Easy Flavorful Baja Shrimp Tacos with Crema Recipe
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These Baja Shrimp Tacos are a delicious combination of textures and flavors – seasoned shrimp, crunchy cabbage, crisp corn, and a slightly spicy sauce. This easy 30-minute recipe is perfect for busy nights, a casual weekend dinner, or a Cinco de Mayo fiesta.
With a background in productivity, I’m passionate about making the most of our time — and that includes in the kitchen! You’ll find that my recipes are always designed to be simple, flavorful, and quick, so you can spend less time stressing and more time savoring.
Why Try This Shrimp Taco Recipe
As a productivity manager, I know you’ve got things to do and places to be, so this recipe for Baja Shrimp Tacos is quick, easy, and still looks amazingly elegant on the plate. But these simple shrimp tacos are more than just a delicious and quick dinner idea, they’re an experience.
Made with juicy shrimp tossed in a simple seasoning blend and tucked into warm tortillas with crunchy cabbage and fresh toppings, this flavorful, 30-minute recipe includes a Cilantro lime cream sauce that adds the perfect pop of flavor.
And the scrumptious sauce is great for more than just for these shrimp tacos. Use it on grilled veggies, chicken sandwiches, or even as a dip for chips, Taquitos or Chicken Tenders.
Baja Shrimp Taco Ingredients
This section is broken up into the ingredients for the tacos and for the fresh lime crema sauce.
Taco Ingredients
- Shrimp – use fresh or frozen. Try to buy peeled, deveined, no tail, etc
- Seasonings – Salt, Black Pepper, Paprika, Onion powder, Garlic powder, Cumin
- Olive oil
- Street taco style tortillas – flour or corn
- Red cabbage – shredded
- Canned corn – drained and rinsed
- Queso fresco – use a crumbly mild feta if you can’t find this ingredient
- Cilantro – rough chop
Cilantro Lime Crema Ingredients
- Sour cream
- Mayonnaise
- Lime – use fresh squeezed lime juice for the best flavor
- Cilantro – chopped
- Garlic – finely minced
- Salt
Equipment Needed To Make
- Bowl
- Heavy skillet or cast iron skillet
Substitutions & Variations
- You can substitute the shrimp with grilled chicken or fish.
- Sub frozen peeled shrimp for fresh. Make sure to thaw completely before using.
- Use avocado slices or additional toppings like diced tomatoes or pickled red onion as desired.
- You can use a plain Greek yogurt or blended cottage cheese as a higher protein sub for the sour cream
- Queso fresco, sometimes called Queso Blanco, is commonly found here on the west coast. If you find it in the dairy section, check the fresh cheeses in the deli department. If you still can’t find it, a crumbled mild feta is a good substitute.
How to Make Baja Shrimp Tacos
This is a simple overview of the full instructions found in the recipe card below. Refer to the complete directions when making these.
Step 1 – Combine shrimp, olive oil, and seasonings in a bowl.
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Step 2 – Coat the shrimp well with spices.
Step 3 – Cook shrimp in the hot skillet.
Step 4 – Prepare the crema sauce
Step 5 – Assemble the tacos – add cabbage and corn to the warm tortillas.
Step 6 – Add the shrimp an serve with sauce.
Time Saving Tips & Tricks
- Purchase already peeled and deveined shrimp to cut down on prep time – medium or large shrimp work best.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when cooking the shrimp. Cook in batches if needed so the shrimp sear instead of steam.
- Shrimp cooks pretty quickly, so keep an eye on them and don’t overcook.
- Warm tortillas directly on an open flame for a slightly charred flavor or use a microwave for convenience.
- Store leftovers separately, each in an airtight container, in the refrigerator.
Serving and Storage Suggestions
Serve with Mexican rice or cilantro lime rice and black or pinto beans. You can also top these with some fresh Pico de Gallo or Chili Verde.
Store leftovers separately in airtight containers for up to 5 days. The Crema is also great on chicken bowls, burgers, or grilled veggies.
How to Reheat
Shrimp can be a tricky thing to reheat. I tend to avoid the microwave when reheating shrimp because A) you often get rubbery shrimp and B) the smell lingers forever in the microwave.
I like to heat leftover shrimp on the stovetop quickly in a heated saute pan. Heat the saute pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add your shrimp and just a tablespoon of water and swirl the shrimp around until the water has evaporated – about 2 minutes.
More Mexican Inspired Recipes
Baja Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
Shrimp Tacos
- 1 lb Shrimp – peeled and deveined
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 street taco style tortillas – flour or corn
- 2 cups red cabbage – roughly shredded
- ½ cup canned corn – drained and rinsed
- ½ cup queso fresco
- 2 tablespoons cilantro – chopped
Cilantro Lime Crema Ingredients:
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons mayo
- Juice from 1 fresh lime
- ½ cup cilantro – chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine shrimp, olive oil, paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin in a bowl.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet or another type of pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add shrimp in a single layer without overcrowding, cook in batches if needed. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until cooked through.
- Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and salt in a bowl and mix until smooth to make the crema.
- Heat tortillas in a pan until warmed, if desired.
- Layer cabbage onto the tortilla, then add corn. Place shrimp on top and drizzle with cilantro lime crema.
- Garnish with queso fresco and cilantro. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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These were yummy and easy to make.
I never knew how easy these would be to make. Made them for dinner and they were a hit.
We served these at a pool party and they were a hit.