Shrimp Tacos with Zesty Cilantro Tartar Sauce

I love Fish Tacos, and I LOVE cilantro. In fact, there is a restaurant in Tokyo that serves nothing but cilantro-incorporated dishes..that will be my next destination when I go back to Japan : )

I've been looking for a good Fish Taco recipe, and I think this is it! The Sugar Spice Rub for the fish is wonderful. I don't know what is making this rub different (in a good way) from the others, it may be the blend of the cocoa powder, sugar, and a bit of cinnamon. It perfectly goes with the fish / shrimps.The original recipe is from a popular Mexican restaurant in San Diego, which I acquired from my friend who attended a Mexican cooking class the other day.  As the original recipe will make restaurant-size amount, so I scaled it down to a family size.  I used shrimps instead of fish, as that's what I had on hand. It turned out delicious.

Fish / Sugar Spice Rub

1TBS Sugar
Small Pinch  Dry Mustard
Small Pinch Ground Cinnamon
Small Pinch Paprika (I didn't use any)
1/4 tsp Cocoa Powder
1TBS  Chili Powder
1/2 TBS Ground Cumin
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
2 heaping tsp Kosher Salt

About 12 shrimps

1. Mix all dry ingredients together and store in an airtight container. This makes more than enough for the 12 shrimps.

2. Liberally sprinkle rub on the shrimps.

3.Heat 1tsp of olive oil in a frying pan, and place shrimps and cook one side until they are nicely browned and a crust has formed. Flip the shrimps and cook until they are just cooked through, and firm to the touch. Remove shrimps to a plate and keep warm.

Zesty Tartar Sauce and Shredded Cabbage (this is my own version, made lighter using less mayo & adding no fat yogurt)

5 TBS Mayonnaise
1 TBS and 2 tsp  No fat yogurt
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp Yellow mustard
1 tsp or more  Lime juice
1TBS Sweet green relish
small pinch  Salt
(optional: minced pickled jalepeno - depending on how spicy you like it)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and allow flavours to combine.

Shredded Cabbage
1/4 head of thinly shredded green cabbage
1/4 tsp salt

Sprinkle salt over the shredded cabbage and allow to sit for half an hour at least. Squeeze moisture from the cabbage by pressing on. Once most of the liquid has been pressed out, transfer to a serving plate.

Good quality corn tortillas & your favorite salsa (I made my own, using purple onion, tomato, mango, garlic, a lot of fresh cilantro, and lime juice)

Enjoy!