Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw

Can’t get enough of these spicy, limey, crunchy, very delicious, slightly messy tacos.

I realize these Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw follow closely on the heals of my Chicken Tinga Street Tacos. What can I say, I love tacos! They have the perfect balance of wow, in a fun casual way. I also love Pinch of Yum, which is the source for both of these recipes. Lindsey’s wildly successful food blog inspires me with yummy recipes and great ideas for improving my own blog.

Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw

Advanced Prep

This recipe comes together very quickly. But I decided to do some advanced prep to make them even easier. That’s because I was serving them for lunch after biking with my friend Patty.

Both the Cilantro Lime Sauce and Shrimp Taco Spice Mix can be made a day ahead. I thawed the shrimp before we headed out for our ride. When we returned, I tossed the slaw with the cilantro lime sauce and coated the shrimp with the seasoning mix. Once I started sauteing the shrimp, it was just minutes until we were stuffing these tasty tacos into our face. OK, that was a tad undignified. But just keeping it real. We rode 17 miles and were HUNGRY!

Tortilla Testing

The great tortilla decision – corn or flour? We gave a few options a try. The white corn tortilla by La Perla (who also makes a great soft flour tortilla) was my favorite. We also sampled a white corn & wheat blend tortilla made by La Tortilla Factory. Both were tasty and held up well. The more important point, is to warm them briefly in a dry skillet before filling. This makes them more pliable so you can load them up to the max!

Cilantro Lime Sauce Options

If you’re not in love with cilantro like I am, no problem. You can swap out the cilantro for parsley, basil or just omit it all together. The green onion will still provide a nice light green color. Plus, the assertive lime flavor supplies plenty of citrus punch no matter which herb you choose.

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Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw

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Course: Main Course

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Author: Adapted from Pinch of Yum recipe

Ingredients

Cilantro Lime Sauce

• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• juice of 2 limes
• 1/2 cup sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt

Shrimp Taco Spice Mix

• 2 teaspoons each chili powder and cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon each onion powder and garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper more or less to taste
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Shrimp Tacos

• 1 lb. shrimp peeled and deveined, tails removed
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 8 small tortillas corn or flour
• 2 ripe avocados, peeled & pitted
• cotija cheese
• lime wedges for serving
• sliced jalapenos optional

Instructions

• Sauce: Pulse all the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender until mostly smooth.
• Slaw: Toss a portion of the sauce with the shredded cabbage so it is lightly dressed. The rest of the sauce will be used to drizzle on top of the tacos. You will most likely have extra sauce, but it's great served with raw or cooked veggies.
• Shrimp: Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Toss the shrimp in a small bowl with the spice mix to coated thoroughly. Heat olive oil a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the shrimp to the hot pan and saute for 5-8 minutes, flipping occasionally, until the shrimp are cooked through.
• While shrimp are cooking, smash the avocados on a plate using a fork.
• Warm each tortilla in a separate dry heavy skillet about 90 seconds per side. Stack on a plate and cover to keep warm as you finish the rest of the tortillas.
• Assembly: Spread warm tortillas with smashed avocado, add slaw, then shrimp. Finish with Cotjia cheese, sliced jalapenos (if using), and drizzle with extra sauce. Serve with lime wedges.