The Best Shrimp Taco Recipe


Seriously The Best Shrimp Taco Recipe – made with perfectly seasoned shrimp, cabbage slaw, chipotle mayonnaise, fresh avocado, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, onions and sour cream. There is nothing complicated about making these tacos at home. Skip the taco truck, these are fun to prepare with easy to find ingredients and ready in under 30 minutes.
The best shrimp tacos on parchment paper
My favorite shrimp taco recipe is light and fresh, easy to customize and great for any time of the year. Make them for Taco Tuesday, Birthday Parties or Family Gatherings or Cinco De Mayo.
 

Ingredients:

Shrimp:

Any side of raw (uncooked) shrimp will work in this taco recipe. Jumbo shrimp tastes awesome, but smaller sizes could be used and they are easier to consume.

The shrimp could be fresh or frozen (defrosted). Make sure it is peeled and deveined, it could be cooked with the tails on, but they do need to be removed before adding to the tacos.

Seasoning for the shrimp:

I like to make my own taco seasoning (budget friendly and I like to know what goes in there), but you may choose to use store bought seasoning.

Chipotle mayo:

I used to make my own, homemade Chipotle Mayonnaise at home. The ingredients are quite simple and it goes well on sandwiches, hot dogs, tacos, meat and seafood.

Made with three simple ingredients: 1 cup of mayonnaise (could be vegan mayo), salt and pepper to taste, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1-2 chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce and 1-2 tsp Adobo sauce. Pulse everything in a food processor until well blended. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

Tortillas:
I prefer using soft flour tortillas, but you can use corn as well.
Cabbage Slaw:
This is not a creamy cabbage slaw, it is a “light slaw”.
Made with either red (purple) or green cabbage (or a combination of both), salt, apple cider vinegar and vegetable oil it is simple to prepare in no time. There is no need to add mayo, mustard or even sugar (sweetener).
Avocado:
Fresh, soft and ripe avocados add nutty and buttery taste and healthy fats.
Onions:
I like to add chopped onions for more flavor. You can either dice them or cut into half moons, then place in cold water for 10 minutes, before adding to the tacos. Either red or yellow onions will work. Green onions don’t have the same flavor, but they can be used for garnishing.
Sour cream:
This is an optional ingredient. Either plain, cilantro, spicy or Mexican style slaw can be used.
Cilantro:
I always use fresh cilantro for garnishing tacos. It also brings fresh flavors.
Add ons:
  • Cheese
  • Cherry tomatoes (or any kind of large diced tomatoes) – I used some cherry tomatoes cut in half  this time and they brought great sweetness to the tacos. Use about 2 tomatoes per taco.
  • Lime wedges
  • Jalapeno peppers
  • Use guacamole, instead of just avocado

3 shrimp tacos in parchment paper with cilantro next to them

How to make the best shrimp taco recipe?

  1. Prepare the Chipotle Mayonnaise: In a blender (food processor) combine the mayo, chipotle peppers, Adobo sauce, salt, pepper and lime juice. Blend until smooth.
  2. Make the cabbage slaw: Place the cabbage in a bowl, then sprinkle with salt. Stir to combine, then add vinegar and oil. 
  3. Cook the shrimp: Heat oil in a skillet. Sprinkle seasoning over the rinsed and dried shrimp. Cook in batches for 1-2 minutes per side, until no longer pink. Drizzle with lime juice n(optional). Transfer to a plate.
  4. Warm up the tortillas: Warm the tortillas up in a skillet for 1-2 minutes per side.
  5. Assemble the best shrimp tacos: Spread some Chipotle mayo on one side of the tortilla. Add cabbage slaw, shrimp, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, onions and drizzle with sour cream. You can drizzle some lime juice over each taco or add additional ingredients of your choice.

Shrimp tacos next to each other with red cabbage, tomatoes, lime wedges

 

shrimp tacos

More Taco Recipes:

Other Mexican recipes:

 

 

Servings: 8

Shrimp Taco Recipe

Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
5 minutes
Seriously The Best Shrimp Taco Recipe - made with perfectly seasoned shrimp, cabbage slaw, chipotle mayonnaise, fresh avocado, cilantro, onions and sour cream. There is nothing complicated about making these tacos at home.
The best shrimp tacos on parchment paper
5 from 1 vote
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Ingredients

  • 1 lb medium to large shrimp
  • 1 tbsp taco seasoning
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 cups
  • 2 cups cabbage — I used red, but green or a combination of red and green will work
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp salt — or more to taste for the slaw
  • 1- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 8 tsp chipotle mayonnaise — see notes how to make it
  • 8 flour or corn tortillas
  • 2 medium ripe avocados
  • 1/4 red onion — diced
  • 8 tbsp sour cream — optional
  • 16 cherry or grape tomatoes — cut in half (optional)
  • Lime wedges for serving
  • Cilantro leaves for serving

Instructions

  1. Make the cabbage slaw: Place the cabbage in a bowl, then sprinkle with salt. Stir to combine, then add vinegar and oil.
  2. Cook the shrimp: Heat oil in a skillet. Sprinkle seasoning over the rinsed and dried shrimp. Cook in batches for 1-2 minutes per side, until no longer pink. Drizzle with lime juice n(optional). Transfer to a plate.
  3. Warm up the tortillas: Warm the tortillas up in a skillet for 1-2 minutes per side.
  4. Assemble the best shrimp tacos: Spread some Chipotle mayo on one side of the tortilla. Add cabbage slaw, shrimp, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, onions and drizzle with sour cream. You can drizzle some lime juice over each taco or add additional ingredients of your choice.
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: The Best Shrimp Taco Recipe

Nutrition Information

Calories: 558, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 268mg, Sodium: 1103mg, Potassium: 1114mg, Carbohydrates: 23g, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 4g, Protein: 58g, Vitamin A: 567%, Vitamin C: 23%, Calcium: 236%, Iron: 4%