Name: Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Crema
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 52 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1lb shrimp, uncooked, peeled, deveined, tails removed; 1 tsp dark chili powder; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp garlic minced, (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder); 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes; 1/2 tsp kosher salt; Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tbsp); 3 tbsp avocado oil; 1 cup shredded green cabbage; 1 cup shredded purple cabbage; 8-10 small flour or corn tortillas, lightly toasted; Garnish: Fresh cilantro; Lime wedges; 1 medium avocado, seed removed and flesh scooped out; 1/2 cup cilantro; 1 jalapeño, seeds removed; 3 cloves of garlic, peeled; 2 limes, juiced (3 tbsp); 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt; 3 tbsp avocado oil; 3 tbsp water; 1/2 tsp kosher salt

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Spicy marinated shrimp cooked to tender perfection, topped with a homemade avocado crema and slaw… are you drooling yet? These spicy shrimp tacos with avocado crema are a must make this week!

zoomed in shot of four spicy shrimp tacos in tortillas on a grey plate with avocado crema and cilantro leaves drizzled on top

Two taco recipes in the same week?! This must be heaven or close to it! My love for tacos is really on display this week for Cinco de Mayo. These spicy shrimp tacos with avocado crema are going to be your new favorite tacos to make!

Ingredients

Shrimp are such a fun seafood to work with, because they are the perfect blank canvas to infuse flavor into. I wanted to have a spicy/smokey taste to these shrimp so I utilized: dark chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes, oregano, and garlic. Then followed up with a nice base of avocado oil, lime juice, and some kosher salt.

Shrimp Prep

uncooked shrimp with fingers pinching tail

When buying shrimp, I usually go for the peeled and deveined variety. Cleaning shrimp is kind of tedious if you are short on time. If you do want to clean them remember to remove the vein down the back of the shrimp. I also remove the tails before marinating, so it is less messy than doing it later and rubbing all the flavor off with your fingers.

uncooked shrimp with tail removed and shrimp intact

I remove the tail by pinching the shell all the way at the back. This will allow the tail to free itself and you won’t lose any delicious meat.

Marinade

Whisk all the marinade ingredients together, place the shrimp in the marinade, and stir until all the shrimps are coated. You can marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to a few hours, shrimp take on flavor pretty quickly.

Avocado Crema

overhead picture of crema ingredients with bunch of cilantro, chobani greek yogurt cup, whole avocado, garlic, whole lime, and jalapeno

Next up is the crema! These spicy shrimp tacos are great on their own, but I’ve always been partial to a little sauce on my shrimp tacos. This creamy sauce lends a little heat itself from the jalapeño, but its the perfect contrast to the spices used on the shrimp.

overhead shot of cilantro, jalapeno, avocado, garlic in a food processor unblended

I used avocado, cilantro (perfect time to use some stems!), garlic, lime juice, deseeded jalapeño, avocado oil, and a touch of water for consistency. You can use sour cream for the creamy factor, but I chose to use greek yogurt as a healthier alternative.

overhead of blended avocado cilantro crema in a food processor

I blended all the ingredients and did a few tastings before proceeding. You don’t want it too thick or too thin, so I added 1 tbsp of water and tested it, then added one more before reaching the consistency I wanted. It may taste a bit spicy on it’s own, but it will all mellow out when it’s all put together.

Slaw

picture of shredded purple and green cabbage on a cutting board

Now for a quick slaw. Using a purple cabbage and a green cabbage, I sliced them on my mandoline (here is my be careful note). If you do not have a mandoline, a knife will do the trick just try to be consistent with your size of cuts.

purple and green shredded cabbage in a bowl mixed with avocado crema

I added a few spoons of the avocado crema to the slaw and tossed it until evenly coated. You will be using the rest of the avocado crema to drizzle on top of the tacos!

Cooking Shrimp

overhead picture of marinated spicy shrimps cooking in a cast iron skillet

Next is cooking the shrimp. You can either grill them or cook them in a cast iron. I have done them both ways! If you are going to grill them, skewer them on either soaked bamboo sticks or using metal skewers.

Shrimp cook fast! As they start to cook they are going to begin to coil up. If you are cooking them on the stovetop (depending on the size of the shrimp), they will cook in about 5-7 minutes. I flip them to get a nice char/color on each side. If you are grilling the shrimp, same time frame around 5-7 minutes and flip them midway through.

close up of spicy shrimp tacos with cabbage and avocado crema and cilantro leaves in tortillas on a grey plate with limes in background

Time to assemble our spicy shrimp tacos! I used flour tortillas (toasted them in the oven), then I spread the slaw, added a few shrimp, drizzled the avocado crema, then topped with some fresh cilantro and served with lime wedges!

overhead shot of four spicy shrimp tacos on a grey plate with avocado crema and lime wedges with cilantro leaves

The flavors of the spicy grilled shrimp paired with the creamy avocado crema are a match made for your cinco de mayo or any day of the week! These spicy shrimp tacos are a must make! Love tacos? Try my Carne Asada Tacos!

Things you’ll need: 2 small bowls for marinating/slaw, food processor for crema, mandoline for slaw (optional), cast iron (optional), skewers for grilling (optional), citrus squeeze, tongs for flipping shrimp/tossing slaw.

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