These easy Shrimp Tacos With Slaw are packed with fresh flavors and only take 20 minutes to make! Each tortilla is filled with juicy, seasoned shrimp, homemade slaw, cilantro lime crema, and all your favorite toppings…making these shrimp tacos perfect for Summer!
Quick & Easy Shrimp Tacos With Slaw
Are there at least a thousand ways to make a Shrimp Taco? Yes. Is this way the best? We definitely think so! These decadent tacos are easy to make in a matter of minutes and are loaded with mouthwatering fresh flavors. They are so light and fresh, they make the perfect summer time taco dinner!
Seriously, these tacos were meant to be enjoyed in the hot summer months. The slaw is so bright and zesty with red onions, cabbage, lime juice, and more. Plus, shrimp is always summery to us!
You can personalize the toppings any way you’d like to create your best bite. We love our shrimp tacos topped with our fresh homemade purple slaw, fresh lime juice, some of our favorite Cilantro Lime Crema and a little extra cilantro for good measure.
While we love extra cilantro, we also know that it’s not everyone’s favorite… While we feel bad for your taste buds, don’t worry. You can top off your tacos with more lime juice for an equally fresh flavor! Enough chit chat, let’s get started!
Ingredients
You only need a few easy ingredients to make shrimp tacos and most are pantry staples:
SLAW:
- Cabbage – You can use shredded purple cabbage or a bag of coleslaw mix.
- Red Onion – Don’t use any other type of onion! Red onion has the most vibrant color and potent flavor.
- Olive Oil – For the best results, use a good quality olive oil.
- Lime Juice – Always use freshly squeezed lime juice, especially for freshly flavored recipes like this one!
- Salt and Pepper – To taste. Try to just use coarse or flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
SHRIMP TACOS:
- Shrimp – You can use frozen shrimp, but they’ll need to be fully thawed prior to cooking.
- Olive Oil
- Cajun Seasoning – While you can buy a store-bought container of this seasoning mix, our homemade recipe for Cajun Seasoning is seriously the BEST!
- Corn Tortillas – You can swap these for flour tortillas, but we find that corn tortillas best compliment the shrimp and slaw.
Optional Toppings
There are a ton of toppings you can add to your shrimp tacos! Here are some of our favorites:
- Cheese: We like to use a salty Mexican cheese like Cotija or Queso Fresco. Crumble it with a fork and then sprinkle it on top of your tacos before serving. If you can’t find either of these, something like shredded mozzarella will also work.
- Crema: I highly recommend our very favorite Cilantro Lime Crema. It makes an amazing shrimp taco sauce! However, you can also use Mexican crema or sour cream. If using sour cream, we recommend thinning it out a little with water so it’s more of a drizzle type consistency.
- Avocado or Guacamole: Either one is always great!
- Pico De Gallo: With the fresh homemade slaw we made, we didn’t use Pico De Gallo this time. However, if you want to skip the slaw and add some fresh pico, it will be just as delicious.
- Cilantro: Fresh cilantro always pairs great with seafood and these shrimp tacos are no different!
- Jalapeños: Fresh or pickled jalapeños can add a good bit of spice.
- Sriracha: Another great way to add some heat to your tacos is by drizzling on some Sriracha or adding a tablespoon of Sriracha to the cabbage slaw.
- Lime Wedges: A little extra lime juice is the perfect finisher for tacos!
How To Make Shrimp Tacos
These shrimp tacos are super quick and easy to make. They are ready in just about 20 minutes! This recipe does move quickly, so we recommend making sure you have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go.
First, make the homemade slaw:
Combine the ingredients. In a medium sized bowl, toss to combine cabbage, red onion, olive oil and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Marinate. Let the slaw rest on the counter to marinate while you prepare the shrimp, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
How to make the shrimp:
Prepare your kitchen. Set the oven to broil on high. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.
Prepare the shrimp. Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Place shrimp in a medium size bowl. Add olive oil and cajun seasoning. Toss together until all of the shrimp are coated.
Cook the shrimp. Place shrimp on a prepared baking sheet, in a single layer. It is ok to crowd the pan, just make sure the shrimp are in an even layer. Broil shrimp for 2 minutes. Rotate sheet pan and continue broiling for 2 more minutes, until shrimp are cooked through.
Assemble the tacos! Place shrimp in warmed corn tortillas, top with desired toppings and serve immediately.
Can I Cook The Shrimp A Different Way?
If you prefer to skip the oven, you can also make our Grilled Shrimp or Easy Air Fryer Shrimp for these shrimp tacos! All of these cooking methods work great, and are all equally as fast, so it’s really up to you and your personal preference.
Tips for the Best Shrimp Tacos
- Prep Ahead: Cooking shrimp is a very quick process and goes fast, so make sure all your ingredients are ready and prepped. You don’t want to have to reheat your shrimp, they will become gummy and less tender if reheated.
- Don’t Overcook The Shrimp: Don’t text and cook shrimp! 😉 The most important step is making sure your shrimp are cooked perfectly. If they are in the oven too long, they will no longer be juicy and will be pretty tough. Shrimp are done cooking as soon as they are no longer translucent and have curled!
- Tortillas: If you can find them, we highly recommend raw corn tortillas that you cook yourself. I have found them recently at Walmart. They add a ton more flavor to tacos! If using regular store bought corn tortillas, we still recommend heating them in a skillet on the stove for better texture. Wrap warmed tortillas in foil to keep them warm until ready to serve.
Prep Ahead?
Having guests over and want to prep these Shrimp Tacos ahead of time? You definitely can prep a ton ahead and make these a great recipe to make for guests or a party!
- Shrimp: You can’t cook the shrimp ahead, but you can prep them ahead up to 24 hours. Season them up and then place them in a air tight container (or ziplock bag) and store them in the fridge. When ready to cook them, you just transfer them onto the baking sheet and pop them into the oven.
- Taco Slaw: The cabbage slaw can also be prepped up to 24 hours ahead. Whip it up according to the recipe directions and store it in the fridge in an air tighter container. Then right before serving, give it a good stir.
- Toppings: You can prep all the desired toppings ahead and store them in bowls (with cling wrap on top) or in ziplock baggies. Set them out when ready to serve.
- Tortillas: Tortillas are the only item that you really should cook right before serving that can’t be done ahead. Warming up the corn tortillas in a skillet on the stove adds a lot more texture than cold tortillas.
Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
Slaw:
- 3 cups shredded purple cabbage, or coleslaw mix
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Shrimp Tacos:
- 2 pounds shrimp, shells/tails removed and deveined
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
- 12 corn tortillas, warmed
Optional Toppings:
- Cheese: Cotija or Queso Fresco, crumbled
- Cilantro Lime Crema, Mexican Crema, or Sour Cream
- Avocado or Guacamole
- Pico De Gallo
- Cilantro
- Jalapeños
- Lime Wedges
Instructions
Slaw:
- In a medium sized bowl, toss to combine cabbage, red onion, olive oil and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Let the slaw rest on the counter to marinate while you prepare the shrimp, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Shrimp:
- Set oven to broil on high. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Place shrimp in a medium size bowl. Add olive oil and cajun seasoning. Toss together until all of the shrimp are coated.
- Place shrimp on prepared baking sheet, in a single layer. It is ok to crowd the pan, just make sure the shrimp are in an even layer.
- Broil shrimp for 2 minutes. Rotate sheet pan and continue broiling for 2 more minutes, until shrimp are cooked through.
- To serve: Place shrimp in warmed corn tortillas, top with desired toppings and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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If I could eat these tacos everyday I would lol. I insist you make the cilantro lime crema as this sauce takes these tacos to the next level. I also made cajun chicken for the non-shrimp eaters and these tacos were a hit! 10/10
These were phenomenal. Followed the recipe exactly for the slaw, Cajun seasoning and shrimp and wouldn’t change a thing. Served them with a chipotle crema. So good!
One of my all time favorite tacos!!!