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Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.
~~ Mark Twain
I like Mexican food; it doesn't always like me. 😉 Mexican Green Chile and Shrimp Pizza bursts with south-of-the-border flavor, and the combination of Mexican chorizo, cilantro-pepitas pesto, New Mexico green chile, and lime-marinated shrimp tickles your taste buds. However, it is spicy! Evaluate your heat-handling ability prior to proceeding...
Since moving to McAllen, Texas (near the Gulf of Mexico) 6 months ago, I've sought to include more of the abundance of Mexican ingredients and regional flavors in my recipes. The local Gulf shrimp are amazing, the fresh avocados are always ripe and ready, the cilantro is beautiful and inexpensive, and the butcher block at our local market has very lean house-made chorizo. I still have several pounds of Hatch green chile in my freezer, we've got a new gas grill with a pizza stone insert, our weather has been gorgeous in the evenings, and shrimp pizza seemed like a perfect direction to head with this... Well, it wasn't easy, but I think my sous chef (and husband) and I came up with a winner!
The pizza crust complements the Mexican flavors with the addition of cornmeal. The crust is chewy with a bit of earthy, cornmeal crunch. It provides a really nice base for the toppings. I used my bread machine to streamline the 
process of making pizza dough - as I usually do. I use the "dough" setting, carefully dump the ingredients into the pan, check to make sure the dough forms a ball, and then forget about it for 1 ½ hours. Before the dough finishes, I quick-marinate the shrimp, make the cilantro
pesto, then brown the chorizo. When selecting chorizo for this dish, keep in mind that you need lean, butcher block quality chorizo, not the type that comes in a tube that is mostly orange grease. Yuck!
Once the dough is ready, divide it into 4 portions. Using a rolling pin - I like a Norpro 3077 Wooden Pastry and Pizza Roller or similar - roll the dough into approximately 8" disks. Place them on a pizza stone or baking sheet. Spread each crust with about ¼th of the pesto, ¼th of the browned chorizo, and ¼th of the chopped green chile. 
Grill or bake the pizzas 6 to 8 minutes - until the edges are browning nicely. If you've got a sous chef/husband/significant other to keep an eye on the pizzas, go ahead and sear those marinated shrimp. This takes about 1 minute per side if the pan is very hot. Overcooked shrimp taste like leather, so cook just until pink with a bit of caramelization on the edges. With the pizzas off the grill or out of the oven, arrange a few shrimp and thin slices of avocado; garnish with some chopped cilantro. Voila!
I would suggest pairing this spicy Mexican Green Chile and Shrimp Pizza with a really great farmhouse saison such as Anchorage Brewing Company's Love Buzz Saison - the citra hops and fresh orange peel finish would be a perfect complement to the pizza. Mark and I love pairing wine and beer with food. I am wondering if many of my readers appreciate pairings suggestions... I'd love to hear your thoughts!
mjskitchen says
Cornmeal crust, cilantro pesto and green chile - I'm in heaven!!! What a creative pizza! Oh to find good shrimp in New Mexico. 🙂 I'm jealous. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing. BTW - It's still chilly at nights here. Crazy days in the high 60s and nights in the 30s. Can't wait for it to warm up more.
Tamara says
Gulf shrimp are divine! I don't think I can go back to the frozen farm-raised ones we had in Las Cruces 😉 I do miss those cold nights, though. We run our air conditioner year-round, and the house just seems stuffy to me! Thanks MJ!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
I love this! Your photos are making my mouth water and I JUST ate lunch!!!
Tamara says
Haha! That's the life of a food blogger. 🙂 Thanks Sam!
Elaina says
This looks amazing, Tamara! I was just about to suggest cotija cheese, then I scrolled down to the ingredients list and saw that you added it to the pesto. If it were me, I'd proably sprinkle more on top. I do loooove my cheese, though. I've also never had shrimp on pizza before. I bet these are really filling from all the protein!
Tamara says
Hi Elaina! I love cheese, but we use it judiciously 😉 We get some really nice aged cotija in McAllen. I did discuss whether or not we would add cotija crumbles in addition to the pesto. Maybe I should add this in the notes? Both my husband and I lift weights and are into fitness, so I do tend to make sure there is sufficient protein in our food...
Amber @ Slim Pickin's Kitchen says
I love chorizo and the cilantro-pepita pesto sounds incredible! This is a perfect dish for the upcoming warmer weather. Can't wait to give it a go 🙂
Tamara says
Thanks Amber! The flavor of the cilantro-pepita pesto is great, and I was thinking about how good it would be in a summer pasta salad with veggies too!
Meaghan | Cook. Craft. Love. says
The BEST part about Texas for me was all the deliciously spicy Mexican food. That and the bbq 😉 We'll be trying this recipe here soon!
Tamara says
Thanks Meaghan! I'm still adjusting to life in Texas, but having lots of fun with the local ingredients 🙂
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
This sounds sooo good right now!! Saving this recipe! Thanks!!
Tamara says
My pleasure, Sam! I hope you give it a try!
Leslie Rossi | alifewellconsumed says
this sounds delish! all things i love to eat
Tamara says
Thanks Leslie! It does have lots of flavor 🙂
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
My OH would soooooooooo love this recipe. Sending it off to him.
Tamara says
Haha... He must like spicy food 🙂
peter @feedyoursoultoo says
So up my alley with the green chili.
Tamara says
Having lived 22 years in southern NM, Hatch green chile will always be a favorite ingredient! Fortunately, our local HEB market had fresh green chile in early September, and I filled my freezer 🙂
Valentina says
What a delicious combination of flavors. I just love it -- and I love the heat! 🙂
Tamara says
Thanks Valentina! I do hope I made it clear that this recipe is spicy 😉 I know a couple of my email subscribers would die if they tried to eat it!