Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Lime Slaw

 

Nothing quite says summer like shrimp tacos while sipping on an icy cold beer if you so please!  We found this delicious recipe on Pinch of Yum who brought it back from a trip she took to California.  We do know how to eat our tacos out here that is for sure and you’ll find so many different types of tacos here in SoCal! We added a little twist (avocado to the sauce and changed out some spices) but overall you don’t need to do much with this recipe – it really is as good as it looks!  The spices mix together so well and it has such an interesting (and delicious) taste.  The shrimp are sauted in delicious spices then loaded into a corn tortilla filled with smashed avocado and topped with homemade creamy lime sauce and topped with crumbly, salty Cotija cheese.  Be sure to squeeze a little lime over the top and you are set!

You ready for some of the best tacos around?!

You will need:

For the Garlic Cilantro Lime Sauce:

1/4 cup oil (we used Safflower oil)

1/4 cup water

1/2 chopped green onions

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

2-3 garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

juice of 2 limes

Avocado – we used about 1/2 of one (this is optional)

1/2 cup sour cream

For the Shrimp Tacos

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed (we like to use frozen jumbo shrimp and used 3 per taco).  To defrost the shrimp, place in a large bowl with cold water.  Switch out the water after about 10 minutes.  In about 5-10 minutes they should be ready to go.

1 teaspoon each chili powder (we opted to use OLD BAY Seasoning instead but same amount), cumin and southwestern seasoning (we opted to use Mexican Seasoning instead)

2-3 cups shredded green cabbage – we love cabbage so we used about 4 cups

8 small corn tortillas

1-2 ripe avocados

Cotija cheese and additional cilantro for topping (this was our first time using this cheese but it is perfect for Mexican dishes!)

lime wedges for serving

Instructions:

Put all the sauce ingredients into a blender (except the sour cream) and blend together until mostly smooth.

Add in the sour cream and pulse until combined.

 

Heat a little oil into a large skillet over medium high heat.  Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and cover with the spices.  Add the shrimp to the hot pan and saute for 5-8 minutes, flipping occasionally until cooked through.

Toss some (but not all) of the sauce with the cabbage until it is coated.  It should look like coleslaw.  Use the leftover sauce on top of the tacos or in other recipes.  I think it would be a great Mexican salad topping as well!

 

To serve the tacos, smash some avocado on the tortillas, and top with a couple shrimp and then coleslaw and finish with some of that yummy Cotija cheese, cilantro and lime wedges.

Enjoy!

 

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