These Easy Spicy Shrimp Tacos are the answer to your weeknight meal! Easy, dairy free and on the dinner table in under 30 minutes.
Can we pretend like we are in the middle of the Caribbean with these spicy shrimp tacos at poolside? Sounds good, doesn’t it? It’s funny, every spring I start to crave country music, Coronas and tacos. It's like my body is over winter and ready for a summer party. So why not just have a summer fiesta in the kitchen by turning up the heat with some easy spicy shrimp tacos! Where is my Corona?
I seriously think I could eat tacos every day of the week. But not like the old classic taco with ground turkey and a taco seasoning packet. No disrespect to the classic taco, but it just gets a little mundane. I love those cute little artisan tacos that are $4 a piece at taco joints. So many different flavors, I like to test all of them. I tried to replicate those tacos the best I could because those are what I want in my life.
The flavor of these spicy shrimp tacos are IN-tense! I love a good spicy taco and my secret ingredient for these is smoked paprika! When you add the shrimp to the saute pan and begin to cook, add some water. It creates such a nice slurry and emphasizes the flavors. So easy!
Spicy Shrimp Seasoning
- Smoked paprika
- Chili powder
- Cayenne
- Onion powder
- Cumin
- Scant salt and pepper
By the way, I know some of you are extreme with your spicy-meter... so these shrimp tacos might seem weak on the spice to you. Feel free to jazz it up with a Serrano pepper.
Corn Tortillas
I made this recipe with corn tortillas. If you are using corn tortillas I would recommend heating them on the stove top in a pan lightly sprayed with cooking oil. The heat and oil will firm up the tortillas a bit so they won't rip as easily. Alternatively, you could always double layer with 2 corn tortillas or use flour tortillas. If you have leftover tortillas, check out these healthy baked tortilla chips with an easy guacamole recipe!
If you are looking for more foods for a fiesta, check out these One Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas with Avocado Sauce!
Print30 Minute Spicy Shrimp Tacos
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 tacos 1x
Description
These Spicy Shrimp Tacos are the answer to your weeknight meal. Easy, dairy free and on the dinner table in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Spicy Seasoning
- 1 ½ tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne
- Scant salt and pepper
Shrimp Tacos
- Corn tortillas (see notes)
- 1 lb raw shrimp (deveined and tails off) cut into small bite size pieces
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup red onion, chopped
- 1 can of corn, drained (see notes)
- 1 serrano pepper, chopped (optional for extra spice)
- 1 package of coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots)
- 1 cup cilantro, loosely chopped
- 1 avocado, mashed
- 1 lime
Instructions
- Place drained corn and chopped pepper (if using) in a cast iron skillet or sauté pan at high heat with 1 tbsp of oil. Cook until corn starts to look slightly darkened with char marks. Set aside.
- Combine spices in a small bowl and mix.
- Option to cut shrimp into bite sized pieces (I like this better for tacos). Place shrimp in a bowl (be sure to pat them dry if they are wet from thawing). Pour 1 tbsp oil over shrimp and add the spice mixture. Mix until each shrimp has a good amount of seasoning on it.
- Saute the shrimp over medium heat, after 2 minutes add ¼ cup of water and stir. Cook for another minute or until the shrimp are cooked.
- Assemble the tacos with the mashed avocado at the bottom, followed by the spicy shrimp, corn, onions then slaw. Squeeze some lime juice and garnish with cilantro.
Notes
- If you are using corn tortillas I would recommend heating them on the stove top in a pan lightly sprayed with oil. This will harden the tortillas so they won't rip as easily. Alternatively, you could always double layer with 2 corn tortillas or use flour tortillas.
- If you are using frozen cooked shrimp, still heat the shrimp with the spices and add water. You won't want to heat for long or else it will be tough.
- If you want to skip a step, you could buy a roasted can of corn from the grocery store.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 5
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: Mexican
The best shrimp tacos I’ve ever had! SO easy to make. Love this simple dish!!! I added your avocado cream sauce on top because DELISH!!!
Thanks Danielle ! Glad you liked them!
So. So. So good. Chopping up the shrimp was genius, and the spice was perfect. The cilantro and corn made it taste so fresh. I added sriracha because I’m addicted. I wish that I would have made more so I could eat it all week... but I’ll just go buy 30 more bags of shrimp so I can have it at least once a week. So delish!