Spicy Smoky Shrimp Tacos with Mango Slaw! What not to love? You’ve got a little heat, a little crunch, a little fruity sweetness, a whole lot of savory umami from the shrimp, and it all comes together with a creamy avocado- jalapeño-lime-crema. It’s a fun simple meal perfect for weeknights or weekends. Even though there are three components to the recipe, it’s very easy and simple to put together. For the crema we toss everything into a food processor and giving it a blitz. Then dice up a mango or buy precut mango if you’re in a pinch, shred up some cabbage, all while the shrimp marinates in a quick spice mix. Warm up some tortilla and give the shrimp a quick grilling and you’re done.
These spicy shrimp tacos are now our family favorite, and a regular feature on dinner rotations. These also make an excellent lunch. Simply toss them, add to a bed of warm rice or for low carb option double up on the slaw and ditch the rice.
Seasonings Needed For Spicy Shrimp Tacos
- Ground chipotle
- smoked paprika
- ground cumin
- garlic powder
- chili powder or ground ancho powder
- onion powder
- dried thyme or Epozote or Mexican oregano
- sea salt
- granulated coconut sugar
How to Cook the Shrimp for Spicy Shrimp Tacos:
- Toss the shrimp in the seasonings.
- Allow it to marinate for at least 10-15 minutes.
- Add butter or olive oil to a warmed skillet and cook the shrimp until they turn opaque on the outside (though its hard to see, but the shrimp will firm up), cook through in about 2-4 minutes. The spices will darken as they cook, it does not mean they’re burned.
Ingredients For Mango Slaw
- Mango
- Red cabbage
- cilantro
- scallions, greens only
- lime juice
- salt and pepper
How to make the Avocado Jalapeño Crèma:
- Blend together all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Adjust any seasoning as desired.
- Spread a tablespoon or two over warmed tortilla.
Do I have Make avocado Crèma or Can I Just Use Sliced Avocado?
You can totally slice or dice the avocados and tuck them in the tacos. I like them creamed so they act as a sauce, however, this isn’t a make it or break it component, do what you like!
Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Mango Slaw and Avocado Crema
Equipment
- Skillet
- small food processor
Ingredients
Spicy Shrimp
- 1¼ lbs large shrimp, deveined
- ¼-½ tsp chipotle powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ancho chili powder
- ½ tsp granulated onion powder
- ½ tsp granulated garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried epozote or thyme or Mexican oregano
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil or butter or any neutral oil
Mango slaw
- large mango, diced into small pieces
- ¼ head red cabbage, finely shredded about 3½ cups
- 2-3 stalks scallions or green onions, chopped
- 1-2 tbsdp lime juice or vinegar
- 2-3 tbsp chopped cilantro
- ¼ tsp sugar
- kosher salt as needed
Avocado Jalapeño Crema
- 1 medium ripe avocado, chopped
- ½ cup greek yogurt
- 1-2 small cloves garlic use as you need
- 3-4 tbsp lime juice
- ½-1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
Assembly
- small corn tortilla
- sliced lime as needed
Instructions
- In a bowl combine all the spices and add shrimp. Toss the shrimp and allow it to marinate for 5-10 minutes while you prep the other parts.
- Combine the mango, red cabbage, lime juice or vinegar, salt and sugar. Toss to combine and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes to soften. Add the cilantro and green onions and set aside.
- Blend all the ingredients for the crema. Adjust any seasoning as needed. Set aside.
- Heat a skillet or large pan and add oil or butter. cook the shrimp for 3-4 minutes flipping to cook evenly, until opaque and firm.
- warm and char the tortillas for about 20 seconds per side over an open flame and then wrap them in a clean kitchen towel until ready to serve. You can also heat the whole stack in a low oven (250°F), wrapped in a damp paper towel and then tightly in aluminum foil.
- Spread some avocado crema on the warm tortilla. Stack with shrimp and mango slaw. Serve with extra squeeze of lime as needed.
Thanks for the share.