Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Crema – Spicy marinated shrimp cooked to tender perfection, topped with homemade avocado crema and slaw, are you drooling yet? These hot shrimp tacos with avocado crema are crucial make this week!
Two taco recipes in precisely the same week?! This must be paradise or near it! My love for tacos is on screen this week for Cinco de Mayo. These spicy shrimp tacos with avocado crema are going to be your new favorite tacos to make!
Shrimp is such fun seafood to work with since they are the perfect blank canvas to infuse flavour into. I wanted to get a spicy/smokey flavor to those shrimp, so I utilized: dark lavender powder, smoked paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes, oregano, and garlic.
Shrimp Prep
When purchasing shrimp, I usually opt for the peeled and deveined variety. Cleaning shrimp is dull if you are short on time. If you do want to wash them, be sure to remove the vein down the back of the fish. I also get rid of the tails before marinating, therefore it is less messy than doing it later and rubbing all of the flavour off with your palms.
I remove the tail by pinching the shell at the back. This will enable the rear to free itself and you will not lose any delicious meat.
Marinade
Whisk all of the marinade ingredients together, place the shrimp from the marinade, and stir fry till all the shrimps are coated. You can marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to a few hours, and shrimp take on flavour fairly quickly.
Avocado Crema
Next up is the crema! These spicy shrimp tacos are great in their own, however I’ve always been partial to a little sauce onto my shrimp tacos. This creamy sauce lends a low heat itself in the jalapeño, but its the ideal contrast to the spices used on the fish.
I used avocado, cilantro (perfect time to use a few stalks! ), garlic, lime juice, deseeded jalapeño, avocado oil, and a touch of water to get consistency. It is possible to use sour cream for the creamy variable, but I opted to use greek yoghurt as a healthier choice.
I blended all of the ingredients and also did a few tastings before proceeding. You do not need it too thick or too lean, so I added 1 tbsp of water and analyzed it, then inserted one more before reaching the consistency I wanted. It could taste a bit spicy by itself, but it will all mellow out if it’s all put together.
Slaw
Now for a fast slaw. Employing a purple cabbage and a green cabbage, I sliced them in my mandoline (here is my be careful to note). If you do not own a mandoline, a knife will do the trick, try to be more consistent with your size of cuts.
I included a few spoons of the avocado crema into the slaw and chucked it until evenly coated. You will use the remainder of the avocado crema to drizzle on top of the tacos!
Cooking Shrimp
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’re going to grill them, skewer them on either soaked bamboo sticks or using metal skewers.
Shrimp cooks fast! As they begin to cook, they will start to spiral up. If you are cooking them on the stovetop (based on the size of the fish ), they will cook in about 5-7 minutes. I turn them to receive a gorgeous char/colour on each side if you are grilling the shrimp, same time period around 5-7 minutes and flip them midway through.
Time to build our hot shrimp tacos! I used flour tortillas (toasted them in the oven), I then disperse the slaw, inserted a few shrimp, drizzled the avocado crema, then topped with some fresh cilantro and served with lime wedges!
The tastes of the hot grilled shrimp paired with the creamy avocado crema are a match made for your Cinco de Mayo or any day of the week! These hot shrimp tacos are a must-make! Enjoy tacos?
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Try these other Delicious Recipes options:
- Easy Taco Salad Vegan Recipe
- Sweet Potato & Quinoa Chili
- Apple Pecan Fall Salad
- Grilled Pineapple Chicken (Paleo + Whole30)
- Broccoli Cashew Stir-Fry Easy Salad Recipe
- Chickpea Avocado Sandwich
Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Crema
Ingredients
Shrimp Marinade
- 1 lb 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
Taco Elements
- 1 cup shredded-green-cabbage
- 1 cup shredded-purple-cabbage
- 8-10 small flour or corn tortillas, lightly toasted
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges
Avocado Crema
- 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
- 1/2 cup plain-greek-yogurt
- 3 tbsp avocado-oil
- 3 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients: 3 tbsp avocado oil, lime juice, chilli powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, garlic, red pepper flakes, and kosher salt. Add in prepped shrimp, stir to coat all the shrimp with marinade. Place in refrigerator and marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- While the shrimp is marinating, in a food processor add the avocado crema ingredients: avocado, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, yoghurt, olive oil, water and kosher salt. Pulse until all the ingredients are smooth. If the consistency is too thick, add another tbsp of water. Set aside.
- Using a mandoline or knife, shred the cabbages. Place in a small bowl, add a few spoons of the crema and toss to combine. Save the rest of the crema from drizzling over the tacos at the end.
- You can either cook the shrimp in a cast-iron skillet or grill them. a. Grill method: Skewer the shrimp on either soaked bamboo or metal skewers. Preheat the grill. Over medium direct heat, cook the shrimp for 5-7 minutes, flipping them midway through. You want the outside slightly charred and pink, with the inside white. b. Cast iron method: In a seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium/high heat, give each shrimp a good shake (to get rid of some excess marinade) and add it to the pan. Cook, the shrimp for 5-7 minutes flipping halfway through. You are looking for the same preparedness as above.
- Assemble the tacos: Place the tortilla down, add a few spoons of the cabbage slaw, add a few shrimps, drizzle avocado crema over the top, garnish with fresh cilantro, serve with lime wedges!
