These Shrimp Tacos with perfectly seasoned shrimp with cilantro-lime slaw and fresh avocado are all packed in a tortilla — these are the absolute best!
Next try these chicken tacos (a reader favorite!), these Vegetarian Tacos, these Asian Tacos, or these Quinoa Tacos.
Shrimp Tacos
These tacos are the perfect light (yet filling) dish to ring in the new year! They’re packed with flavor, made with oodles of healthy ingredients, and they’re quick to put together. I’ll share my favorite way to make Shrimp Tacos, but honestly, this shrimp is good enough to stand on its own — the seasoning mix is so delicious (and easy to make with just a few ingredients).
What goes in a Shrimp Taco?
You can load up your taco however you’d like; we’re obsessed with the easy slaw, sauce, and some fresh avocado (or guacamole) in these tacos!
- Shrimp: Shrimp, of course, is a given. Marinate it for a bit in a delicious seasoning mix with some olive oil. Once it’s cooked, drizzle over fresh lime and it’s ready to go!
- Slaw: This slaw is simply shredded green cabbage mixed with a simple cilantro sauce.
- Cilantro sauce: The sauce is multi-purpose: you’ll toss the slaw with the sauce and then also add a drizzle over the finished tacos. Not only is it easy to make, but you can also prep this ahead of time (up to a day in advance).
- Fresh avocado/guacamole: You can make your own quick guacamole or pick some up at the store. Otherwise, a few slices of fresh avocado work well, too. The avocado gives these tacos a delicious creamy element while keeping them healthy.
How do you make delicious shrimp?
Making delicious shrimp is all about how you season and cook it. This recipe has a killer seasoning mix and below I’m sharing some tips for cooking it.
A few tips for cooking perfect shrimp:
- When shrimp is raw the flesh is a grayish color. As it cooks, the protein turns to an opaque whitish-pink color. Shrimp cook VERY quickly – about 2-3 minutes per side – so don’t take your eyes off of them while they’re cooking.
- The shrimp should curl up into a loose “C” shape when properly cooked. If they have curled up into a tight “O” shape, then the shrimp is probably overcooked. (An undercooked shrimp will still have some grayish spots on them and form more of a flexible “U” shape)
- Cook the shrimp right before serving, so the shrimp don’t dry out while preparing the other components of this dish.
- I recommend buying shrimp that have already been peeled and deveined for faster and easier prep!
- If you are using frozen shrimp, make sure to thaw it completely before cooking.
While these stand on their own pretty well, here are a couple of quick side dish ideas:
What to serve with these tacos:
- Cucumber Salad
- Caprese Salad
- Roasted Vegetables (or just Roasted Brussel Sprouts)
- Grilled Corn on the Cob
- Italian Salad
Storage
Make Ahead & Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: Make the sauce and put it in the fridge. It can stay there for 3 days. Marinate the shrimp and keep them in the fridge too, but only for 4-6 hours before cooking.
- Storage: Keep the spiced shrimp, chopped cabbage, and sauce in the fridge. Cut the avocado when you’re ready to eat. Tortillas should be kept in a cool spot or in the fridge if you want them to last longer.
More Easy Seafood Dishes:
- Lemon Garlic Shrimp
- Cilantro Lime Shrimp
- One Pan Fish and Chips (Reader Favorite!)
- Sweet Honey Garlic Shrimp
Shrimp Tacos
Seasoned shrimp, zesty cilantro-lime slaw, and fresh avocado all wrapped up in a tortilla—these Shrimp Tacos are ready in 30 minutes and perfect for a quick, flavorful meal!
Equipment
- Large pan
- Small blender or food processor
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 1 pound medium shrimp about 45 shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 cloves garlic minced, 1 teaspoon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or use additional olive oil
- 1 to 2 limes optional
- 2 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 large avocado thinly sliced
- Corn tortillas or flour tortillas
- Cooking spray optional
Instructions
Shrimp
- Pat both sides of the shrimp dry. Toss in a large bowl with garlic, salt, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes (up to 8 hours). In a large pan, melt butter and remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
- Cook shrimp in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Add shrimp in a single layer and sauté until they just turn pink, flipping halfway, 2–4 minutes total depending on their size. Remove from heat and set on a cutting board. Cut off the tails. If desired, add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to the shrimp.
Cilantro-Lime Sauce
- Zest and juice limes to get 1 teaspoon zest and 4 tablespoons juice. In a small blender or mini food processor, combine all the sauce ingredients. Add salt and pepper (or to taste) and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust to preference. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Assemble Tacos
- Remove 1/2 cup of cilantro-lime sauce and toss it with the shredded green cabbage to combine.
- Optional: Spray tortillas (both sides) with cooking spray and grill on the stovetop over an open flame until slightly charred. Alternatively, warm tortillas in the microwave, covered with a damp paper towel.
- Fill tortillas with a generous serving of slaw, shrimp, and fresh avocado. Drizzle more sauce on top and serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Note: Nutritional information includes corn tortillas.
Storage: Store the spiced shrimp, chopped cabbage, and sauce in the fridge. Cut the avocado when you’re ready to assemble.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 476mg | Potassium: 218mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 171IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very tasty!! Hubby loved it. The only thing I left out was cilantro. We aren’t crazy about cilantro.
So glad it was a hit! Thanks Heather 🙂
We really enjoyed them during this lockdown period. I am planning for a copycat recipe for this.
Glad you enjoyed! 🙂
I’ve used this recipe several times over and it’s easy and delicious!
So glad to hear it; thanks!
Amazing! Best shrimp tacos ever! Can’t order from a restaurant ever again… Nothing beats these!
So, so happy to hear that 🙂 Thank you!!
These legitimately are the best shrimp tacos ever in existence. I have doubled and tripled the shrimp in the recipe and it still never lasts more than a day or two. My mom is actually going to make this recipe for my brother’s wedding this weekend because we love it so much. I have made many other recipes of yours and they are always so wonderful. Everyone is excited when I say “Let’s see what my girl, Chelsea, has for us today.” 🙂 Thank you!
This is seriously such a compliment! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this Lucy! 🙂
OMG! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It turned out really good and the lime cilantro sauce will be making for my friends this weekend as they celebrate their 8th Wedding Anniversary. Thank you again!
You’re so welcome! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and review 🙂
To get more meat from the tail section of shrimp; Pinch the tail from the Top & Bottom, Not the Sides!!! Cheers
This recipe is the perfect combination of flavors and texture ! The light addition of the lime crema to the cabbage makes a great crunch. The shrimp is flavorful as well. This is a go to recipe ! I already shared it with a few friends.
Glad you enjoyed Meaghan! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Found this recipe a couple months ago and we have made it quite a few times. It’s the only way we want to make tacos anymore. I Always double the sauce recipe so we have extra for other dishes over the next few days. Well done!
Great recipe. I substituted the jalapeño with Serrano and a few dried chili de arbol for some extra heat and a splash of color. We will be making these often. Thank you!
Thanks so much Bryceton! 🙂