These Easy Shrimp Tacos are light, fresh, and so full of flavor! Simple and easy to make, they’re ideal for a busy weeknight meal.
You. Guys.
It is Cinco de Mayo AND Taco Tuesday. On. The. Same. Day. As a lover of tacos and margaritas and all things delicious, this feels like a small miracle. Tacos and I are like star crossed lovers and this is OUR day.
I am pretty hard core missing my favorite taco restaurant. I got take out from them the other day, and it was amazing, but I decided I needed to be able to make awesome tacos like them at home.
Enter these incredible and easy Shrimp Tacos.
HOW TO MAKE SHRIMP TACOS
These tacos are very simple to make, and require just a few spices and ingredients.
We start by seasoning the thawed and raw shrimp with taco seasoning. I’m breaking it down to exactly how much you need to make this recipe, but I strongly encourage you to keep a big batch of my taco seasoning on hand. You will need 3 tablespoons of it for this recipe.
After thawing the shrimp pat them down. The thawing process leads to shrimp that are very wet. Simple put the shrimp on a paper towel lined plate and pat them down to remove excess liquid before marinating.
Add the shrimp, taco seasoning, oil, and a little lime juice to a bowl. Let it sit, covered, in your refrigerator for 15 – 20 minutes. We are marinating the shrimp and allowing the acid in the lime juice to break down and penetrate just the first layer of the shrimp.
After they have marinated for a little bit, add them to a hot skillet. You want to add just enough to the skillet so that they are in a single layer. Cook only for about 2 to 3 minutes, flipping in between. We want to cook them until they turn pink. If you cook too long they will be chewy and unappetizing.
Cook them in batches, returning them to a clean plate and losely covering them while cooking the next batch.
TOPPING SHRIMP TACOS
The sky is the limit with how to top these easy shrimp tacos. I made some cilantro creama to go on top and then added red and green cabbage. Here are some other great options:
- My Pineapple Salsa might be my favorite way to eat tacos.
- Another great option is this Corn Salsa. It’s perfect with shrimp.
- Finally, you could just go with a little guacamole.
HOW TO MAKE CILANTRO CREMA
In general, Crema is like a thin sour cream that has an added flavoring to it. Cilantro Crema is exactly like it sounds. It has a great cilantro flavoring with a little lime juice and salt. It is perfect for these tacos.
- Add sour cream, cilantro, and a lime juice to a blender or food processor.
- Process until it is smooth.
This part of the recipe is best eaten the day it is made.
Please note that you may want to add only half the lime juice and salt that the recipe calls for. After the initial processing, you can always add more to taste.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH SHRIMP TACOS
If you are making a big Cinco de Mayo spread for your family, I have some other great options. Plus, all of the toppings listed above would make great dips.
- My Crockpot Chicken Tacos are always a great idea, and only 3 ingredients.
- I love making my Cilantro Lime Rice to go on the side.
- Pico de Gallo is a must in my opinion.
- And of course is it even Cinco de Mayo if you don’t make margaritas? My recipe is hands down THE BEST.
If you make any of my recipes or this shrimp taco recipe, I would love if you would come back and leave me a comment! Hearing from you makes my day.
Easy Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 pounds raw frozen shrimp, deviened and peeled thaw according to package instructions
- 1 tablespoon chili powder (please see note 1)
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage (optional)
- 1 cup shredded green cabbage optional
- 12 corn tortillas
Cilantro Crema
- 1 cup sour cream (I used light sour cream
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- 2 teaspoons lime juice (see note 2)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pat the shrimp down with a paper towel to remove any excess liquid that accrued during thawing.
- In a measuring cup, mix together the chili powder, paprika, kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper with the olive oil and lime juice. Pour over the thawed shrimp in a large bowl, and mix to combine. Refrigerate, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes. (Move on to making the Cilantro Crema and shredding the cabbage.)
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add just enough shrimp to the skillet to cover the bottom of the pan in a single layer. Cook for 4 to 5 mintues, flipping once half way through. Cook so that the shrimp turn pink, but before they compltely curl in on themselves.
- Remove the shrimp from the pan to a plate. You will need to cook the shrimp in mutliple batchs.
- Add shrimp, shredded cabbage, and cilantro creama to the corn tortilla shells and enjoy. Consider also making pineapple salsa or corn salsa to go on top!
Cilantro Crema
- Add the sour cream, cilantro, 1 teaspoon lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt to a blender or food processor. Blend until fully combined. Taste and add the rest of the lime juice and kosher salt a little at a time to taste.
Notes
- You can replace the spices in this recipe (from the chili powder down to the cayenne pepper) with 3 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning or a 1 ounce packet of store bought taco seasoning.
- I recommend adding half the lime juice and salt when you initially blend this. Taste the recipe and add more to taste.
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy says
These tacos are simply perfect!!! <3
Rachel @ Rachel Cooks says
I’ve been craving a lighter meal like this in the midst of all the stews and pumpkin. Looks amazing!
Romayne L Andel says
Shrimp Tacos an d Pineapple are awesome. as usually everything is great thanks
So happy you like them Romayne!
John Pearsoni says
Excellent quick & easy shrimp tacos. I added 1/4 cup chopped cabbage and 1 cleaned jalapeno to the blender for the cilantro crema… wasn’t necessary but turned out good.
So glad you liked them John!
Dawn says
Can you use already cooked shrimp for this recipe?
I don’t think this is a good recipe for that. The shrimp really takes on the flavors while marinating and cooking. If you use precooked shrimp, it just won’t be the same. What might be delicious is precooked shrimp with something crunchy like cabbage or cut up jicama and my pineapple salsa.
Martha simmons says
Very good limited fats. This is very important to those of us that need to limit fats!
Clarice says
this really was very easy and turned out well. Went basic this time will try a pineapple salsa next t ime. I always have everything prepped and ready for When I cook the shrimp.
I’m so glad that you liked them, Clarice!
Julia says
Do you have recipe just for two people?
I don’t have recipes specifically for two people, but I do my best to include instructions on freezing leftovers where appropriate. Also, many of my recipes can easily be cut in half. If you hover over the serving sizes, you can scale them back.
Pam says
Very easy to make 1/2 the recipe for 2 people. I will make it again.
I’m so glad you liked it!