These flavorful tacos are made with tender, succulent shrimp seasoned with a house mix of blackening spices, tangy lime crema, fresh Pico de Gallo, and cilantro all wrapped in a warm tortilla.
Tacos have to be the best little handheld culinary creation ever. You can make them all your own by filling them with literally whatever your heart desires. Veggie tacos, beef tacos, chicken tacos, fish tacos, bean tacos, ice cream tacos...everything goes!
Hubby is always ready for taco night and so am I. This blackened shrimp taco recipe is so easy to make and requires just a few simple ingredients.
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What You'll Need to Make These Tacos
A heavy-bottomed skillet (I prefer cast iron)
1 lb. of shrimp, peeled and deveined
Blackening seasoning
Olive oil for cooking shrimp
Warm tortillas, corn or flour
Cotija cheese, crumbled
Pico de Gallo
Lime Crema
Fresh chopped cilantro
How to Make Blackened Seasoning
I like to make a quick blackening seasoning on the spot for any recipe that I'm using it in. You can also make a larger batch and store it in an air-tight container at room temperature for future use if you like.
Blackened Seasoning Ingredients:
- paprika
- cayenne pepper
- dried thyme
- dried oregano
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- salt
- black pepper
You won't need too much for this recipe. I'd say a couple of tablespoons of blackened seasoning will be sufficient.
Start with a half teaspoon of each spice except the cayenne and adjust to taste from there. I like to add in my cayenne last a pinch at a time until I reach my desired level of heat.
How to Make the Lime Crema
The lime crema really adds freshness and brightness to the tacos and compliments the spice of the shrimp perfectly. It's also super simple to make.
Lime Crema Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons of sour cream
- Zest and juice of half a lime
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Mix everything together in a small bowl with a whisk or fork. Yep, it's that easy! If you would like your crema a bit thinner to drizzle over tacos, add a bit more lime juice. If you would like a thicker consistency, add a bit more sour cream. You can also adjust the amount of salt and garlic powder to taste.
Bringing Everything Together for These Tacos
Make blackened seasoning and lime crema and have those ready to go for the recipe. You can keep your lime crema in the fridge until you are ready to serve your tacos.
In a medium bowl, season your shrimp generously with blackened seasoning and add a drizzle of olive oil. Gently stir shrimp with a spoon to coat evenly. Set shrimp aside.
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil or butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet, preferably cast iron. Once the pan is hot, add shrimp and cook just until cooked through. Try to only turn shrimp a couple of times to get a nice char on the outside.
While shrimp are cooking wrap tortillas in damp paper towels and warm them in the microwave for about 45 seconds. You can also wrap them in foil and warm them in the oven if you prefer. Be sure your oven is preheated to 400 degrees F.
Spoon about 6-8 shrimp in each tortilla, drizzle Lime Crema over top with a spoon, and top with Cotija cheese, fresh Pico de Gallo, and cilantro. And there you have it...a taco night WIN!
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📖 Recipe
Blackened Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoon blackening seasoning recipe above
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- lime crema for topping, recipe above
- ½ cup Cotija cheese crumbled
- Pico de Gallo for topping
- fresh chopped cilantro for topping
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, generously season shrimp with blackening spice and add a drzzle of olive oil. Gently stir to coat shrimp. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Once pan is hot but not smoking, add shrimp.
- Cook shrimp for about 6-8 minutes, until just cooked through. Try to turn only a couple of times to get a nice char on te outside.
- Wrap tortillas in damp paper towels and warm in microwave for 45 seconds.
- Spoon 6-8 shrimp in each warm tortilla. Drizzle lime crema over taco with a spoon and top with cotija cheese, fresh pico de gallo, and chopped cilantro.
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