By Spring is peak Nashville: the temperature is perfect, the city is blooming, and every weekend feels like an invitation to be outside. I took the kids to Centennial Park on Saturday — the big one, with the Parthenon, where Mama took them two years ago while I was working the Waffle House. This time I was there. This time I wasn't working. This time I sat on a blanket on the grass with a six-year-old reading Junie B. Jones and a three-year-old throwing a ball at nothing and the sun was warm and the sky was blue and I thought: this is what the tip bought. This is what the $50 and the two years and the parking lot tears and the 3.85 purchased. A Saturday. A park. A blanket. The freedom to be here.
Chloe asked me to read to her at the park, which she hasn't asked in months because she reads everything herself now. But she wanted me to read. So I read to her — Charlotte's Web, which she's just starting — and she leaned against my shoulder and listened and for twenty minutes she was four again, and I was twenty-two again, and we were in the little apartment in Antioch and the world was just a mama and a girl and a story. Some things don't change. Some things aren't supposed to.
At work, I've been thinking about the community outreach aspect — the thing I loved most in school. I asked Dr. Patel if Harmony Dental does any community work. She said they donate to a dental charity at Christmas. I said, "What about something more direct? Free screenings, school visits?" She looked at me for a long time and said, "Write me a proposal." A proposal. She wants me to PROPOSE something. I'm three months into this job and my boss is asking me to propose community programs. The seed, Marie. The seed is growing.
Kevin and Crystal's wedding date is set: spring 2019. Not this year — next year. They want a spring wedding at Fort Campbell. Crystal is calm about it. Kevin is calm about it. They are the calmest engaged couple in the history of engagement. After watching Amber plan her wedding like a military operation, Kevin's calm is either refreshing or deeply suspicious. I'm going with refreshing.
I made fish tacos this week — grilled tilapia, cabbage slaw, lime crema, cilantro, flour tortillas. It's the fanciest taco I've ever made and it cost less than $10 for the whole dinner. Chloe ate hers without the fish. Jayden ate the fish without the taco. Between the two of them, they consumed one complete fish taco. I ate three complete ones. The math works out. Everybody fed, nobody happy with the same parts, total chaos, total love. That's dinner. That's always dinner.
After that perfect Saturday at Centennial Park — the blanket, the reading, the sun on our faces — I wanted to carry that feeling straight into dinner. Something bright and fresh, something that tasted like spring and felt like a celebration without the price tag. These tacos with their crispy crunch and cool lime crema were exactly that: fancy enough to feel like we’d earned something, simple enough to remind me that the best things don’t have to cost much at all.
Beer Battered Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- For the shrimp:
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup beer (lager works great)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying
- For the lime crema:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Pinch of salt
- For the slaw:
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- For serving:
- 8 small flour tortillas
- Lime wedges
- Extra cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Make the lime crema. Stir together sour cream, lime juice, minced garlic, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Prepare the slaw. Toss shredded cabbage with cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Make the batter. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, and a pinch of salt. Pour in the beer and whisk until smooth. The batter should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Fry the shrimp. Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet to 375°F. Pat the shrimp dry, dip each one into the batter, and let the excess drip off. Fry in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Warm the tortillas. Heat tortillas in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds per side, or wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds.
- Assemble the tacos. Place a few shrimp in each tortilla, top with cabbage slaw, drizzle with lime crema, and finish with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 380 | Protein: 24g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 620mg