Mexican-Inspired Crispy Potato & Shrimp Salad

With potatoes, avocado, shrimp, and pepitas, this mole-driven recipe is packed with nutrition and protein, not to mention layers and layers of flavor.

Recipe Source: From Potato Goodness

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Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

6 dried Guajillo chiles, de-seeded, toasted, and rehydrated in water
1/4 cup water, reserved from the rehydrated chiles
1/4 cup almonds, toasted
15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
1/3 cup golden raisins, rehydrated in hot water and then drained
3 ounces tomato paste
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cloves garlic
Juice of 2 limes
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp honey
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)

1-1/2 Tbsp Chile Lime Spice
2 tsp neutral oil (such as avocado)
3/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1-1/2 cup shrimp, deveined with tails removed
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp lime zest
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chile lime seasoning

1 pound petite red or yellow potatoes, boiled, baked, and smashed
Water, as needed
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 whole avocado, diced
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced (run under cold water briefly to eliminate some bite, if desired)
1/4 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
3 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
Drizzle of hot sauce (if desired)

Preparation

Prepare the guajillo chilies by cutting off the stems and removing the seeds. In a medium sauté pan, lightly toast the guajillo chilies until fragrant. Remove from heat and add the chilies to a bowl. Cover the chilies with hot water for 10 minutes to rehydrate.
In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, lime zest, minced garlic, and chili lime seasoning for the shrimp marinade. Add the uncooked shrimp to the marinade and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
In a medium size pot, add your scrubbed petite red potatoes and cover with cold water. Bring the pot to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Drain the potatoes thoroughly. On a well-oiled baking sheet, spread the drained petites out evenly. Smash each petite red potato with a heavy bottomed glass. Brush each flattened potato with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until crispy.
While the potatoes are crisping in the oven, prepare the mole rojo sauce. In a high-speed blender add the rehydrated guajillo chilies, the 1/4 cup of water reserved from the rehydration, almonds, fire roasted tomatoes, golden raisins, tomato paste, cumin, cinnamon, garlic, garlic, lime juice, olive oil, honey, salt, and hot sauce. Blend on high until a uniformly smooth texture is achieved. More of the reserved water can be added to adjust consistency if necessary.
Preheat the oven to 375°F, dropping the temperature a bit. In a small bowl, combine the pepitas with the neutral oil. Add the chili lime spice and toss so that the pepitas are thoroughly coated. Spread onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until the spice adheres to the pepitas.
In a large pan over medium heat, add the marinated shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are pink and opaque. Remove from heat.
Using a cutting board, prepare the other inclusions for the potato salad by chopping the avocado, slicing the red onions, crumbling the cotija, and chopping the cilantro.
To plate, toss the crispy potatoes with the mole roja in a large bowl. Add the shrimp, chili lime pepitas, avocado, red onion, cotija, and fresh cilantro. Drizzle hot sauce over the top for some extra heat. Serve immediately and enjoy!