Corn, prawn & bacon tacos

By: Paul Wilson
From: Taqueria
Serves: 6
Photographer: Chris Middleton

This is one of the most popular summer dishes in my kitchens. It’s fast, simple to prepare and the three main ingredients work very well together on a warm tortilla – just ensure you buy the best-quality bacon and meaty, firm tiger prawns. Epazote is a unique herb very rarely seen in Australia. Otherwise known as petrol leaf due to its distinct aroma, it is truly delicious with Mexican foods, though tarragon or oregano are good substitutes should it prove hard to source.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
8-10	Tortilla dough, large homemade masa flour tortillas
or	store-bought tortillas
6	breakfast radishes, thinly shaved
1/2 bunch	coriander leaves
75g	salted ricotta, finely grated
pinch	arbol chilli powder, to garnish (see Latin Larder)

Jalapeño & lime crema

Quantity	Ingredient
2	jalapeños, finely chopped
2	limes, zested, segmented and chopped
125g	low-fat sour cream
1/2 bunch	chopped tarragon
pinch	salt
1/2 teaspoon	arbol chilli powder

Prawn, bacon & corn topping

Quantity	Ingredient
2 tablespoons	olive oil
100g	smoked cured bacon or pancetta, finely chopped
2	corn cobs, kernels removed
1 bunch	spring onions, finely sliced
1	garlic clove, very finely diced
200g	peeled and deveined raw tiger prawns, cut into 1.5 cm pieces
1/2 bunch	chopped tarragon, chopped tarragon, finely ground dried epazote or epazote paste

Method

For the jalapeño crema, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
Heat a medium non-stick frying pan over high heat. Lightly spray with oil and briefly fry the tortillas to warm them. Stack the tortillas, wrap them in a warm damp tea towel and set aside to keep warm.
For the topping, heat a large non-stick frying pan over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the bacon, and fry, stirring, until crispy and golden. Set aside on paper towel to drain. Add the corn to the pan and cook for 1–2 minutes until tender. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside to cool.
Wipe the pan clean, then add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil together with the spring onions, garlic and prawns and fry over medium–high heat for 2 minutes, or until the prawns are just cooked and pink. Stir in the herbs and bacon, then season to taste with salt and set aside in the pan to keep warm.
To serve, place the tortillas on serving plates and top with the prawn mix and generous spoonfuls of the crema. Scatter over the corn kernels, radishes and coriander leaves and sprinkle over the salted ricotta and chilli powder to garnish. Serve immediately with the rest of the crema on the side.