Spicy shrimp tacos with avocado salsa and sour cream cilantro sauce are simply the BEST tacos you will ever have! These healthy & delicious tacos are packed full of FLAVOR and texture and are ready in under 30 minutes too.
I simply couldn’t find the words to explain how delicious these tacos are, but I guess the title basically says it all. I shared a sneak peek photo on my Instagram last night and began getting tons of emails and comments from people wanting the recipe ASAP. So here I am publishing it at 5 am!
These shrimp tacos are spicy and delicious. They are served with my favorite avocado salsa and topped with a creamy sour cream and cilantro sauce. The sour cream sauce is the perfect sauce for these tacos because it helps balance the heat and add a delicious flavor.
I used my simple all-purpose spicy skillet shrimp recipe to make these tacos. This recipe never fails me and is the secret key to these tacos. You can marinate the shrimp for just a few minutes or for up to 24 hours, but obviously, the longer you marinate the shrimp, the more flavorful it will be.
Recipe Tip
The trick to getting this shrimp perfectly cooked is to heat your skillet until it’s very hot. I like to use a cast-iron for this because it retains the heat but any heavy-duty skillet will work well. Just be sure to heat it on high for at least 2 minutes before adding the shrimp. The heat will cook the shrimp and give them a nice exterior while keeping all the juice locked in to keep them nice and moist.
For the crunchy element, I almost always use this spicy avocado salsa. It’s made with avocado, tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Don’t forget to salt and pepper!
Now all that’s left is to assemble the tacos. To do so heat a few small tortillas over your stovetop flame to give them a nice charred edge. Next top the tortilla off with some of the avocado salsa and then some shrimp.
The last and final step is the sour-cream cilantro sauce. To make this sauce simply combine 1/4 sour cream with 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Drizzle over the tacos and you’re done!
Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 pound (about 25) medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, optional
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- squeeze of lime, optional
Avocado Salsa
- 1 tomato, seeded and chopped
- 1 avocado, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from half a lime
- 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
Cilantro Sauce
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 8 small flour tortillas, corn tortillas can also be used
Instructions
To cook the shrimp
- In a medium bowl whisk together olive oil, garlic, cumin, chili and onion powders, and salt. Add in shrimp and toss to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes or up to 24 hours. Heat a large heavy-duty or cast iron skillet on high heat for 2 minutes. Add the olive oil and shrimp. Cook shrimp in a skillet over medium-high heat until pink and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and finish with a squeeze of lime (optional).
To make salsa
- Combine tomato, avocado, jalapeno, salt, pepper, lime juice, and cilantro in a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside. (If not using right away, place a piece of plastic wrap inside the bowl and directly over salsa to prevent discoloration and refrigerate.)
To assemble
- Stir the sour-cream with cilantro and lime juice in a small bowl; set aside. Grill tortillas on stovetop over the flame until lightly charred (this step is optional). Spoon avocado salsa generously over warm tortillas, then top with 3 shrimp and drizzle with sour cream sauce. Serve tacos with lime wedges on the side. Enjoy!!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Taco Recipes
Excellent. Will be in our rotation! Thank you!
Is it okay if the shrimp is frozen when I cook it?
Is it okay if the shrimp is frozen when I cook it?
Okay, so I can only post in caps? We made these tacos last night. They were fabulous, really good. the cilantro and lime crema was the crowning touch. THEY’LL MAKE A REGULAR APPEARANCE IN OUR HOUSE FROM NOW ON. we used corn tortillas because…
Amazing!
I made this recipe for dinner for my wife and me. I just followed the directions. I used frozen shrimp, but otherwise all fresh ingredients. I squirted lime juice over the chopped avocado to keep it from browning. These were amazingly delicious – tender piquante and juicy shrimp on a wonderfully seasoned and fresh tasting salsa, smothered with the cilantro sour cream – OMG. thank you for a delicious meal that i look forward to making and sharing with others.
These were the best shrimp tacos we ever had! This is a keeper
So easy and delicious. Perfect for all occasions, be it gathering with friends or an easy Monday night dinner.
JAMES: pERHAPS INSTEAD OF “BETTING” ON THE LIKELY TASTE, YOU COULD TRY THE RECIPE USING YOUR TORTILLA METHOD AND REPORT BACK. wE MAkE THIS RECIPE FREQUENTLY AND DON’T HAVE A GAS STOVE TO CHAR WITH. wE WARM THE FLOUR TORTILLAS INSTEAD. BUT i CAN SEE WHERE LIGHTLY FRYING WHITE CORN TORTILLAS IN OIL SO THEY’RE STILL PLIABLE BUT IT REMOVES THE RAW TASTE MIGHT WORK AS WELL.
By the way, sorry for the all-caps but my “reply” box is only showing caps on this end.
just made these and all I have to say is holy SH*t. The shrimp is amazing, perfectly seasoned. Great pair with the avocado salsa. Literally planning to this again tomorrow night I loved it that much
So happy to hear you enjoyed the tacos! The shrimp and avocado salsa are a great match <3
So happy to hear you enjoyed the tacos! The shrimp and avocado salsa is a great match <3
EASY, FAST and Delicious!!!
This is amazing!!! I’ve made it a handful of times and each time it always turns out so great! goes awesome with margaritas!
Wow James, How sad – you have never been in a real Mexican home!?! Tortillas are charred right on the gas burner, one at a time, and kept warm in foil. BTW, This is done by Hand! We tease all our Mexican friends about having asbestos fingers. I’m a wimpy gringa who uses tongs.
Delicious!!! I Made them for dinner and everyone raved!
Great Recipe !
hands dOwn best shrimp taco recIpe! It’s officially our go-to recipE, thank you for shariNg this gem with us. 🙂
Really delicious. The only change i made was ibused corn tortillas. Will defiNitely make again.
These tacos are super easy to make and they’re delicious! One of our new favourites!
The shrimp are so good! this is the best shrimp taco Recipe.
Wow! This comment is incredibly rude, not to mention ignorant. The answer to your question is that many people “char” flour tortillas. It’s very traditional. They don’t get bitter, the edges just caramelize a bit and get slightly crisp. How do you rate a recipe you didn’t try as 1 Star?
Yummy
Made this RECIPE but used baked won tons and layer The ingreDients. Was am little bires
Charring tortillas is healthier and gives them a nice smoky flavor and texture!
we made these last night for dinner and they are absolutely delicious, every single bite. Added chili lime seasoning to the sour cream sauce and pepper flake to the marinade to up the spiciness. We grilled shrimp and tortillas and it was a perfectly fresh tasting summertime dinner. keeper for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Tacos are my favorite, and this certainly looks like a delicious and filling.
I never comment on recipes. Never. These tacos are worth a million praises! So deliciOUS. I made the recipe with no changes, except I used corn tortillas because we didn’t have flour.
These tacos are so flavorful. if you really want spice you can add a little cayenne pepper. other than that love this recipe is the best!!!
These are to die for tacos. I used low carb tortillas for my diabetic husband and corn tortillas for me. Oh my they were heaven.
what kInD of tortillas did you use ?
I used flour tortillas.
I’m planning on making this tomorrow night. Could I go ahead and make the salsa and sauce tonight?
Just saw this now. You can do that but I highly recommend making it fresh because the flavors (especially cilantro) change overnight.
Are the nutrition facts including the tortilla shells? Looking for the Nutrition facts without the tortilla 🙂
Yes, they include the shells. Without the shells, you would be looking at much lower carbs.
Love these… I used creme friache with the sour cream, and added pickled red onion, it was excellent!
Yum, creme friache sounds so good!
These are superb!
Love this recipe! to the shrimp, i added cayenne pepper, ground red pepper, and paprika. when assembling, i added shredded cabbage.
This was delicious! Packed with great flavors. I did add spicy coleslaw, this Just enhanced the flavors.
Going to try this recipe. Thx for sharing. But How do you heat a tortulla over open flame to give it charred edges???????
If your range is gas, you just place it directly on the flame (stove-top) for just a few seconds until it chars.
i MADE these today They were delicious. I did add corn and black beans to the avocado salsa along with the zest from a whole lime . Made it special . I will be making these a lot . Love the sour cream sauce!!
Corn and black beans sound like a great addition!
Jerry,
The corn and black bean addition sounds wonderful. These could also be made with gluten free homemade tortillas (many recipes are available online).
i plan on making these as spicy shrimp taco boats using romaine lettuce leaves instead of corn or flour tortillas. even lower carb! maybe make with chicken älso.
I made this recipe! It was very delicious!!
First time making shrimp tacos and they were delicious. Will definitely will make them again.