Spicy Shrimp Taco Bowl
Freeze-dried shrimp, taco spice, and a slaw built from dried cabbage and powdered yogurt.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 138
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 15 min
- water
- 400 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Car camping
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried shrimp | 1.5 oz | rehydrates in about ten minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Taco seasoning | 1 tbsp | cumin, chili powder, onion and garlic powder |
| Ancho chili powder | 1/2 tsp | this is the heat, not the seasoning packet |
| Ghee or butter powder | 1 tbsp | |
| Dried shredded cabbage | 1/3 cup | |
| Dried shredded carrot | 2 tbsp | |
| Greek yogurt powder | 2 tbsp | |
| Powdered mayonnaise or milk powder | 1 tbsp | |
| Lime juice powder | 1 tsp | or half a real lime if you are car camping |
| Garlic powder, salt, pepper | 1/2 tsp total | |
| Corn tortillas or tostadas | 3 | optional, they crush in a pack |
Method
- Put the dried cabbage and carrot in your mug or a wide-mouth bottle with 100 ml of cold water. Let it sit while you cook. It will not get fully crisp, but it will stop being a chip.
- Boil 250 ml of water in the pot. Drop in the shrimp, taco seasoning, and ancho. Pull it off the heat and cover for eight to ten minutes.
- Drain the slaw water off, or drink it. Stir the yogurt powder, mayo powder, lime powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into the damp slaw with a splash of water. Go slow. Too much water and it is soup.
- Stir the ghee into the shrimp. Most of the water should be gone by now; if not, pour some off.
- Eat the shrimp and slaw together out of the pot, or spoon them onto tortillas.
Shrimp is a bad trail protein raw and a good one freeze-dried. It rehydrates fast, it stays firm instead of turning to mush, and it is nearly all protein by dry weight. The taco seasoning goes in the water with it rather than on it afterward, so the spice ends up inside the shrimp instead of coating the pot.
The slaw is where the home version had to change. Fresh cabbage, sour cream, and mayonnaise are all fridge food. Dried cabbage and carrot soaked in cold water get most of the crunch back, and yogurt powder cut with a small amount of water makes a dressing thick enough to cling. The ancho does the real work on heat — the seasoning blend alone is mild, and after a day of walking mild reads as nothing.
Packing
Three bags: shrimp with the spices, slaw vegetables, and the dressing powders. The dressing powders clump if they meet moisture, so keep that bag sealed until it goes in the pot.
Variations
- Skip the tortillas and stir in a cup of instant rice at the boil for a heavier dinner.
- Freeze-dried shrimp is expensive. A foil pouch of tuna or chicken does the same job for a quarter of the price and a little more weight.
- Add a tablespoon of dried minced onion to the shrimp at the boil.
https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/shrimp-tacos-recipe