Tacos Gobernador

My Tacos Gobernador, aka Governor’s Tacos are out of this world!! Have you ever taken a bite into these crazy tasty shrimp tacos? They are irresistibly delicious and messy to start with. They are kind of a cross between a taco and quesadilla, with crunchy inviting bites with ton of melty cheese. And they have a great story behind them. Oh, I always love a good story…

Check out our collection of favorite Taco Recipes!

Who seriously doesn’t like some tacos in their life? At the Beisers’ we love them in all forms and shapes. From our simple chicken tacos to fusions like Korean beef tacos… Tacos are life.

It’s such a cheerful, happy meal. There is something about loading that taco with whatever meat you have on hand along with your favorite toppings and taking a huge bite into it. Bliss…

Seafood goes so great in in tacos. Now I am introducing you to this novel way to use your favorite shrimp in tacos. They are super flavorful along with onions and tomatoes, with just a little hint of peppers and Mexican spices.

Then they get enveloped in super melty cheese and wrapped in crunchy quesadilla style tacos, kinda like birria tacos. How interesting…

What are Tacos Gobernador?

Tacos Gobernador means Governor’s Tacos in Spanish. They are shrimp tacos out of Sinaloa, the Pacific coastal state of Mexico.

The little taco legend says that they were created in the 90’s by Los Arcos, a famous seafood restaurant in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, to impress Sinaloa’s governor at the time. This regional seafood invent has since gone to menus of seafood restaurants all over the U.S and Mexico, especially in Baja, California. They’ve even gone as far as some fancy seafood restaurants in Miami.

The story goes, governor shrimp tacos, or tacos gobernador de camaron, were created to surprise the governor, after he told a few friends how much he loved his wife’s shrimp tacos. Somehow this information was passed on to the owners of Los Arcos restaurant, where the Governor was supposed to dine.

The chef there had a task to cook something that not only tasted as good as the governor’s wife tacos, but even better to impress the governor. So quite a few tacos were developed and tested. When the governor showed up to eat, he liked them so much, he named them “tacos gobernador”.

From that time onwards, of course there are many versions and ways to cook these delicious tacos. Different seasonings and peppers go into the tacos according to people’s taste and preferences. The only constants are that they always have shrimp, tons of melty cheese, and crunchy tacos sticking together like quesadillas.

Ingredients Needed

• Shrimp – Size doesn’t matter, as I will be chopping them into pieces.
• Veggies – Onion (chopped), tomato (chopped with seeds removed to make it less saucy).
• Aromatics – Garlic, poblano peppers (cut into thin strips), cilantro.
• Spices and herbs – Paprika, onion powder, Mexican or regular oregano, cumin, only adobo sauce from chipotle chili in adobo sauce, salt and pepper.
• Tortillas
• Any melty cheese – Oaxaca cheese, Chihuahua cheese or asadero cheese. Most of them are easily available in local Latin or Mexican stores. In their absence, mozzarella would work perfectly well.
• Butter and oil

From here its pretty simple and quick affair…

How to make Tacos Gobernador

First, I mix all the spices and herbs like paprika, onion powder, oregano, and cumin in a small bowl.

Then, I heat some butter in a pan over medium-high heat and sauté chopped onions until they’re soft and start changing color. Next, I add in poblano pepper strips and cook them until they’re soft.

Once the peppers are done, I move them to the side of the pan and add in the shrimp pieces. I cook them for a few minutes until they’re almost done. Then, I add in minced garlic, a pinch of salt, and the seasoning mix from earlier, and cook everything for another minute.

After that, I pour in some adobo sauce from the chipotle chili in adobo sauce, along with diced tomatoes and fresh cilantro. I let everything cook until the shrimp is fully cooked through.

Finally, I set the mixture aside until I’m ready to stuff it into the tacos. It’s a flavorful filling that’s perfect for taco night!

I often make this mixture in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until I’m ready to use it. It’s so convenient, especially for get-togethers and parties, because once the filling mixture is ready, making the tacos is quick and easy.

To cook the tacos, all you need is a griddle or skillet. I heat up a bit of oil, then place the tortillas on it to warm them up. It’s a simple step that adds a nice touch of warmth and crunchiness to the tacos.

I place the cheese on tacos and and wait for it to start melting.

Next, I top the cheese with the shrimp mixture. Carefully, I fold the tacos using a spatula, making sure the shrimp and cheese don’t spill out. Then, I press them a bit so they stick together, almost like quesadillas.

I let them cook until they’re crunchy on both sides, flipping them halfway through to ensure they’re evenly cooked.

I serve them along with toppings like salsa, pico de gallo or guacamole. This time, I made a quick guacamole and mixed it with our salsa verde. It was great to drizzle over the shrimp. But then again, they are so flavorful with cheese and perfectly seasoned shrimp that you can totally give a miss to any other extra toppings.

Possible Variations

1. Though they’re primarily known as shrimp tacos, in some places you will see it with other seafood like some firm white fish, or even lobster.
2. Poblano peppers are very mild. If you’re looking for some heat, try jalapeño instead. Or for different smoky flavors, add in chipotle peppers along with the adobo sauce.
3. Some people don’t use tomatoes, but I loved them in this recipe.
4. Some days I the mixture in a big quesadilla instead of tacos. YUMMM…

So, are you ready to try my Tacos Gobernador? Believe me, if the governor of some state in Mexico was so impressed with these to name them after himself… You are absolutely going to get blown away by the delicious flavors in every single bite.

Enjoy these buttery, cheesy, shrimp tacos. Enjoy them with your friends and family, you will be making them again and again. Make them famous and always remember where you heard it first… At GypsyPlate… 🙂 Share and subscribe. Bye…

Tacos Gobernador, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

Try these other great Latin dishes!
Pernil (Roast Pork)
Arroz con Gandules
Albondigas Soup
Pollo Guisado
Carne Guisada
Sancocho
Ropa Vieja
Picadillo

Tacos Gobernador (Governor's Tacos)

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Tacos Gobernador, aka Governor’s Tacos!! Have you ever bitten into these crazy tasty shrimp tacos? They are irresistibly delicious!

Print

Ingredients

• 1lb shrimp, chopped into bite size pieces
• ½ large onion, chopped
• 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
• 2 poblano peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
• ¼ tsp cumin
• 2 Tbsp Adobo sauce, from canned chipotle chilis in adobo sauce
• Tortillas, as required
• 1 cup Oaxaca cheese, grated (or mozzarella cheese)
• 3-4 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 4 Tbsp butter
• A few drizzles of oil to heat up the tortillas
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Mix paprika, onion powder, oregano, and cumin in a small bowl.
2. Heat butter in a pan over medium high heat. Add onion and sauté till soft and about to change color. Add in poblano peppers and sauté till soft.
3. Move the onion and pepper mixture to the side of the pan and add in shrimp and cook for couple of minutes. Add in garlic and cook for a minute.
4. Add in seasonings, adobo sauce and salt and pepper and mix everything together.
5. Add in tomatoes along with cilantro and cook till shrimp is fully cooked. Remove from heat.
6. Heat griddle or nonstick pan over medium high heat and drizzle in some oil. Place tortillas and warm them up moving, in circles in the oil. When warm, place the cheese on each tortilla. When the cheese starts melting, add shrimp mixture on top of the cheese.
7. Fold the tortillas with the help of a spatula and press so they start sticking like a quesadilla. Make sure the shrimp and cheese don't fall out.
8. Cook till they are crunchy on both sides. Serve immediately.
9. They are great just like that. Or you can serve them with guacamole or pico de gallo.

Notes

1. Leftovers: You can make a big batch of shrimp and store it in the refrigerator in airtight container up to a couple of days for good quality. You are set for unlimited tacos for the next few days. All you are doing is heating up the griddle to make fresh melty tacos once you have the shrimp filling ready. We do not recommend freezing seafood.

Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 657Total Fat 39gSaturated Fat 17gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 326mgSodium 2110mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 4gSugar 5gProtein 46g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.