Skip to Content

Shrimp Tacos

Updated July 16, 2025 / By Holly Erickson

Fresh and delicious, this easy shrimp taco recipe comes complete with a slightly spicy avocado crema and topped with a crispy cabbage slaw that’s totally irresistible.

shrimp tacos topped with cabbage slaw and avocado crema served with lime wedges

What Our Readers Think

Delicious, easy. Perfect weeknight meal! I could eat the avocado crema right out of the bowl with a spoon. - Blair

I often reach for easy shrimp dinners on busy weeknights, and I make these fast shrimp tacos all the time! Big juicy shrimp get 15 minutes in a 3-ingredient marinade, then I cook them in a pan until they’re just pink. Pile them into a warm, tender corn tortilla and you’ve got a healthy, easy dinner that’ll please the whole crew. 

shrimp tacos topped with cabbage slaw and avocado crema served with lime wedges

These stand alone as dinner with a few tortilla chips on the side, but if you feel like hipping up some guacamole and margaritas to go with your shrimp tacos, then you could even build a pretty terrific dinner party around this recipe! 

ingredients laid out to make shrimp tacos with cabbage slaw and avocado crema

Key Shrimp Taco Ingredients

  • Shrimp: It can be tricky to buy shrimp, check out our buying guide further down the page. Generally it’s best to look for wild American shrimp, if you can find it. I also often opt for frozen shrimp, just because it can actually be ‘fresher’ than what’s defrosted at the counter.  
  • Tortillas: I like warm corn tortillas, but you can use flour tortillas if you prefer. 
  • Shredded cabbage: Pre-shredded is fine, or you can do it yourself with a shredding attachment or mandoline slicer. You could shred it a day or two ahead of time, if you’re meal prepping. 

For The Shrimp Taco Marinade

  • Fresh lime juice: Not the bottled stuff. 
  • Olive oil: Doesn’t need to be extra virgin for this recipe. 
  • Taco seasoning: Yes, it’s OK to use store-bought if you want to, but I’m partial to our spice blend recipe. 
avocado, garlic, sour cream, salt, lime juice, cilantro, and jalapeño to a food processor to make avocado crema
smooth avocado crema in a food processor made with jalapeno, sour cream, cilantro and lime juice
ingredients for cabbage slaw being tossed in a bowl to put on top of juicy shrimp tacos
homemade cabbage slaw in a bowl to use on top of easy shrimp tacos

The Best Shrimp Taco Sauce

You’re going to love this easy avocado crema! It’s a lighter, healthier riff on traditional Mexican crema. In these tacos, I’ve got it doing double duty! First, you use it to dress the cabbage slaw, and then you’ll use it on the finished shrimp tacos. All you need are:

  • Avocado: Ripest you can find! 
  • Sour cream: Full fat will make it most delicious, but you could use a vegan brand if you need this recipe to be dairy-free. 
  • More lime juice: Like in the shrimp marinade, fresh-squeezed lime juice is best. 
  • Garlic: Because of COURSE garlic. 
  • Jalapeño: If you want a mild shrimp taco sauce, it’s OK to skip this. Or if you want spicy shrimp tacos, add more!  
  • Cilantro: It’s fine to skip cilantro if you don’t like it. 
smooth avocado crema in a food processor made with jalapeno, sour cream, cilantro and lime juice
homemade cabbage slaw in a bowl to use on top of easy shrimp tacos

How to Make Shrimp Tacos

  1. Marinate the shrimp in olive oil, lime juice and taco seasoning while you make the slaw and crema. TIP: Don’t leave the shrimp in the marinade for more than 15-20 minutes, it’ll start to “cook” and get tough. 
  2. Make the avocado crema! You could make it a few hours before you want to serve this meal, if you need to.  
  3. Make the slaw. Toss the cabbage, onion, and fresh cilantro with some of the avocado crema. 
  4. Warm the tortillas gently in a skillet or in the oven. 
  5. Sauté the shrimp. It should be done in just a few minutes, when the shrimp turn pink. 
a bowl of raw shrimp marinating in olive oil, lime juice and taco seasoning to use for shrimp tacos
shrimp marinated in taco seasoning, olive oil and lime juice being cooked in a skillet for shrimp tacos

How To Store

This recipe does not freeze well, but you can prep the components a day or two ahead of time for even quicker shrimp taco night! Just store the cooked shrimp, the slaw, and the shrimp taco sauce separately in airtight containers in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Reheat the shrimp gently in a pan, or enjoy the shrimp tacos cold in warmed tortillas. 

shrimp tacos topped with cabbage slaw and avocado crema served with lime wedges

Tips For Buying The Best Shrimp

  • Know your shrimp sizes: We’re calling for “large” shrimp here, but what does that mean exactly? Large compared to what? Well, the shrimp industry defines shrimp size by how many shrimp it takes to make a pound. So, a label that says “16/20” means that those shrimp are big enough that it only takes 16-20 shrimp to make a pound. For this recipe you want large shrimp, and “large” shrimp are defined by the industry 26-40 shrimp per pound. 
  • Fresh vs. frozen shrimp: Almost all shrimp is flash frozen when harvested, and delivered to stores in its frozen state. If you see “fresh shrimp” in the fish case, that’s just because the fishmonger has defrosted those shrimp. 
  • When buying frozen shrimp, be sure to check the label and make sure that the only ingredient is “shrimp”. Many brands of frozen shrimp have processed the crustaceans with preservatives to extend their shelf-life. Not only are they not great for your health, these chemical preservatives will dull the flavor of the shrimp. 
  • How to buy good-quality shrimp: There are a couple of organizations that certify seafood as sustainable, like the Marine Stewardship Council and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, so you can look for labels that carry a seal from either of these organizations.
shrimp tacos topped with cabbage slaw and avocado crema served with lime wedges

Quick and Easy You Say? We’ve Got You!

For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper, and we’d love to hear what you think of this recipe in the comments below. Happy cooking!

Grill & Chill: 5 Days of Summer Dinners!

FREE EMAIL BONUS: Crowd-pleasing recipes to fire up your summer table.

Shrimp Tacos Recipe

  • Serves:  4
  • Prep Time:  15 min
  • Cook Time:  10 min
  • Calories:  321
Print Recipe

Description

Fresh and delicious, this easy shrimp taco recipe comes complete with a slightly spicy avocado crema and topped with a crispy cabbage slaw that’s totally irresistible.

Ingredients

Shrimp

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, (from 1 lime)
  • 2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
  • 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed (about 30)

Avocado Crema

  • 1 small avocado
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • ¼ cup Sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice, (from 1-2 limes)
  • ¼ cup cilantro, lightly packed
  • 1 small jalapeño, seeded

Cabbage Slaw

  • 3 cups shredded green cabbage
  • ¼ white onion, very thinly sliced
  • ⅓ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

For serving

Method

  1. In a large bowl combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, lime juice, and taco seasoning. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. 

    a bowl of raw shrimp marinating in olive oil, lime juice and taco seasoning to use for shrimp tacos
  2. Make the crema. Add the avocado, garlic, sour cream, salt, lime juice, cilantro, and jalapeño to a food processor. Blend until smooth. 

    smooth avocado crema in a food processor made with jalapeno, sour cream, cilantro and lime juice
  3. Make the slaw. In a large bowl combine the cabbage, onion, and cilantro. Toss together with ½ cup of the avocado crema until fully incorporated. 

    homemade cabbage slaw in a bowl to use on top of easy shrimp tacos
  4. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening,  add the shrimp and cook until opaque and fully cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

    shrimp marinated in taco seasoning, olive oil and lime juice being cooked in a skillet for shrimp tacos
  5. Place 3 to 4 shrimp on each tortilla, then top with the slaw. Serve with lime wedges and hot sauce, if using.

    shrimp tacos topped with cabbage slaw and avocado crema served with lime wedges

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 321
  • Protein 22 g
  • Carbohydrates 29 g
  • Total Fat 13 g
  • Dietary Fiber 6 g
  • Cholesterol 178 mg
  • Sodium 595 mg
  • Total Sugars 4 g

Shrimp Tacos

Questions & Reviews

Rated 4.9 stars by 7 readers

or
  • Meagan

    This looks incredible! I can’t eat dairy-any suggestion for yogurt sub that would still make a yummy sauce?

    We think you are talking about the sour cream? There are dairy free sour cream alternatives out there, you could try one of those instead.

  • Kate

    Hi! Love TMP and share your recipes and book all the time with people. I was just about to share this shrimp recipes, but I could’ve sworn your homemade flour tortilla recipe was linked in this one. I searched for it and can’t find it. Has it been deleted? Thanks!

    We have a homemade corn tortilla recipe but not flour. We have added the link to this recipe!

  • Dee

    I hate cilantro. What can I substitute for this shrimp taco recipe.
    Thanks.

    You can just omit it. Hope you enjoy Dee!

  • Blair

    5-star rating

    Delicious, easy. Perfect weeknight meal! I could eat the avocado crema right out of the bowl with a spoon.

    Thanks Blair, so glad you loved them!

  • Andrew

    4-star rating

    Want to slather this avocado crema on everything!

    Thanks Andrew, so glad you love it!

  • Erin

    5-star rating

    These were excellent! Made exactly as written and topped with the new Siete Botano habanero sauce which was the perfect addition. These will go into a regular rotation!

    YAY! Thanks Erin, so happy you loved them! Being added to rotation is the highest compliment you give.

  • Erin

    5-star rating

    Very good! Served this with a side of rice and beans. We added a little Mayo to the crema to give it a tang.

    Thanks Erin, happy you loved this one!

  • Tina

    5-star rating

    So great! Loved these.

    Thanks Tina, so happy you loved them!

  • April

    5-star rating

    Yum! Will be making this again. Thanks for the recipe.

    Thanks April, glad you loved it!

  • Carly

    5-star rating

    This is one of my favorite quick and easy dinners! It is so tasty and makes great leftovers too. One thing I like to do it heat up retried black beans to go with it! Also I always cook a little more than 1lb of shrimp because 1 lb never seems to be enough for my house 😁

    Haha we love giving you a foundation that you can dial in for your family and friends. Thank you!

Save this Recipe

Enter your email below & we'll send Shrimp Tacos to your inbox. Plus get great new recipes from us every week!

    We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.