has reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a blender, add the oil and lime juice and puree until smooth; season with salt. Drain the red onion and transfer to a bowl. Add the mango, cabbage, cilantro and half of the vinaigrette and season with salt. In a skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, 5 minutes. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook, turning, until white throughout, 3 minutes. Add the barbecue sauce and bring to a simmer. Off the heat, stir in the cheese. Spoon the shrimp and red onion salad onto the tortillas and roll them up. Garnish with the pumpkin seeds, chile and cilantro, and serve with the remaining vinaigrette. Suggested Pairing Citrusy Spanish white. Rate it Print