These Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos are a delicious and simple one-skillet dinner perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. The tacos are packed with spicy seared shrimp, a crunchy cabbage slaw and a creamy pickled jalapeno sauce. Save this one any time you need a fun yet simple dinner idea.
Who doesn’t love a good taco? I certainly cook tacos for my family regularly, including my Baked Crispy Chicken Tacos (especially when paired with Easy Guacamole with Homemade Pico de Gallo). But there isn’t much better than a shrimp or fish taco! They are light, flavorful and super fun to eat. For this shrimp taco I play heavily with chili and lime! The sour cream sauce has pickled jalapenos, lime juice and some chili lime seasoning while the shrimp are marinated in garlic and more chili lime seasoning.
This recipe was inspired by a series of very boring dinners! If you are a parent who cooks (like me), you may also find yourself with little time to prepare an interesting dinner and often fall into a dinner rut. Well, no more! This recipe is anything but boring and it’s not too complicated or time consuming, meaning you can throw it together in about 20 minutes!
Ingredients that Matter
You will need a handful of fresh ingredients along with some pantry staples. Here are the ingredients you need and why they are important for this recipe:
- Shrimp. Pick large shrimp (16-20 per pound). I like to buy peeled and deveined shrimp if possible, but I always try to find untreated shrimp. You will often find shrimp soaked in a salt or chemical brine to add weight, but these shrimp may taste soapy and struggle to sear. Always buy untreated, when possible. And buy frozen and thaw them yourself (in a pinch, thaw them under cool running water for about 10 minutes).
- Chili Lime Seasoning. The flavor combination of this recipe is chili and lime. You will likely find it in the spice section with chili powders.
- Lime. Chili lime seasoning can only go so far! That’s why I like to use fresh lime zest and juice throughout the dish for bright flavor.
- Sour Cream. The creamy sauce starts with sour cream. Use full fat or low fat, as desired.
- Pickled Jalapeno. The recipe uses pickled jalapeno and some of the pickle brine in the sour cream sauce.
- Cabbage. I like to use red cabbage for its texture and beautiful presentation.
- Scallions. Chopped scallions are tossed with the cabbage to provide a fresh herb flavor.
- Radishes. Thinly sliced radishes are added to the cabbage mixture for a bit of heat and more crunch.
- Corn. The recipe calls for a simple charred corn. The charred corn is cut off the cob and used as a garnish. The corn adds some much needed sweetness to the dish.
- Cilantro. A big pinch of chopped cilantro leaves keeps the tacos bright and fresh tasting.
- Garlic. A clove of garlic is grated and added to the shrimp marinade.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making these tacos is all about prepping out the garnishes in advance. This can be done while the shrimp is marinating. Here is how the recipe comes together.
Stir together some oil, grated garlic, chili lime seasoning, lime zest and salt. Allow the shrimp to marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Make the sauce by stirring together sour cream, chili lime seasoning, lime zest, chopped pickled jalapenos (along with some of the brine) and salt.
Stir together shredded red cabbage, sliced scallions and thinly sliced radishes with oil and salt in a medium bowl.
Place the shrimp in a single layer in a cold/room temperature cast iron skillet. Turn the heat to medium-high and sear the shrimp on one side. Once seared (about 2 minutes), flip the shrimp and sear on the other side, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat. I have a full recipe on Perfect Seared Shrimp with Garlic and Herbs that goes into more details on how to sear shrimp properly.
Hint: Starting shrimp in a cold skillet ensures they stay juicy and plump when searing. If you prefer, you can simply preheat a skillet over medium-high heat and sear on both sides, but it’s much easier to make spongy, dried-out shrimp like this.
Substitutions
There are a lot of substitutions you can make to this recipe based on you or your guests dietary needs. Here are some suggestions:
- Dairy-Free – You can make this recipe dairy-free by swapping out the sour cream for a plant-based plain yogurt alternative.
- Vegetarian – If you want to make this recipe vegetarian, I recommend swapping out the shrimp for tofu or a meat alternative.
- More Heat – Even with the pickled jalapeno and chili lime seasoning, there is plenty of room to up the heat level. Try adding a pinch of cayenne pepper to the shrimp or pour on your favorite hot sauce.
Equipment
I suggest investing in some good quality cast iron skillets, like this Lodge 15-Inch Cast Iron Skillet (Pre-Seasoned), or Lodge 12-Inch Cast Iron Chef Collection Skillet (Pre-Seasoned), or my favorite light-weight Lodge 12-inch Cast Iron Blacklock Skillet (Pre-Seasoned).
Storage
You can make the cabbage mixture and the jalapeno sour cream sauce a day or two in advance and store in air tight containers in the refrigerator. You can also char the corn in advance. I have a complete recipe on how to make Skillet Charred Corn on the Cob.
Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator in separate containers, if possible. I like to keep the sauce and cabbage separate, but you can add the shrimp to the cabbage container if you’d like.
FAQ
There are lots of ways to sear shrimp, but start by drying the shrimp. I like to marinate the shrimp briefly at room temperature then add to a cast iron skillet and crank the heat. Starting the shrimp in a cold skillet will actually help ensure the shrimp to overcook.
Place frozen shrimp in a large bowl and run cold water over the shrimp in the sink. Continue to let water slowly pour over the shrimp and they will thaw in about 10 minutes.
Pick large shrimp (at least 16-20 per pound) and ensure they are not chemically treated. Shrimp that are soaked in a chemical brine will not sear well and will have a mushy texture when cooked.
Read the label of you shrimp, if they are prepackaged, and ensure the only ingredient listed is shrimp (or shrimp and salt). Avoid shrimp with any added ingredients like sodium bisulfate or sodium tripolyphosphate.
Related
Looking for other dinner recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
Try these sides with this Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos:
Recipe
Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos
- Total Time: 20 min.
- Yield: 8 tacos 1x
Description
These Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos are a delicious and simple one-skillet dinner perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. The tacos are packed with spicy seared shrimp, a crunchy cabbage slaw and a creamy pickled jalapeno sauce. Save this one any time you need a fun yet simple dinner idea.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. peeled and deveined large shrimp (16-20 per pound)
- 2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil, divided
- 3 tsp. chili lime seasoning, divided
- zest and juice of 2 limes, divided, plus more for serving
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1 tsp. table salt, divided
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup chopped pickled jalapeno (plus 1 Tbsp. brine)
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage (from 1 medium cabbage)
- ½ cup sliced scallions (from 2 large scallions)
- ¼ cup thinly sliced radishes
- 1 ear corn
- 8 corn tortillas, warmed
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Stir together shrimp, 1 tablespoon of the oil, 2 teaspoons of the chili lime seasoning, zest of 1 lime, garlic and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, stir together in a medium bowl the sour cream, pickled jalapeno and brine, remaining lime zest and juice from 1 lime, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Stir together the cabbage, scallions, radishes, 1 tablespoon oil and remaining ½ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Brush corn with remaining 1 teaspoon oil and char in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, about 8 minutes, turning every couple of minutes. Cool slightly then cut the kernels off the cob and set aside.
- Allow the skillet to cool then add the shrimp in a single layer to the skillet. Turn heat to medium-high and cook the shrimp until charred on one side, about 2 minutes, then flip and char on the other side, another 30 seconds. Remove and repeat with remaining shrimp, if cooking in batches.
- To assemble tacos, divide sauce among tortillas, then add about ¼ cup of the cabbage mixture, shrimp, some of the charred corn, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Notes
- You can make the sour cream mixture and cabbage mixture a day or two ahead of time and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
- Starting shrimp in a cold skillet then cranking the heat ensures the shrimp don’t overcook.
- Be sure to purchase untreated (no chemicals) shrimp as they won’t sear properly and will have a mushy texture.
- Prep Time: 10 min.
- Cook Time: 10 min.
- Category: Main
- Method: Searing
- Cuisine: American/Mexican
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