Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Jalapeño Slaw and Avocado Crema

A close up image of a taco with shrimp and cabbage. Two green bottles of Topo Chico mineral water in the background.

5 from 2 votes

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Jalapeño Slaw and Avocado Crema

Yes these tacos are every bit as DELICIOUS as they sound! Made with spicy marinated shrimp, tangy jalapeño-cabbage slaw and cool and creamy avocado crema. Chipotle Shrimp Tacos are full of flavor and perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal.

Prep Time25

Cook Time15

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings:

Calories: 468kcal

Author: Leigh Anderson

Ingredients

Chipotle Shrimp

1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined, tails removed
2 tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo minced
2 tsp garlic or onion powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp brown sugar or honey
1 tsp kosher salt

Jalapeño Slaw

3 cups shredded green cabbage
1 jalapeño thinly sliced into rounds
1/2 loosely packed cilantro leaves and stems roughly chopped
1/2 white or red onion thinly sliced
3 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt

Avocado Crema

2/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 ripe avocado
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp salt

For Serving

12 corn tortillas
lime wedges
salsa

Instructions

Chipotle Shrimp

Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels then transfer them to a medium-sized mixing bowl along with the chipotle peppers garlic, paprika, oregano, brown sugar and salt. Heat a drizzle of oil a large skillet over medium high heat. The shrimp then can be cooked straight away or covered and placed in the refridgerator to marinate for 3-4 hours or up to 24 hours.
Preheat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add a small splash of oil to the pan followed by the shrimp. Cook, flipping occasionally, until the shrimp are bright pink, slightly blackend and cooked through–about 5-7 minutes.

Jalapeño Slaw

Place the cabbage, jalapeño, cilantro and onion into a mixing bowl. Just before you’re ready to assemble your tacos toss the slaw with lime juice and salt.

Avocado Crema

Pulse all of the crema ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. If the mixture is too thick to blend you can add a few tablespoons of water. Taste and season with additional salt and lime juice as necessary.

Assemble

To serve, char your tortillas on an open flame or warm them in a hot cast iron pan then pile each tortillas with crema then shrimp and lastly, slaw. Serve with lime wedges, hot sauce and your favorite zesty salsa.

Notes

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:

Shrimp: Fresh is great, frozen works too just be sure to defrost them first. Aim for a medium-large shrimp, about 21/26 count.
Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: Canned, smoked, dried jalapeños rehydrated in tomato sauce. Substitute: gojuchang, sriracha or Mexican hot sauce.
Spices (Garlic Powder, Smoked Paprika, Oregano) : You can really play around with the spices here. Cumin would be a great addition or substitution as would dried chili powder. If you don't have smoked paprika a sweet or Hungarian paprika would be just fine.
Mayonnaise: If you don't do mayo just use all sour cream.

How to Warm Corn Tortillas:

Not to be dramatic but eating corn tortillas straight from the package should be a criminal offense. They absolutely must to be warmed first to avoid them being cold and rubbery. Luckily it's quick and easy to do and there's a couple different methods you can try. The first is to wrap them up in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30-45 seconds. Second, preheat a dry (no oil) cast iron pan, place the tortillas into the pan one at a time heating both sides until they start to get some color. Last and my personal go-to method is to place them directly on top of a gas burner over medium-low heat. Watch them carefully and as soon as they start to blacken around the edges–about 30-45 seconds–flip them over and repeat on the other side. The result is a soft and tender tortillas with lots of flavorful smokey bits.

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