Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Coleslaw

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Make it the ultimate taco Tuesday with these spice crusted shrimp finished in a buttery salsa and served with a creamy coleslaw and warm paleo tortillas.

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shrimp taco

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I made these shrimp taco with buttery salsa sauce on Instagram a couple weeks ago and the FlavCity family demanded the recipe. This really could be the best homemade shrimp taco recipe you have ever made. The shrimp are coated in a homemade seasoning with smoked paprika, the taco sauce is buttery and easy to make, and the slaw is crunchy and creamy.

If it’s taco Tuesday, that means you have to make guacamole too. So make sure to check out my ultimate guacamole recipe that I learned in Mexico city.

How To Make The Best Shrimp Taco Recipe

To make shrimp tacos, try to buy large shrimp from the store. Look for 10-20 per pound and make sure they are defrosted. Otherwise it takes 24 hours to thaw them. I think one of the keys to this shrimp taco recipe is my homemade taco seasoning. Add some smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, and ancho chile to the shrimp along with a shot of oil and mix well.

It’s important not to add the salt until right before the shrimp go in the hot cast iron pan. Otherwise it will draw out too much moisture and the shrimp won’t get crusty. Make sure your cast iron pan is really hot and add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil.

Cook the shrimp for 2 minutes on the first side and only 30-45 seconds on the second side. Shrimp cook really quickly because they have barely any fat. Plus, they will go back in the pan to finish cooking in the shrimp taco sauce.

shmrip tacos
Shrimp taco recipe with creamy coleslaw

Easy Coleslaw Recipe

I think every taco needs some crunch and this is my go-to easy coleslaw recipe that is so crunchy and tasty. To make life easier, buy your favorite slaw mix and add that to a large bowl with some raisins for sweetness, Mexican pumpkin seeds (peptias) for crunch, and just because I love kale, go ahead and finely chopped 2 leaves of lack/lacinato kale and add it to the bowl.

The dressing for this creamy coleslaw is what sets the recipe apart. Add the avocado oil mayonnaise to a bowl along with lime juice, tamari soy sauce for some umami, a touch of stone ground mustard for a tang, and a dab of prepared horseradish for a touch of heat. Make sure to season with a pinch of salt and pepper and mix well.

This is my go-to coleslaw dressing that is full of flavor and can be used so many different ways! Make sure to combine the dressing and the crunchy coleslaw right before you are ready to serve.

How Do You Make A Shrimp Taco Sauce?

Once the seasoned shrimp come out of the pan, turn the heat to low and add 1/2 cup of bone broth or stock. All the sticky bits from the bottom of the pan are loaded with flavor and the broth release the flavor into the sauce. Then add 1 cup of your favorite store bought salsa. I love Frontera’s double smoked tomato salsa.

Cook the sauce until reduced by half and then add 1 tablespoon of butter or ghee (paleo) to make the taco sauce rich and creamy. Chop the shrimp and add them back to the pan along with any juices and mix well. This is my semi-homemade shrimp taco sauce that tastes better than anything you have tried before!

What Are The Best Paleo Tortillas?

If you watch the YouTube video for this shrimp taco recipe, you will see that I am using Siete brand cashew tortillas. I really love everything they make, but if you are looking for a spot on texture and flavor to real corn or flour tortillas, go with the cashew variety of grain free tortillas. No, they did not pay me to say this, but maybe they should!

Check out my other Mexican recipes:

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shrimp taco

Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Coleslaw

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: coleslaw, salsa, shrimp, slaw, taco, tacos
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 3 people
Author: Bobby Parrish

Shrimp tacos with homeade seasoning, buttery salsa, and creamy coleslaw. This is the ultimate taco recipe and it's easy to make.

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Ingredients

For the tacos:

  • 1-1.5 pounds shrimp peeled & cleaned
  • ½ teaspoon each smoked paprika ancho chile powder, & cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ cup bone broth or stock
  • 1 cup of your favorite salsa
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • Avocado oil
  • Kosher salt & pepper
  • Tortillas

For the slaw:

  • 12 ounce bag of slaw mix
  • 2 leaves of lacinato/black kale finely chopped
  • 2-3 tablespoons raisins
  • 2-3 tablespoons pepitas
  • ½ cup avocado oil mayonnaise
  • Juice of half a lime
  • ½ teaspoon tamari soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon stone ground or Dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon prepared horseradish optional
  • Kosher salt & pepper

Instructions

  1. Start by adding the shrimp to a large bowl and drizzle over 1 teaspoon of oil along with the paprika, cumin, chile powder, and coriander. Mix well and let marinate at room temperature for 10-20 minutes. Remember to add salt right before the shrimp go in the pan, adding now will draw out too much water.

  2. Meanwhile, make the slaw by adding the slaw mix to a large bowl along with the finely chopped kale, raisins, pepitas, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a couple cracks of pepper. In a separate bowl, make the slaw dressing by adding the mayonnaise , lime juice, tamari, mustard, horseradish, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a couple cracks of pepper. Mix well and check for seasoning, you may need a bit more lime because you want the flavor to be on the acidic side. Don’t mix the slaw with the dressing until ready to serve.

  3. Cook the shrimp by pre-heating a pan, ideally cast iron but non-stick works too, over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add just under 1 teaspoon of salt to the shrimp and mix well. Once the pan is really hot, add the shrimp, making sure not to overcrowd the pan, so you may need to work in two batches. Let the shrimp cook for 2-3 minutes, until very crusty, flip, and cook for only 30-60 seconds more. Remove shrimp from the pan. Wipe out any excess oil and then add the bone broth and turn the heat down to low. Add 1 cup of salsa and turn the heat to medium. Allow the sauce to reduce in half, should take about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, roughly chop the shrimp to get them ready to go back in the pan. Add the butter and mix well so the sauce gets silky and creamy, then add the shrimp and juices to the pan. Turn the heat off and mix the shrimp well to coat in the buttery salsa.

  4. To serve the tacos, warm some tortillas, place a little slaw in the bottom, top with the shrimp, and extra salsa. Enjoy!

Recipe Video

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1 thought on “Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Coleslaw”

  1. Sue

    Made this today and it was delish. I loved everything and mostly the slaw. It was crunchy and tasty. Most of the veggies came from my garden.

    Reply

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