Best Shrimp Tacos with Pickled Jalapeño Slaw
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These are the absolute best shrimp tacos ever. They’re piled high with tender, flavorful shrimp and a simply delicious taco slaw, then drizzled with cilantro lime pickled jalapeño sauce and finished with all the tasty toppings. Ready in just 30 minutes!
While I believe all tacos are good, I want to show you how to make the best shrimp tacos ever. When developing this recipe, I knew I had hit a winning version when my taste testers couldn’t stop telling me how much they loved them.
My almost famous taco sauce with pickled jalapeño does double duty as a coleslaw dressing, turning some humble cabbage into the world’s simplest (and arguably the most delicious) creamy cilantro-lime coleslaw. Warm tortillas piled high with succulent shrimp and topped to your heart’s desire with taco sauce, avocado, cheese, and red onions are pure paradise.
And it’s not just our taste testers who love this recipe. With almost 150 5-star reviews, you know it’s a hit. One reader, Aliza, says, “Such a great recipe. This is in regular rotation in our house. My daughter uses the sauce as a sandwich spread now too. My son, who is about to move out, asked for this recipe to be one of his “go-to” options. Highly recommend this recipe.★★★★★”
Key ingredients needed
- Shrimp – I like to use medium-sized shrimp for this recipe. Whenever possible, buy shrimp that are MSC or ASC-certified to ensure that they were harvested or raised with minimal negative effects on the ocean.
- Taco seasoning – The best way to season shrimp for tacos is to use homemade taco seasoning. Of course, you can use a storebought package, but homemade is so much better.
- Cabbage – For the best results, slice the cabbage thin and then tossed it in some of the taco sauce to make a simple slaw.
- Tortillas – Either corn or flour tortillas will work, although my preference is for white corn tortillas.
Let’s talk shrimp taco sauce
Shrimp tacos are only as good as the sauce that smothers them, and we think this shrimp taco sauce is the best! It’s a creamy cilantro-lime sauce with a special ingredient blended in: pickled jalapeños. They add a touch of heat without making the sauce overly spicy and deliver the best flavor.
This taco sauce will take you five minutes (at most!) to whip up in your food processor. Once it’s smooth and creamy, mix ¼ cup into shredded cabbage to make your slaw, then save the rest to pour over your tacos.
What to serve with shrimp tacos
These tacos with slaw are easily a meal all by themselves, but turning them into a Mexican feast is so much fun! Here are a few other recipes that go great with these tacos:
- Easy Guacamole made in just 5 minutes
- Spicy Mexican Rice made with corn
- Corn Salsa with Black Beans
- Or try one of my many other margarita recipes
Store and reheat
Store: Place each taco element (shrimp, coleslaw, sauce) in a separate container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Reheat: The shrimp reheats well in a pan over medium heat or in the microwave.
Shrimp Tacos with Slaw Recipe
Ingredients
Shrimp Taco Sauce
- ½ cup finely minced cilantro
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup pickled jalapeños
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 green onion
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 pinch sea salt
Shrimp Tacos
- 1 ½ lb peeled shrimp (see notes)
- 1 ½ tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (see notes)
Everything Else
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 12 4-inch corn or flour tortillas
- diced avocados, cotija or feta cheese, minced red onion, pickled jalapeños, lime wedges (for serving)
Instructions
- Add the shrimp taco sauce ingredients to your food processor and blend on high until mostly smooth.½ cup finely minced cilantro, ½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup pickled jalapeños, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 green onion, 1 large garlic clove, 1 pinch sea salt
- In a large bowl, mix the shrimp with taco seasoning, oil, and salt. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and let them cook for 2 minutes. Flip them over and let them cook for one minute more.1 ½ lb peeled shrimp, 1 ½ tablespoons taco seasoning, 1 tablespoon cooking oil, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Mix ¼ cup of the shrimp taco sauce with shredded cabbage to make the slaw.2 cups shredded cabbage
- Assemble the tacos by piling the slaw on top of warm tortillas then topping with the shrimp and any or all of the optional toppings.12 4-inch corn or flour tortillas, diced avocados, cotija or feta cheese, minced red onion, pickled jalapeños, lime wedges
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
So delicious! I could drink that sauce.
I could, too!
I cooked these Shrimp Tacos for the June 2024 Cooking Club Recipe. Tasty! Everything came together quickly and easily – it would have been even faster if I had made the taco seasoning ahead of time. I could see this being an easy meal on a school night. I liked that I could use up some cabbage and green onions from my CSA. And the sauce was the total star of the show. I would make that again for a stand-alone slaw or even a dipping sauce for grilled chicken or raw vegetables. Thank you for sharing!
I’m thrilled that you tried these and loved them!!
I don’t eat shrimp so I made this for my mom! She couldn’t stop eating! Guess it was a hit. Made it exactly as recipe says.
I love that! That makes me so happy to hear!!
These were delicious and the recipe came together quickly and easily. I also liked the shrimp over the slaw as a salad, without the tortillas.
Great idea to serve it as a salad!!
Loved these! The sauce/slaw just took it to the next level – but was so easy to throw together!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the sauce – it’s my fav!
Taco night has a delicious new option! I highly recommend making the taco seasoning from scratch. Paired with the tasty shrimp taco sauce, this makes a fun dinner!
I’m thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe!!
Such a great recipe. This is in regular rotation in our house. My daughter uses the sauce as a sandwich spread now too. My son, who is about to move out, asked for this recipe to be one of his “go-to” options. Highly recommend this recipe.
I love that your whole family enjoys this recipe!
Delicious, easy and amazing. We have this often because everybody loves it.
I’m so happy to hear that!!
We LOVE this recipe. I make a huge batch of the taco sauce because we put it on everything. My daughter uses it as a sandwich spread.
Great idea about using the sauce as a sandwich spread!
Shrimp tacos with a side of homemade beans and quinoa seasoned with chicken bouillon.
They look so good!!
I’ve made this recipe about 4 times. It’s one of my favorites. I use angel hair shredded cabbage from the grocery store and will add avocado when I have it. I have even substituted baked cod a couple of times with great results. The only problem with this recipe is stopping. I’ve eaten a pound of shrimp at a time every time I’ve made it.
Haha I know what you mean!!