Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw
These Easy Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw feature seasoned shrimp and crunchy cabbage tossed with a creamy cilantro lime crema.
Shrimp is so great for quick and easy meals because it cooks very quickly. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been buying shrimp for a few years because neither of my kids liked it. But recently, Costco had a deal that was too good to pass up, so I figured I’d try it again. Luckily, my kids’ tastes seemed to have changed, and shrimp are on the table again (literally).
I ended up buying the shrimp twice and made a few different meals with them, but these Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw were probably the biggest hit in my household. I already had corn tortillas and cabbage in the fridge, and seasoned the shrimp generously with several spices. All in, these tacos were on the table in about 30 minutes – a perfect weeknight meal.
How to Make Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw
Making these flavor-filled, quick and easy tacos starts with the slaw, which starts with homemade cilantro lime crema. Add the sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeño, garlic, salt, and pepper to a blender or immersion blender vessel and blend until smooth. Toss 2 Tablespoons of the crema with the sliced cabbage. Set the slaw and the extra crema aside.
Remove the tails from the shrimp and cut the shrimp into bite-sized pieces. Toss the shrimp pieces with oil, chile powder, chipotle powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the seasoned shrimp. Cook the shrimp, stirring often until they’re cooked through and starting to brown on the edges. Transfer the shrimp to a serving dish.
Heat your tortillas. I like to do this on the grill in the summer, or directly over a gas burner. You can also use an oven/toaster oven, or microwave.
Divide the shrimp evenly between the tortillas, then top each with some of the slaw and a drizzle of extra crema. Garnish your tacos with chopped avocado, sliced/minced jalapeño, minced onion, chopped cilantro, and/or a squeeze of lime juice as desired.
Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw Ingredients
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt – This is one of the rare times that I used sour cream (because I happened to have it on hand). I would normally use plain Greek yogurt, but I would recommend 2% milkfat or higher for this recipe. You can substitute your favorite dairy-free sour cream or plain Greek yogurt to make this recipe dairy-free.
- Cilantro – You will need it for the cilantro lime crema, but may also wish to use extra to garnish your tacos.
- Lime juice – Fresh-squeezed lime juice is always best, but bottled will work for the crema too. I also recommend having a couple of lime wedges on hand to squeeze onto your tacos.
- Jalapeño pepper – You will need one for the crema, but may also wish to have an extra one on hand to mince or slice for garnishing your tacos.
- Small clove garlic – You will need this for the crema.
- Kosher salt – You will need kosher salt for seasoning the shrimp and in the cilantro lime crema.
- Freshly ground black pepper – You will need pepper for seasoning the shrimp and in the cilantro lime crema.
- Finely shredded green cabbage – Alternatively, you can use a bagged coleslaw mix.
- Peeled shrimp – Any size of shrimp will work for this recipe, since you will be cutting it into bite-sized pieces anyway. Just make sure to buy shrimp that’s not already cooked.
- Canola oil – Or use any other neutral-flavored cooking oil.
- Chili powder – You will be using this to season the shrimp.
- Chipotle powder – Chipotle powder is simply ground chipotle pepper, which is spicy and smoky. It should be available in the spice aisle of most well-stocked grocery stores. Alternatively, you can use smoked paprika, which is still smoky, but milder.
- Cumin
- Garlic powder – I used garlic powder instead of fresh garlic to season the shrimp because it’s less likely to burn while cooking.
- Small corn tortillas – Feel free to use either white or yellow corn tortillas.
- Lime wedges, chopped avocado, chopped cilantro, minced onion, and/or minced jalapeño – These are all optional ingredients that you can use to garnish your tacos.
Want more shellfish recipes?
Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for two tacos. If your portion is larger or smaller than this, the nutrition information will vary accordingly. The nutrition information does not include any additional toppings like avocado, but does include an extra drizzle of cilantro lime crema.
This recipe is gluten-free as written. To make this recipe dairy-free, replace the sour cream with your favorite dairy-free sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Use an immersion blender (or regular blender) to blend 1 cup sour cream, ¼ cup chopped cilantro, 2 Tablespoons lime juice, 1 small jalapeño pepper, 1 small clove garlic, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper together.
- Toss 2 cups finely shredded green cabbage with 2 Tablespoons of the cilantro lime crema. Set aside for now.
- Devein 1 pound peeled shrimp (any size) and remove the tails. Cut the shrimp into small bite-sized pieces (about 1cm or ½"). Toss the shrimp pieces with 1 Tablespoon canola oil, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon chipotle powder, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned shrimp and cook, stirring often, until the shrimp are cooked through and just starting to brown on the edges, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a serving dish to avoid overcooking.
- Heat 8 small corn tortillas in the microwave, on the grill, or over gas burners, wrapping the tortillas in a clean dish towel when done to keep warm.
- Divide the shrimp taco filling evenly between the tortillas, and top each with a serving of the cilantro lime slaw. Garnish the tacos with additional cilantro lime crema, chopped avocado, cilantro, minced cilantro, and/or jalapeño and a squeeze of lime as desired.
Nutrition
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