Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema

There’s something uniquely Summer-like about Seafood Tacos. Enjoying a big plate of wonderfully fresh Seafood loaded into a Taco with your favorite toppings while enjoying a refreshing beverage in the Sunshine or (if you’re lucky) by the ocean is such an amazing way to eat. One of our favorite Seafood Tacos are Shrimp. They are simple to cook and offer a delicious flavor that is so adaptable to a Taco. In this recipe we will show you how to make our delicious Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema. It’s a simple and delicious meal perfect for lunch or dinner

How to make Shrimp Taco with Lime Crema

There’s not that many steps involved in this recipe, the whole thing will be ready in under 30 minutes. Which is great because you’ll have more time to enjoy that wonderful sunshine than spending it in the kitchen!

The first step is to source the Shrimp for this recipe. Now, we would typically suggest getting the freshest Seafood you can find and locally if possible (if you live by the coast). However, rightfully so were corrected by a comment on one of our recent Shrimp articles by an expert who mentioned that wherever Shrimp are caught they are immediately flash-frozen on the boat

So, getting Frozen Shrimp isn’t really a bad thing, and allows you to enjoy tasty and fresh Seafood from anywhere around the world. Regardless, get your hands on some good quality Shrimp, ideally that has been peeled and deveined. Otherwise, you can check out this video on how to properly prepare Shrimp:

Making a simple Garlic and Chili mixture for the Shrimp

You can simply cook the Shrimp as is, but for our Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema we recommend adding Garlic and Chili to the pan (with some Olive Oil to bring it all together) to add even more flavor to the Shrimp

Simply finely dice some Garlic and Chili and set them aside. When it’s time to cook the Shrimp they’ll go in and create a delicious flavor that’s the perfect finish to the Tacos. You ‘can’ turn these ingredients into a marinade and let the Shrimp sit in them for a little bit, but I find it’s a lot easier to simply pan fry them all together, and the flavor is similar either way

Onto the fillings for the Tacos

With the Shrimp ready to cook you can set them aside, as they’ll be the last thing that is done before serving, as we want those Shrimp to be beautifully piping hot when it’s time to eat. You can have so much fun with fillings for Tacos, and there really isn’t any right or wrong filling to add

For our recipe we are using a traditional Baja-style filling of Onion, Cilantro, and Jalapenos. You can also add in some delicious Avocado for some nice creamy texture and delicious flavor. Just dice everything up finely and mix it well in a bowl with a generous amount of Lime Juice and a pinch of Salt

For the Avocado it can either be diced into cubes or sliced into strips. It all depends on how you want to serve them. I recommend against mashing them into a Guacamole as we are serving these Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema, which will give that creamy, saucy texture we’re looking for

Making the Lime Crema

Speaking of the Lime Crema, with the filling done the last step for our filling is to make a Lime Crema. This recipe is so simple to make, and only requires 4 ingredients – Cilantro, Garlic, Lime, and Sour Cream. Ok, five ingredients if you include Salt too

For the best result you want to blitz the Cilantro. It will aid in the delicious texture of the Crema and also give it a lovely bright green color. Avoid blitzing Sour Cream, as it will turn into liquid and no amount of re-cooling will return it to its original state. So, to get the Cilantro blitzed we recommend adding it to a blender along with a Garlic Clove and enough Lime Juice to get the whole thing blitzing

You can also use an immersion blender if you like. The goal is simply to blitz the Cilantro so it can be easily folded into the Sour Cream, which is exactly what we do as the final step. I recommend adding about half the Lime and Cilantro into the Sour Cream and taste it before adding more. Do this until you get the perfect flavor and your set

Cooking the Shrimp and assembling the Tacos

Shrimp takes absolutely no time to cook at all, and I like to cook them on a pretty high heat. So, crank a large saucepan over a medium high heat on the stovetop. Once hot, add some Olive Oil then your Shrimp, along with the Garlic and Chili

Cook them for about 30 – 45 seconds before flipping and repeating. Once the Shrimp is lovely and pink on both sides and beginning to char slightly, they are cooked. Remove them from the heat and set them aside

Personally, I like to toast my Tortillas and prefer Flour over Corn. You don’t have to Toast them and you can use Corn or Flour, it’s totally up to you. To toast them I place them straight over the burner (no pan or anything) and let the flame char it slightly. Flip them over (carefully!) using tongs to char the other side and they’re done

To build your Tacos simply add a generous portion of the Tomato Cilantro Onion mixture onto the base of the Tacos. If you’re using Sliced Avocado now would be the time to add it too. Pile on a load of those wonderful Shrimp (no need to cut them, leave them whole) and then finish with a drizzle of Crema and your Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema are ready to enjoy

Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema Recipe

Ingredients

• Juice of 2 Limes
• 1 cup of Cilantro (including stems)
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 1 cup of Sour Cream
  
  

Taco and Filling Ingredients

• 2 cups of Cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 cup of Cherry Tomatoes, finely diced
• ½ Red or White Onion, finely diced
• Juice of 1 Lime
• 2 Jalapenos, finely sliced (seeds optional)
• 2 lb. Shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 Red Chili, finely diced
• 4 Garlic Cloves, finely diced
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 12 Flour or Corn Taco Tortillas
• Salt
  
  

Equipment needed: Blender or Immersion Blender

Instructions

1. Begin by making the Lime Crema. Add the Cilantro, Garlic Cloves and Lime Juice to the blender and blitz. If it won’t catch you can add a little more Lime Juice or Water. You can also use an immersion blender if you prefer
2. Once blitzed fold half the mixture into a bowl with the Sour Cream until smooth. Taste and add additional Lime and Cilantro mixture until your desired flavor and consistency is reached. Season with Salt and set aside
3. Combine the chopped Cilantro, Cherry Tomatoes, Onion, Jalapenos and a pinch of Salt in a bowl with the Juice of 1 Lime. Mix well then set aside
4. Place a large frying pan on the stovetop over medium high heat. Add the Olive Oil and once hot, add half the diced Garlic, Chili, and Shrimp. Fry for 1 minute on each side until pink and slightly charred. Repeat for remaining Shrimp then set aside
5. Assemble the Tacos by adding the Cilantro and Tomato mixture to the base of the Tortilla, then top with a few of the cooked Shrimp. Drizzle over some Lime Crema and serve
   
   

Recipe Notes

• You can add whatever fillings you prefer to the Tacos. Popular options are Red Cabbage and sliced Avocado
• If you prefer you can char your Tortillas. Simply place them over an open flame on the stovetop until charred on either side, flipping and removing with tongs
  
  

These wonderful Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema are the perfect dish to enjoy during the warm Summer months. In fact, you can enjoy them all year round as they taste amazing. The Lime Crema can keep in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours, allowing you to prepare it in advance or use it for multiple meals

If you like this recipe then we highly recommend you check out these other tasty Mexican-inspired dishes:

• Grilled Fish Tacos
• Orange and Grapefruit Salsa
• Easy Chicken Burrito Bowls with Salsa
• Mexican Pulled Chicken Tostadas
  
  

Happy Cooking!