Easy Grilled Shrimp Tacos Recipe with Avocado Sauce

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This grilled shrimp tacos recipe uses fresh, light ingredients and only takes about 20 minutes to make. This shrimp taco recipe is a great go to for a quick weeknight dinner since minimal dishes and time are needed. These tacos can be made either outside on the grill or inside on the stove making this recipe doable any time of the year.

This recipe is great summer grilling recipe especially for taco Tuesday family dinner. It can be great all year round though. Tacos in the middle of winter? Sounds delicious! Especially during football season. It is a great shrimp recipe to enjoy on game day. It is also a great appetizer to serve at parties for July 4th, Memorial Day weekend or Labor Day weekend. It is also a great variation to add to your taco night menu.

This was inspired by my smashed burger taco on this site, and pairs perfectly with my Grilled Mexican Street Corn.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
How to Store Grilled Shrimp Tacos Recipe
Top Tip
FAQ
Related
Pairing
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Ingredients

The tacos are built on warm tortillas. The large shrimp is seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, red pepper flake and hot sauce. This will mimic a taco seasoning blend in a sense. Layered on the taco with the shrimp is the crunchy slaw and and avocado cilantro sour cream sauce.

large or medium shrimp
taco sized flour tortillas
cole slaw
avocado
sour cream
cilantro
olive oil or canola oil
garlic powder
onion powder
paprika
red pepper flake
hot sauce of choice

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Step 1: In a medium bowl, mix peeled raw shrimp with canola oil, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce.

Step 2: In a separate small bowl, mix avocado, sour cream and chopped cilantro. If making homemade coleslaw make sure that is prepped ahead of time in a large bowl.

Step 3: On a greased flat top griddle, cook your shrimp until done on medium heat. This will take about 2-3 minutes. Place your tortillas on the griddle.

Step 4: Assemble your tacos on the griddle. Add the coleslaw first, then place shrimp on top of the slaw and add the avocado cilantro sour cream on top. Fold the taco in half and allow the tortilla to slightly crisp. Flip the taco and allow the other side to slightly crisp. Serve immediately.

Hint: before assembling your tacos, flip the tortilla after warming it up. This allows for both sides to get packed with flavor from the griddle.

Substitutions

Shrimp - the shrimp can be swapped out for fried fish or chicken. Both of these pair well with the recipe.
Flour Tortilla - a corn tortilla can be used for a gluten free alternative.
Vegetarian - use tofu instead of shrimp for a vegetarian friendly option.

Variations

Taquito - roll the ingredients up in a taco shell and pin it with a toothpick. Fry the taquitos until crisp. The shrimp should be cooked prior to assembling the taquito
Burrito - add rice and assemble in a burrito sized tortilla
Tostadas - place the ingredients on a crisp corn tortilla shell
Shredded Chicken Tacos - use shredded chicken for a shredded chicken taco version

See this Shredded Chicken Taco recipe on my website!

Equipment

The preferred method to make this seafood tacos recipe is to use a Blackstone flat top griddle, an outdoor grill or a flat top grill of some sort. If you do not have access to a flat top grill, you can use an indoor electric griddle or cook your tacos using a frying pan or indoor grill pan.

You will also need mixing bowls, a cutting board, a sharp knife and measuring spoons.

How to Store Grilled Shrimp Tacos Recipe

Ingredients can be stored separately in air tight containers for up to 3-5 days.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing after assembling. Some of the ingredients can be frozen prior to cooking.

Top Tip

Do not overcook the shrimp. Overcooked shrimp becomes tough and rubbery and will alter the desired texture of the dish. We want tender juicy shrimp in order to make the best shrimp tacos. Also using fresh shrimp makes a big difference because that will give you the desired texture for perfectly succulent shrimp. If thawing the shrimp prior to cooking, thaw in cold water. Warm water can cause shrimp to slightly start to cook which can result in the shrimp overcooking.

FAQ

What are some other toppings that can go well with this dish?

Some additional toppings that could add a lot of flavor to this dish are pico de gallo, cotija cheese, Mexican crema, mango salsa, etc. This dish would also be delicious garnished with lime wedges and a smear of refried beans.

Is this recipe better with soft tortillas or hard tortillas?

Soft tortillas are preferred but a hard tortilla can also be delicious. For a true twist add a hard tortilla inside a soft tortilla.

Can the shrimp be grilled right on a regular grill?

Absolutely, you can grill the shrimp on metal skewers or wooden skewers, right on the grill grate, or using a grill pan on the grill.

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with grilled shrimp taco recipe:

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