Crispy Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Sriracha Sauce might just become your favorite for taco night, with the crunchy shrimp, avocado, tomato, cabbage and cilantro, topped with a drizzle of spicy sauce.
» Spice up taco night with these fun taco variations and learn how to build the perfect Mexican charcuterie board.
I have a serious obsession with tacos. Not just shrimp tacos, but basically any taco (see: carnitas tacos or pork belly tacos). But these shrimp tacos take it to the next level. They have a little bit of everything. They’re crispy, spicy, savory, and crunchy.
The best part about these shrimp tacos is that they make a perfect quick and tasty lunch, as well as a healthy dinner. You can a whole plate of these together in around 15 minutes, so even cooking for a crowd is easy.
In the summer, these are one of our top go-to dinners. The only cooked element is the shrimp, which take just a few minutes to cook. No need for the oven. Try these shrimp taco bowls with leftover ingredients and top them with this cilantro lime sauce.
What You’ll Need
To make these shrimp tacos, you’re going to need a few easy ingredients:
- Tortillas – I usually use 6″ flour tortillas, though I’ve now been getting street taco sized flour tortillas when I can find them. They’re the perfect size.
- Shrimp – You can go big or small here. It’s your preference. I like to use 41-60 sized medium shrimp that are raw, peeled, deveined and tail off. That’s the easiest possible method. If you don’t mind shelling your own shrimp you can do unpeeled, but be sure to clean them properly first.
- Toppings: Avocado, tomato, red cabbage, cilantro, green onion
- Sauce: Sriracha, mayonnaise, white vinegar, garlic powder
Making Crispy Shrimp
I personally prefer to make crispy shrimp for these tacos, which involves the extra step of coating them with flour and seasoning and frying them in a bit of oil. It gives them a crispy exterior, without having to actually bread and deep fry them.
I use this dry rub seasoning, which packs a ton of flavor. Since we use this seasoning on almost everything in the summer (ribs, chicken wings, chicken thighs), I always have some made up and ready to use. I just mix it with some flour in a bag, add the shrimp, and mix it up.
If you want to make them healthier or quicker, you can forgo the flour and just saute them in the pan. You can also cook these in an air fryer, which works really well.
For the tortillas, you can use any brand you like. I prefer to use 6-inch Mission flour tortillas. Smaller ones work well too. If you can find the smaller street taco size, those are perfect for a smaller, easy to hold taco. Corn tortillas are great with shrimp tacos too.
Spicy Sriracha Cream Sauce
The creamy Sriracha sauce that I add to the top of these shrimp tacos is one of my favorite sauces. It goes with everything. Seriously. Try it. I’m not exaggerating.
All it takes to make this sauce is mayonnaise, garlic powder, white vinegar and Sriracha. Just mix up however much you think you’ll want. This recipe makes enough for 6 tacos.
I make it in large batches (because I use it on everything) and store it in a squeeze bottle in the refrigerator. The squeeze bottle makes it really easy to drizzle the sauce onto the shrimp tacos.
Check out our recipe for Yum Yum Sauce, which is this sauce with the addition of a secret ingredient that will rock your world.
What Toppings to Use for Shrimp Tacos
You can use any toppings you want for your tacos. I always use red and white cabbage. The red cabbage adds such great color to the tacos. Green onions are a must, as is cilantro and red peppers. Onion and avocado are another option. Don’t forget a lime wedge to squeeze over the top.
I sometimes put pico de gallo on, but more often I use freshly sliced cherry tomatoes. They add a bit of acidity that works well with the fried shrimp.
Assembling the Taco
To start assembling the tacos, get everything chopped, cooked and ready. Heat the tortillas so they are pliable and warm.
Add about 4-6 shrimps to the taco and top with all your favorite toppings. Drizzle on some of your homemade sriracha cream sauce.
Other Shrimp Recipes to Try
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Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Sriracha Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 small flour or corn tortillas
- 1 lb shrimp fresh or frozen/thawed (approximately 20 shrimp)
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp dry rub
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 cup cabbage shredded (red and/or white)
- 1/2 lb cherry tomatoes cut into quarters
- 1 avocado cubed
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp Sriracha
- 1/2 tsp white vinegar
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- Fresh chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Clean and peel the shrimp (if necessary), then pat dry.
- Combine the flour and dry rub in a zip top bag. Add the shrimp and shake to coat.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp and cook for 3 minutes on each side, until they are crisp and browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
- Assemble and chop all of the vegetables and toppings.
- Whisk together the mayo, Sriracha, garlic powder, and vinegar.
- Heat the flour tortillas according to the package directions. Top each tortilla with shrimp, cabbage, tomatoes, avocado, green onion, and cilantro.
- Drizzle with sriracha cream sauce and serve.
Notes
- Size and weight of the shrimp needed may vary. I estimate 3-4 shrimps per taco for medium sized shrimp.
Nutrition
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Laura is a home cook who loves making new recipes and finding new favorite things to eat, whether at home or abroad. She also runs a popular travel blog and spends a lot of her time traveling for food.
I was sold at the creamy sriracha sauce – what a delicious taco!
Sounds delish! I love shrimp tacos I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Yummy! This looks so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to give this recipe a try! My daughter is going to love this!
Now this is my kind of dinner! My kids just started eating shrimp too so I know this will be a hit in our house.
You got me at shrimp and sriracha. Will give this recipe a try.
Shrimp tacos were delicous! I loved the sriracha aioli on them. YUM.
It looks delicious and I am so excited to make this at home, yum!