Florida Bound, Gators On The Horizon
By the time you are reading this, we will be in the air on our way to Florida to get a tan and hunt some pigs. (My first pig hunt, wish me luck!) What could possibly be more fitting for Florida than a gator recipe? I hope to one day go out for my own, but we will stick with one thing at a time (Wes says putting the cart before the horse is one of my finest skills) and focus on wild boar this trip.
One of the best gifts you can receive, in my opinion, is food. My father in law kindly shared some of his gator tail with us from his last trip to Florida. While cleaning out the freezer to make way for this years spoils we rediscovered it and I instantly thought “this needs to become tinga tacos”.
Spicy, Crunchy, Salty
I have made this recipe in the past using chicken and knew gator would be an easy swap because… well… it tastes like chicken. The texture is similar which is great for this recipe where you can shred or dice up the meat.
I love whipping these oven baked tacos together for Taco Tuesday because they have everything I look for in a meal. Some heat, a lot of crunch, and they get topped with flaky sea salt. (Maldon is my favorite brand.) Break out the Tums because this recipe brings the spice, and you won’t be able to have just one.
You will start by cooking the meat and spices on the stovetop and combine it with cheese inside a tortilla shell. Next, bake until crispy and bubbly. I top mine with avocado, sometime a fruit salsa, Wes loves sour cream and extra cheese. However you decide to top yours, I guarantee they will be delicious. Let us know how yours turn out in the comments below!
Gator Tail Tinga Tacos
A spicy, crunchy taco with gator tail
Ingredients
- Gator Tail, trimmed and diced into small cubes- 1lb
- Enchilada Sauce- 10oz, plus 5oz for dipping
- Yellow Onion, chopped- 1 small
- Olive Oil- 2tbs
- Chipotle Peppers In Adobo, chopped- 2
- Dried Oregano- 1tsp
- Salt- 1 tsp
- Water- 1/3C
- Tortillas (I've used corn or flour)- 8-12
- Mexican or Cheddar Cheese, shredded- 1 1/2 cups
- Toppings- Avocado, Sour Cream, Salsa, Extra Cheese, Tomatoes
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Step 2 In a large skillet, add the chopped onion, and the diced gator tail over medium high heat. Cook until browned and onions are soft, stirring occasionally.
- Step 3 Add the chopped chipotle peppers, oregano, salt, 10oz enchilada sauce and water. Simmer until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Step 4 To assemble the tacos, pour the remaining 5oz enchilada sauce into a bowl. Take each taco shell and dip it in the sauce coating evenly and place on a greased baking sheet. (I use a silicone mat for easy clean up.) You will be folding the shell so take care when filling to put your ingredients on one side only. Fill each shell with cheese, meat mixture and a little more cheese and fold in half.
- Step 5 Once all shells are prepared, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Once crispy, remove from the oven and I like to sprinkle with flaky sea salt. You are ready to top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
