Description
These shrimp tacos are ready in 30 minutes and are truly the best shrimp tacos ever! Shrimp cook in about 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 sautéing
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 sriracha)
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 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, paprika, 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 3 minutes, then use tongs to flip and cook another 3 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 about 3 minutes per side, or grill skewered shrimp over medium-high heat for about 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 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, so about 6 minutes total is plenty. 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 about 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.