Description
These shrimp tacos are ready in 20-30 minutes and are truly the best shrimp tacos ever! Shrimp cook in just 2–3 minutes per side, so dinner is fast. Corn and avocado are optional but add great flavor. It might look like a long list, but you likely have the spices and sauce ingredients on hand. I hope you love these as much as we do!
Ingredients
Units
For the Shrimp:
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails on or off)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Juice of 1/2 lime (reserve the other half for serving)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil, for sautéeing
For the Slaw:
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
- 2-3 green onions, finely chopped
For the Crema Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- Juice of 1/2 lime (more to taste if needed)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher salt
- A few dashes hot sauce (optional; I use sriacha)
For the Corn (Optional):
- 1 ear fresh corn, kernels cut off (or 1 cup frozen corn, thawed)
- 1-2 teaspoons olive oil or avocado oil
For Serving:
- 8 small flour or corn tortillas (or tortillas of your choice)
- 1 avocado, sliced (optional)
- Pickled red onions (optional)
- Pickled jalapeños (optional)
- Extra lime wedges
Instructions
- Cook the corn (optional): Heat 1–2 teaspoons oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add corn and sauté for 3–5 minutes until bright and slightly tender. Remove from pan; set aside.
- Make the slaw: In a large bowl, combine cabbage, cilantro (if using), and green onions.
- Make the crema: In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, salt, and hot sauce until smooth. Add 2–3 tablespoons of the crema to the slaw and toss to coat.
- Season the shrimp: In a medium bowl, mix cumin, chili powder, granulated onion, granulated garlic, salt, and pepper. Pat shrimp dry, add to the bowl, and toss to coat.
- Cook the shrimp: Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp in a single layer; cook 2 minutes, then use tongs to flip and cook another 2-4 minutes until pink and opaque. In the last minute, reduce heat to medium and carefully add 2 tablespoons water to create steam (optional). Remove from heat and squeeze fresh lime juice over shrimp.
- Alternate cooking: Broil for 2–3 minutes per side, or grill skewered shrimp over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes per side.
- Warm the tortillas: Heat over a gas flame, in a dry skillet, or in the microwave wrapped in a damp towel for 20–30 seconds.
- Assemble the tacos: Layer avocado, sautéed corn, shrimp, and slaw on each tortilla. Drizzle with extra crema and top with pickled onions or jalapeños. Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
Elizabeth’s Tips
- Shrimp cook fast — 4–5 minutes total is often plenty, maybe 6 if they are extra large. Overcooking will make them tough, so stay close to the stove.
- Choosing shrimp: For shrimp tacos, choose small to medium shrimp (21/25 count is perfect, and 12/16 works too). At the fish counter, ask for the freshest peeled and deveined shrimp you can get. If you’re buying frozen, thaw in a colander under cold running water for 5–7 minutes, then pat dry so the spices stick. Tails can be removed before or after cooking — and if your shrimp end up a little too big after cooking, just cut them in half for easier bites.
- For the best shrimp taco sauce, blend mayo and sour cream (or Greek yogurt), add fresh lime, a pinch of salt, and hot sauce. You can stir in chopped cilantro, but I skip it here since it’s in the slaw — and if cilantro tastes like soap to you, leave it out entirely.