If you’ve ever made your own gluten free flour tortillas (and if not, what are you waiting for?!), then left them uncovered on the counter for a day or so (*oops*), it’s time to make authentic Mexican tostadas. These gluten free shrimp tostadas are just one way to enjoy this open-faced taco, because the real star is the crispy, crunchy tostada itself. If you simply can’t abide a quick spin in frying oil for each tortilla, you can brush the tortillas lightly with olive oil on both sides and then place them on a lined baking pan in a 475°F oven for about 5 minutes or until crisp. But frying them is the only way to make a truly authentic-tasting tostada.

A few notes about cooking shrimp. I always buy frozen shrimp that has already been peeled and deveined. I then defrost it by placing the frozen shrimp in a bowl, filling the bowl with cool water, and then continuing to run the water into the bowl in the sink in a slow trickle until the shrimp defrosts (about 4 minutes, often less). There are a few different ways to make the shrimp, including “precooking” it in lime juice before sautéing it in some oil—or even allowing it to “cook” completely in the lime juice. You’ll need to allow the shrimp to soak in the lime juice for about 4 hours before it’s no longer raw. Or, you could skip the lime soak completely, and just sauté.

Since you only fry the tortillas in about 1/4-inch of oil, heated until it shimmers (no deep fry thermometer necessary here), it all happens very, very quickly and without any fuss.

When they’ve been fried properly, the tostadas are perfectly crisp as soon as they cool. You eat tostadas like an open-faced sandwich, and even though they make a bit of a mess, that’s kind of the point. They won’t shatter on you, though, like packaged tostadas. The tortillas can be made ahead of time, and then quickly fried right before serving. A quick weeknight meal is served!