Shrimp Tapioca Crepes (Tapioca com Camarão no Dendê)

If you had the chance to play Iron Chef and had a mystery basket of ingredients in front of you… what would you do with tapioca flour, shrimp, and fresh leaves and vegetables?  Well, I went for native Indian  and African-influenced shrimp tapioca crepes (or as we’d say in Portuguese, tapioca com camarão no dendê). 🙂

If you have never tried your hand at making tapioca crepes/tacos, I suggest that you don’t think twice. I am not kidding, all you have to do is mix together tapioca flour, water, and salt… and then sift the mixture over a heated non-stick skillet.  In less than one minute, you have a tapioca crepe ready to fill with whatever filling you wish.

If you feel like it, you can also play around with the flour… like my daughter did! 🙂

In my case, I took the large shrimp that I had around, sautéed in oil and garlic, seasoned, and then sprinkled with lime juice and a drizzle of palm oil.

To complete the dish, I filled the tapioca crepes with mixed leaves and shredded purple cabbage, cherry tomatoes, herbs… and the sautéed shrimp, creating a complete, quick, and gluten-free dish.

Although popular in the entire country, tapioca crepes are a traditional dish from the Northeastern region of Brazil with native Indian origins.  They are commonly served for breakfast, afternoon snacks, or as a dessert, depending on the filling.  Since our shrimp tapioca crepes are a complete meal, they can be served for lunch or dinner. The filling I chose is more of a contemporary take on one of my favorite Afro-Brazilian Bahian dishes.  These crepes are best accompanied by lime wedges and your favorite beer or soda.

Yes, our shrimp tapioca crepes are a healthy dish, but are not quite low-cal. When I have them, I think: “Just eat and be happy!”  And I say the same to you…

… and hopefully you’ll enjoy these shrimp tapioca crepes as much as I did, without feeling guilty! 😉

Print Recipe

Shrimp Tapioca Crepes

Shrimp tapioca crepes are a quick, gluten-free dish that can be served for lunch/dinner or as a snack.

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Course

Main or Snack

Cuisine

Brazilian

Prep Time

17 minutes

Cook Time

9 minutes

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• Tapioca crepes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1-2 tablespoon minced garlic cloves
• 12 large shrimps raw, fresh or thawed, shelled and deveined
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 pinch ground cumin
• Juice of 1/2 lime plus 4 lime wedges to serve with crepes
• 2 tablespoons palm oil optional
• 1 cup Mixed leaves
• 1/4 cup shredded purple cabbage optional
• 4 cherry-tomatoes halved
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley

Course Main or Snack Cuisine Brazilian Prep Time 17 minutes Cook Time 9 minutes Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Tapioca crepes 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1-2 tablespoon minced garlic cloves 12 large shrimps raw, fresh or thawed, shelled and deveined 1 pinch salt 1 pinch ground black pepper 1 pinch ground cumin Juice of 1/2 lime plus 4 lime wedges to serve with crepes 2 tablespoons palm oil optional 1 cup Mixed leaves 1/4 cup shredded purple cabbage optional 4 cherry-tomatoes halved 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley

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Instructions

1. Prepare the tapioca crepes according to the directions in the RECIPE. Please, double the tapioca crepe recipe in order to prepare 4 crepes. When they are ready, spread only a bit of salted butter on top.
2. To prepare the shrimp, pat them dry and reserve. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and let cook until color changes to a light pink, about 2-3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and cumin, swirling the pan to combine. Then, add the lime juice and then the palm oil, if desired, swirling/stirring until incorporated. Remove skillet from the heat.
3. Place tapioca crepes on a serving plate/ paper basket, top each with about 1/4 cup of mixed leaves and about 1 Tablespoon of shredded purple cabbage per crepe if desired. Top with 2 cherry tomato halves as well as 3 sautéed shrimp per crepe. Sprinkle a bit of cilantro or parsley on top of each and serve immediately while still warm. Serve shrimp tapioca crepes with a wedge of lime to squeeze over the filling, along with your favorite beer, or guaraná soda (or Ginger Ale). Enjoy!