Type: Seafood
Price: $4.50
Barrio’s near limitless build-your-own combinations may be our go-to year-round, but the camorone agrietado tacos from its El Jefe chef selections are a summer-ready tidal wave of flavor. A fluffy, fragrant pillow of cilantro, lime and jasmine rice is topped with plump shrimp that’s poached in a jalapeno compound butter.
“That takes a little bit of the heat out of the jalapeno, but intensifies the flavor,” says executive chef Anthony Carano.
Adding a fierce crunch, the shrimp itself is topped with a Napa cabbage slaw tossed in salsa verde. The final layer, Barrio’s crack sauce, is a kind of spicy ranch dressing.
As Barrio tacos go, this one seems simple with just a handful of ingredients wrapped in a flour tortilla. But the combo of heat (just enough for people who like spice, but palatable for the more timid), playful arrangement of textures and refreshing ingredients make it a popular selection.
“It’s taking ingredients that everyone’s very familiar with, preparing them the way they’re supposed to be prepared and getting maximum flavor out of them,” Carano says. Various locations, barrio-tacos.com
