Easy Spicy Shrimp Tacos

5 from 6 votes

Juicy shrimp with Mexican inspired spices and fresh cilantro, served on a flour tortilla with a lime crama. Quick, easy, and extremely satisfying.

Course Main

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword easy shrimp tacos, shrimp taco recipe, spicy shrimp tacos

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 398

Author Erren Hart

Ingredients

For the Crema Sauce

½ cup sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons lime juice freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon lime zest finely grated
3 tablespoons cilantro very finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For The Shrimp

1 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined, tails removed
1 teaspoon garlic granules or powder
½ teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoon chili powder*
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper adjust to taste
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons oil

To Assemble

8 corn tortillas or flour tortillas, 6-inch, warmed
1 avocado large, sliced or diced
Cotija cheese crumbled
2 cups shredded red cabbage or green cabbage
Tomatoes deseeded and chopped

Instructions

For The Crema Sauce

In a bowl, mix together sour cream (or Greek yogurt), mayonnaise, heavy cream, lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper or lime juice as needed.
Cover the bowl and chill the sauce until ready to use.

For the Shrimp

Pat dry the shrimp well with paper towels.
In a small bowl, combine all the seasoning spices to make the seasoning mix. Add the shrimp to the bowl and coat them evenly.
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the seasoned shrimp in a single layer and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side until cooked through.

To Assemble

Layer each warmed tortilla with shrimp, avocado, crumbled Cotija cheese, shredded cabbage, and chopped tomatoes.
Drizzle each taco generously with Cilantro-Lime Crema Sauce.

Notes

This recipe yields about 8 tacos.

*Chili Powder (Not to be confused with chile powder) is a commonly used American spice mix. It’s most often made up of ground chili pepper, paprika, garlic, and cumin. It’s not as hot as ground chili pepper so if you can’t get it where you are, use a half teaspoon of paprika, an eighth teaspoon of cyan pepper.

For Fresh From Scratch Flavor

I created this recipe to make it an easy, weeknight pantry meal so it doesn’t call for any fresh ingredients, but I often add fresh chopped garlic to the pan with the shrimp at the end and then cook it for 30 seconds. Then I finish with chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Tip

Don’t overcrowd the pan for the best sear on the shrimp. Overcrowding will cause the shrimp to steam instead of brown. When in doubt, it’s best to cook in batches.

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