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    Recipes » Main Course Recipes » Mexican Main Courses

    Shrimp Tacos

    Published: Mar 8, 2023 by Marissa Stevens · 99 Comments

    Gluten FreeQuick MealsPescatarian

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    These are not your average Shrimp Tacos. Imagine lightly charred corn tortillas cradling tender shrimp with a crisp salt and pepper crust, topped with crunchy cabbage and radish slaw then finished with creamy spicy shrimp taco sauce, a scatter of fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.

    Shrimp Tacos served on a white oval platter with extra sauce on the side.

    For the past year, I've been working on perfecting this shrimp taco recipe. I've made them a dozen times and these are literally the best shrimp tacos I have ever tasted. They're weeknight easy too (watch the video if you want me to prove it 😉). You can make them start to finish in just 30 minutes!

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients You Need to Make Shrimp Tacos
    • How to Buy Shrimp
    • How to Thaw Frozen Shrimp
    • Recipe Tips
    • Shrimp Taco Sauce
    • How to Peel and Devein Raw Shrimp
    • What to Serve with Shrimp Tacos
    • More Mexican Food Recipes You'll Love
    • How to Make Shrimp Tacos
    • Shrimp Tacos Recipe Video
    • Shrimp Tacos
    • 💬 Comments

    Ingredients You Need to Make Shrimp Tacos

    Shrimp Tacos Ingredients arranged on a white marble board.

    Shrimp Taco Sauce

    • Mayonnaise: your favorite brand or homemade mayonnaise
    • Sour cream: ideally full fat sour cream
    • Sriracha Sauce: or your favorite hot sauce
    • Water: as needed to thin sauce

    Shrimp Tacos

    • Corn Tortillas: or flour tortillas
    • Shrimp: ideally medium shrimp (see instructions in post on how to choose shrimp and how to peel and devein them)
    • Cornstarch
    • Avocado Oil: or other high heat oil
    • Garlic: fresh garlic cloves
    • Ground Black Pepper and Kosher Salt
    • Cabbage: shredded for topping, optional
    • Radishes: for topping, optional
    • Fresh Cilantro: optional
    • Lime Wedges: for serving, optional
    • Jalapeño Peppers: pickled slices or thinly sliced fresh jalapeño peppers for serving, optional

    How to Buy Shrimp

    For the freshest shrimp, buy frozen and thaw them at home. Because shrimp are typically frozen shortly after being caught, even 'fresh' shrimp are likely thawed by grocery store fish counters. If you do buy thawed shrimp, be sure they are not soft or slimy and don't smell like ammonia, a sure sign that they're going bad.

    How to Thaw Frozen Shrimp

    For the best results, thaw frozen shrimp overnight in a covered bowl in the refrigerator. For faster thawing, place shrimp in a sealed zip-top bag and submerge in a bowl of cold water in the sink. Let stand 30 minutes, or until the shrimp are thawed. (This method works for other frozen meats as well.)

    Shrimp Tacos served on a white oval platter with extra sauce and lime wedges on the side.

    Recipe Tips

    A couple of recipe tips: first, I love to make these with corn tortillas, but flour tortillas work just fine if that's what you have on hand. Second, be sure to use a high heat oil for frying the shrimp. Olive oil has a lower smoke point and you want the oil to be very hot so the shrimp get a nice, crispy coating.

    Shrimp Taco Sauce

    The crisp shrimp are essential to these tacos, but so is the sauce. Shrimp Taco Sauce sounds so official, but it's actually really simple and made with things that I bet you have in your refrigerator right now. It's just three ingredients: mayonnaise, sour cream and sriracha sauce, but it brings the textures together in these shrimp tacos and makes all of the other flavors shine!

    How to Peel and Devein Raw Shrimp

    For shrimp tacos, you'll want to completely peel and devein the shrimp (step by step photos below). No one wants to bite into a shrimp tail!

    To peel raw shrimp, first gently twist off the head (if still attached) then wedge your thumb inside the shell, just above the legs. Grasp the shell between your thumb and forefinger; lift and turn to detach the shell down to the tail segment. For shrimp with the tail intact, hold the peeled shrimp near the tail and gently pull to release the shrimp completely. (Skip this step for recipes where you want to leave the tail intact.)

    peeling the shell off of a raw shrimp.
    Peeling Shrimp
    peeled raw shrimp with tail intact.
    Peeled Shrimp with Tail Intact
    peeled raw shrimp with tail removed
    Fully Peeled Shrimp

    To devein, use a sharp paring knife to cut a shallow slit down the center of the back. With the tip of the knife, gently lift the vein out and discard (wipe onto a paper towel). Repeat with remaining shrimp.

    slicing down the back of a raw shrimp to devein.
    deveining raw shrimp with the tip of a paring knife.

    What to Serve with Shrimp Tacos

    Though these are a meal on their own, they would be great alongside Homemade Refried Beans and tortilla chips with Pico de Gallo or Mango Avocado Salsa and Salsa Guacamole for dipping.

    For a 30 minute, summertime version of these check out Grilled Shrimp Tacos.

    More Mexican Food Recipes You'll Love

    • Carne Asada (Check out the comments - everyone loves this!)
    • Carne Asada Tacos (Perfect way to feed a crowd.)
    • Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa (These are absolutely bursting with flavor!)
    • Pork Carnitas (Made in the slow cooker - easy, super juicy and flavorful.)
    • Pork Carnitas Tacos (Our favorite way to enjoy carnitas!)
    • Pulled Pork Quesadillas (Crispy, oven baked and totally irresistible!)
    • Pulled Pork Nachos (With my top tips for perfect nachos every time.)
    • Rice Cooker Mexican Rice (SO easy to make this classic side dish in your rice cooker.)
    • Mexican Cauliflower Rice (You'd never know that this is a lightened up version!)

    How to Make Shrimp Tacos

    Finely chop cabbage and radishes (and fresh cilantro if desired). Set aside.

    Finely Chopped Cabbage and Radishes

    Make Shrimp Taco Sauce with equal parts mayonnaise and sour cream and sriracha sauce to taste. Dribble in water to thin if desired.

    making shrimp taco sauce

    Lightly char both sides of each corn tortilla in a hot cast iron skillet and transfer to a packet of aluminum foil to keep warm.

    charred corn tortilla
    wrapping warm tortillas in foil

    Toss shrimp with cornstarch.

    tossing shrimp in cornstarch

    Fry shrimp in hot oil (nearly smoking) in a large wok or skillet until pink. Add salt, pepper and fresh garlic to shrimp; toss until coated and fragrant (a riff on these Salt and Pepper Shrimp). Transfer shrimp to a plate.

    frying shrimp for shrimp tacos

    Assemble tacos one at a time, topping each tortilla with shrimp, cabbage, radishes and cilantro (optional). Drizzle with shrimp taco sauce and add a squeeze of lime (optional). Enjoy!

    drizzling sauce over shrimp tacos

    Shrimp Tacos Recipe Video

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    Shrimp Tacos served on a white oval platter with extra sauce on the side.

    Shrimp Tacos

    Marissa Stevens
    Shrimp Tacos with lightly charred tortillas, crisp salt and pepper coated shrimp, crunchy slaw and spicy, creamy shrimp taco sauce!
    5 from 25 votes
    Save Recipe Saved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 8 tacos
    Calories 250 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Shrimp Taco Sauce

    • ¼ cup mayonnaise
    • ¼ cup sour cream
    • 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce or more
    • water as needed to thin sauce

    Shrimp Tacos

    • 8 corn tortillas
    • 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
    • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
    • ¼ cup avocado oil or other high heat oil
    • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
    • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 cup finely chopped cabbage
    • ½ cup finely chopped radishes
    • ½ cup finely chopped cilantro optional
    • 1 lime cut into wedges
    • jalapeño peppers thinly sliced, optional

    Instructions
     

    Shrimp Taco Sauce

    • Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream and sriracha sauce in a small bowl. Add water, a few drops at a time, to reach your desired consistency. Set aside.

    Shrimp Tacos

    • Place a large piece of aluminum foil near cooktop. Heat a dry, heavy skillet (ideally cast iron) over medium high heat until hot. Add one corn tortilla; cook 30 seconds on each side until softened and lightly charred. Transfer to aluminum foil and fold around tortilla to keep warm. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
    • In a medium bowl, coat peeled and deveined shrimp in cornstarch.
    • Heat oil in a large wok or skillet until nearly smoking. Shake any excess cornstarch from shrimp and carefully add a few at a time to wok, giving each shrimp some room to crisp up. Cook, turning often with a spatula until shrimp are pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt, pepper and fresh garlic; toss with spatula just until spices are dispersed and garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and transfer shrimp to a plate or platter.
    • Assemble tacos: top one warm corn tortilla with 3 or 4 shrimp and sprinkle with chopped cabbage, radishes and cilantro (if desired). Drizzle with desired amount of shrimp taco sauce. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Serve with lime wedges and sliced jalapeño if desired.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 250kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 14gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 150mgSodium: 680mgPotassium: 149mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 121IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 119mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword Cinco de Mayo, easy, gluten free, pescatarian, quick
    Tried this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram at @pinchandswirl or leave me a comment and rating below.

    More Mexican Main Courses

    • Birria Ramen
    • Slow Cooker Birria de Res
    • Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
    • Carne Asada Recipe

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Mary Aspacher says

      February 15, 2023 at 5:42 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        February 15, 2023 at 7:29 pm

        I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Mary!

        Reply
    2. Bo Moss says

      January 26, 2023 at 4:19 pm

      Great taco’s!.. Super tasty… can’t wait to try them again..

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        January 26, 2023 at 4:25 pm

        So glad you enjoyed them, Bo!

        Reply
    3. Christina says

      January 11, 2023 at 8:36 pm

      5 stars
      This was my first time making shrimp tacos and I was pleasantly surprised! I followed the recipe exactly (except I subbed plain yogurt in place of sour cream). The shrimp were absolutely delicious and my family loved it as well! Will be adding this to my rotation.

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        January 12, 2023 at 9:48 am

        Hi Christina! I'm so glad to hear that you and your family enjoyed these.

        Reply
    4. Rob McBride says

      November 10, 2022 at 9:13 am

      Is the nutrition information per taco?

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 10, 2022 at 9:27 am

        Hi, Rob. Yes it is. Enjoy!

        Reply
    5. Raj says

      November 09, 2022 at 8:38 pm

      Delicious tacos. Thanks for the recipe. You guys are awesome

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 10, 2022 at 8:57 am

        haha...my pleasure, Raj! So glad you enjoyed them.

        Reply
    6. Charles says

      November 02, 2022 at 12:33 pm

      My wife said this was the best shrimp tacos she has ever had

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 02, 2022 at 12:47 pm

        I love to hear that, Charles! Thank you for letting me know!

        Reply
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