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
Ditto to everything that has already been said about this wonderful recipe. I can finally have good fish/shrimp tacos at home! I have been searching and finally have found it. I have sent the recipe to friends and my two children who appreciate good food and love to cook. Thank you so much!!
Thank you so much for this recipe! The salsa, the cream and shrimp all worked so well together. Every bite made you want another and another. This recipe is a keeper and will make an appearance at dinner, regularly.
Flippn de-lish!!! I too appreciate the ‘free’ content and if I have to scroll past a few ads, that’s an easy ‘issue’ to have. Looking forward to trying more recipes.
Thanks for understanding and glad you enjoyed the tacos! <3
This was so delicious. I made it for lunch and was asked to make it again for dinner. Yes—- twice in one day! I am looking forward to the next time!
Can you please fix the “Pin” button. I am not able to Pin any of your recipes
We are working on it!
Delicious! I wanted a little more kick to the shrimp seasoning but LOVED the salsa and sour cream sauce. Seriously SO GOOD!!!
So very good.
I made this recipe twice within a week because it was so good and I wanted to tweak it a bit.
I followed everything in the recipe except the sour cream sauce – I mixed 2/3 sour cream to 1/3 creamed fresh avocado with a teaspoon of crushed garlic, lawry’s garlic salt (to taste). I also doubled the tomato salsa recipe. Flavor of the shrimp is so very good. I highly recommend marinating the shrimp at least 6 hours or over night.
Can you tone down on the amount of ad pop ups on your site, it pretty ridiculous, I understand you need to make money off ads but when is it enough.
We utilize ads in order to keep the content free. Sorry if you find it a bit intrusive <3
I didn’t find that the ads were any more prevalent than other sites. I truly appreciate you keeping it free and available for all. I hope you make great money bc your recipes and cooking tips are gold!!! I also appreciate your timely and helpful responses to questions. Thank you!!!
We love this recipe as is…. but… i wonder how it would be if a firm fish were used instead of shrimp? Like mahimahi or tilapia?
Yes, any type of fish will work with this recipe! Just be sure to keep an eye on the cooking time depending on the fish you use.
I completely agree that this recipe is awesome! So thankful you posted this but I completely agree with yo many pop ups. As good as this is makes me not wanna come back. Just being honest.
There are not enough stars to say how good these are…..as is! I tweak a lot of recipes, but this one is perfect. I don’t think it’s enough for 3, though, because they are THAT good! Double up and invite friends over. Great recipe to impress your guests.
Thanks so much for the glowing review, Sheila! I’m so glad you enjoyed the tacos 🙂
These were amazing! A definite keeper. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Made this last night for supper. It was quick, easy , and delicious. I usually don’t follow recipes exactly, but did this time with the exception of green onions added to the salsa and left cilantro out of the sauce. It turned out great and a definite in the rotation of dinners!
Really quite good! Made as directed and doubled.
I love this recipe!! Sooo goood! I will try it with salmon next. Thank you!
You’re welcome, thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I made these for my husband and me. This was easy to make and SO good!!!! I chopped up a seeded jalapeño, because I had one that needed to be used, and thought that was a great addition. The first time I made it, I cooked the shrimp in a hot skillet per recipe directions. The second time I grilled the shrimp in a grill basket on the grill. Loved the little bit of char and grill flavor that added! I’ve done that every time since!!!!made them fir my friends kids and their families, and they all loved them!! GREAT recipe!
These taste amazing, made them for my family and they loved them!!
Absolutely fantastic! I made this as written and oh boy was it good! We’re looking forward to the next time we make this!
So delicious! My family absolutely loved these tacos. I substituted plain greek yogurt for sour cream and it turned out perfect. We will absolutely be saving this recipe to make in the future. Thank you!!
Awesome basic recipe, I tweaked it by using a mix of guajillo, ancho,and chipolte raw chili powders instead of off the shelf chili powder, and roasted garlic. Definitely a crowd pleaser.
Absolutely my go to recipe for shrimp tacos. I’ve been making these for about 6 months now and my hubby and I love them.
Had these at a friends home last night. We all loved it and now have the recipe! yumm
I made double the marinade because there just isnt enough. And i also made extra salsa. But otherw was yummy.
I followed this recipe to a T and it was PERFECT! I was worried about “too much cilantro” but the flavors blended and complimented eachother soperfectly! The serving POrtions are accurate if you use 4 shrimp per taco. I recommend making a double batch for 4-6 hungry PEOPLe. This recipe is a keeper!!!
delicious! I love a bit of crunch so I tossed the prawns in cornflour before frying and it was 10/10. 🙂
The shrimp were delicious! Everyone loved it.
Pretty sure my boyfriend is going to propose after these tacos!!! so simple, quick and unbelievably delicious!
Spectacular! Added some red onion also and a romaine lettuce leaf to each taco shell.
Loved it!
Delicious!! I added A half Of a red onion (diced) to the avocado salsA. Some of the best shrimp tacos ive ever had, and i lIveD in San Diego for years, so that’s saying something lol. Thank you!
this is possibly the best recipe to exist lol. Insanely good and very easy to make. I have made this about 6 times in the last two months and am making it again tonight for my fathers birthday (because he said it was the best shrimp hes ever had when i made it for them)
I’ve started adding some cajun spice (for a bit more kick) and i also usually do a combo of fresh orange juice and fresh lime juice (just a personal preference)
__ Thank you for this recipe! 🙂
Yum! Perrfect taste for an easy to follow RECIPE.
Absolutely delicious! Second time making them in a week. I added a sweetheart lettuce leaf in the bottom of the taco boat so the gorgeous juices were contained. Also used natural Greek yoghurt instead of sour cream and added minced chillies, paprika and cayenne to the marinade. Best recipe I have found online yet! And my partner adores them so it’s a winner from us!
these were so damn delicious!!! thanks!! simple and quick!!!
I have yo say This is a delicious recipe. RestAurant worthy 👍
Wow, thanks so much for the kind words! glad you enjoyed the tacos <3
Loved these tacos! Will make them again for sure! I added a spoonful of mayo and chili line seasoning to the sour cream for An extra kick!
Ive used THIS SHRIMP recipe for tacos, salads and by itself with a salad. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Good stuff! Will make again!
OMG! So good! We make this at least once a week!!!
I made this ! On my second batch i doubled the seasonings and my family loved it !!
Husband loved them
Everyone loved it! I would have kicked up the heat a bit with red pepper flakes but they said leave it alone. Definitely a do over.