Po’Boy Tacos — Something to Eat With Your Hands While You Cry

Pasteles batch two. Sunday this time, since I had Saturday food bank on the schedule. Twenty-four more pasteles done. Forty-eight total. Twenty-four more next Saturday.

Tuesday food bank: pernil — yes, a small pernil for the lunch line, which Brian had been requesting and which I had been resisting because pernil is not a high-volume meal. I gave in. I made a six-pound pernil. We sliced it thinly. We served it with rice and beans. The line came through in awe. Mr. Patterson said, "Mrs. Carmen, this is the food I have been dreaming about." I said, "Mr. Patterson, you can eat pernil at home." He said, "Mrs. Carmen, I cannot make pernil at the shelter." I had not thought about that. I made a mental note.

Wednesday I went to a small holiday party at Brian's house. Eduardo came. Yolanda was there with her husband. Marcus was there with his girlfriend. Tamika was there with her wife. Brian's wife had cooked an Italian feast. We ate. We drank wine. We laughed. Eduardo said in the car on the way home, "Carmen, that was nice." I said, "Eduardo, yes." He said, "Carmen, you have built something." I said, "Eduardo, the food bank built it. Brian built it. Tamika built it. La Cocina is a team." He said, "Carmen, you are deflecting." I said, "Eduardo, I am decentering." He laughed. We drove home in light snow.

Thursday Mami had a brief moment of confusion. She did not know me for forty minutes. Then she did. She said, "Carmen, why are the pasteles in my freezer?" I said, "Mami, you asked for four." She said, "Carmen, did I?" I said, "Mami, yes. Last week." She said, "Carmen, eat them. They are not going to keep me alive." I said, "Mami, I will not eat them. They are yours." She said, "Carmen, fine. Then save them for the wake. They will keep that long." I said, "Mami, I will." She said, "Carmen, the wake plan." I said, "Mami, I have it." She said, "Carmen, twelve dozen. Plus arroz con dulce. Plus flan. Plus tostones." I said, "Mami, plus tostones is new." She said, "Carmen, tostones because people need something to eat with their hands while they cry." I said, "Mami, that is wisdom." She said, "Carmen, it is just tostones." Wepa.

Mami’s addition of tostones to the wake menu stopped me cold — not because it was unexpected, but because it was so exactly right. She said people need something to eat with their hands while they cry, and I have been thinking about that ever since. I cannot share the pastel recipe here (it belongs to her, and the full version takes a weekend), but these Po’Boy Tacos are the recipe I come back to whenever I need to feed a group something they can hold, something that does not require a plate or a fork or composure — just a warm, generous bite and good company around you.

Po’Boy Tacos

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 6 (2 tacos each)

Ingredients

• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• Vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup)
• 12 small flour or corn tortillas
• 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup dill pickle slices
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (such as Crystal or Tabasco)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Make the remoulade. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, hot sauce, and lemon juice. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. Set up the dredging station. In one shallow bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk. In a second bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and black pepper.
3. Dredge the shrimp. Working in batches, dip each shrimp in the egg-buttermilk mixture, letting the excess drip off, then press firmly into the flour-cornmeal mixture to coat on all sides.
4. Fry the shrimp. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering (about 350°F). Fry the shrimp in batches for 2—3 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and season lightly with salt.
5. Warm the tortillas. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat and warm each tortilla for 30 seconds per side, or wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for 45 seconds.
6. Assemble the tacos. Spread a thin layer of remoulade on each tortilla. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomato, two or three pickles, and two or three fried shrimp. Serve immediately with lemon wedges alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 22g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 40g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 720mg