6 Crowd Pleasing Tex-Mex Recipes to Celebrate Cinco De Mayo

Hosting a Cinco de Mayo party this weekend? Or looking for the perfect dish to bring to a friend’s get together? No matter the crowd, we’ve pulled six Tex-Mex recipes from our AQUILA Eats cookbook that are sure to please.

In this article, you’ll find the recipe for a tasty salsa, kickin’ tortilla soup, fish tacos and three takes on the Cinco staple, the margarita. Enjoy!

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Three Recipes to Cook for a Crowd on Cinco de Mayo

Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa

Serve with chips for the perfect snack to go along side a margarita. Need a margarita recipe? We’ve got you covered below. 

From the kitchen of Kathleen Brennan

Ingredients

• 12 tomatillos, husked + rinsed well
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 6 large garlic cloves
• 2 serrano chilis (or jalapeños)
• 2 avocados
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• Salt + pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Place the tomatillos, onion, garlic and chilis on a foil-lined baking sheet.
3. Roast in the oven about 15 – 20 minutes, or until soft.
4. Once roasted, carefully add to a food processor and blend coarsely.
5. Add avocado, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper.
6. Blend until well combined.
7. Store in a mason jar in the fridge for up to 1 week

Kickin’ Texas Chicken Tortilla Soup

The perfect meal to feed a crowd. Prepare before the party and serve when ready!

From the kitchen of Kendall Guinn

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 fresh jalapeño, seeded + chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, coined
• 1 bag carrots, julienned
• 6 celery stalks, diced
• 1 lb. raw chicken, boned + chopped
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. lemon pepper
• 3 tsp. Tabasco
• ½ cup flour
• 14-oz. can diced tomatoes
• 48 oz. chicken broth
• 8 corn tortillas, cut into strips (or packaged tortilla chips)
• 1 cup sour cream, for garnish
• 3 diced avocados, for garnish
• 1 cup grated cheese, for garnish

Directions

1. Heat butter and oil in a large Dutch oven, and sauté onion, jalapeño, garlic, carrots, celery and chicken for 5 minutes.
2. Add cumin, chili powder, salt, lemon pepper, Tabasco and flour. Stir well.
3. Add tomatoes and chicken broth, and simmer for 1 hour over low heat, stirring occasionally.
4. Before you are ready to serve the soup, drop tortilla strips in hot oil and fry until brown. Salt as desired, then drain on paper towels.
5. To serve, put a few tortilla strips or chips in the bottom of soup bowl. Ladle soup over chips, then dollop sour cream. Top soup with avocado and grated cheese.

Jon’s Fish Tacos

Balance out all those chips and margaritas with a lighter take on tacos.

From the kitchen of Jon Wheless

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Blackened seasoning
• 2 mahi-mahi pieces (or white fish of choice)
• 6 yellow corn tortillas
• 1 cup of pre-packaged slaw
• 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar (use
• 1.5 Tbsp. if you don’t have peach balsamic vinegar)
• 1 Tbsp. white peach balsamic vinegar, optional
• 1 Tbsp. agave
• Cilantro, to taste
• 1 avocado, sliced, for garnish
• Sriracha, for garnish

Directions

1. 1. Heat olive oil in pan on medium-high heat. Sprinkle blackened seasoning on mahi-mahi and cook in pan.
   2. Cook on medium-high heat for 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Do not overcook.
   3. Preheat oven to 525°F on broil setting.
   4. Spray or rub olive oil on tortillas. Place on baking sheet and broil until a light brown crisp.
   5. Mix slaw in a bowl with red wine vinegar, balsamic, agave and cilantro. Add more agave if you want it sweeter.
   6. Place flat tortillas on plates. Top with slaw, fish, avocado and additional cilantro.
   7. Sprinkle Sriracha on top if desired.

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Three Margarita Recipes Perfect for Cinco de Mayo

Margarita on the Rocks

Keep it classic with this crowd pleasing favorite.

From the kitchen of Kendall Guinn (originally from La Duni, a Latin-American restaurant in Dallas)

Ingredients

• 3 oz. Artisan Sweet & Sour Mix (recipe below)
• 2 oz. silver tequila
• 1 oz. Cointreau (or Citronge)
• Ice

Directions

1. Frost the rim of a glass with lime juice and salt.
2. Place sweet and sour, tequila, Cointreau and ice in a shaker.
3. Shake vigorously.
4. Pour in a frosted glass.
5. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Patti’s Mexican Martini

Bring your favorite Tex-Mex restaurant home with this tasty sipper.

From the kitchen of Patti Kocher

Ingredients

• 3 oz. añejo tequila
• 1½ oz. cointreau
• 1½ oz. fresh lime juice
• ½ oz. green olive brine from jar
• Splash of fresh orange juice
• Green olives, for garnish
• Lime wedges, for garnish

Directions

1. Agitate all liquids in an iced-filled shaker.
2. Strain into a small, chilled martini glass rimmed with salt.
3. Add a couple of olives and a lime wedge

Green Chile and Blackberry Margarita

Put a twist on the classic with this fruity marg with a twist.

From the kitchen of Marsherrie Madkins

Ingredients

• 1 cup lime juice
• 2½ cups fresh blackberries
• 4.5-oz. can green chiles
• 3 oz. blackberry brandy
• 3 cups orange juice
• 3/4 cup tequila
• 3 Tbsp. agave nectar
• Coarse sea salt
• Chili powder
• Blackberries, for serving
• Lime wedges, for serving
• Fresh jalapeños, for serving

Directions

1. Place the lime juice, blackberries and green chiles in a bowl.
2. Using a muddler or immersion blender, muddle/blend until fully combined. The smoother the better.
3. Pour the blackberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer, and remove the seeds.
4. Pour the mixture into a pitcher, followed by the blackberry brandy, orange juice, tequila and agave. Stir to fully combine.
5. Combine sea salt and chili powder (equal parts) on a plate. Dip the rim of each glass in water or lime juice and then submerge in the salt/chili mixture.
6. Serve with fresh blackberries, lime wedges and jalapeños.

Hopefully, you’ve found a delicious recipe to share with your friends and family this weekend. Found something you want to save for later? Be sure to bookmark or pin to your Pinterest so you can come back another day.

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