Tasty shrimp tacos cooked in a rich adobo marinade and served with a crunchy lime crema cole slaw.
Shrimp tacos are just plain amazing, and of all the preparations that I have tried, shrimp tacos in adobo marinade are among the best. The chiles and garlic add such a wonderful depth of flavor to this dish and the lime crema slaw just cools it down a tad and adds a little crunch. These are SO good.
Make the Adobo Marinade
The adobo marinade is very easy to make. Start by removing the stems, seeds and ribs from some dried ancho chiles. These chiles are readily available at most markets and online.
Place the chiles in a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat and toast for about 1 minute per side. The skins will darken a bit during the cooking process.
It helps to increase the surface area of the chiles in contact with the hot skillet by pressing the chiles down with a spatula or, better yet, a cast iron press like a burger press.
Once toasted, cut the chiles into manageable pieces and soak them in cold water for 30 minutes.
Drain the chiles and discard the soaking liquid. Add the chiles along with the rest of the adobo marinade ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth, about 3 minutes.
If the resulting marinade looks a little thick, just add a bit more water and blend again.
Peel and devein the shrimp and cut them into bite size pieces. Place the shrimp in a non-reactive container, like a glass bowl, and pour the marinade over the shrimp. Stir to make sure that all of the shrimp are in contact with the marinade and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Mix the Lime Crema and Cabbage
Mix the sour cream, lime zest, kosher salt and lime juice in a small bowl. Add about 1/2 cup of shredded cabbage to the bowl and stir to combine. If it looks too wet, add a little more cabbage. It should have the consistency of cole slaw.
Cook the Shrimp and Assemble the Tacos
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet, preferably not cast iron, and add all of the shrimp and the marinade. I prefer not to use cast iron for the shrimp because the shrimp can react with the cast iron and mess up my seasoning, so I use a non-stick skillet for this step. Cook until just cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side. Flip the shrimp over with tongs after about 2 minutes.
Place some cabbage with lime crema on top of fresh hot tortilla, top with shrimp adobo, add some chopped tomatoes, onion and cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Other Great Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make Shrimp Tacos on YouTube
Shrimp Tacos in Adobo Marinade
Ingredients
Adobo Marinade
- 2 ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
- 4 oz water cold
- 1 oz orange juice
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 1 tbs red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
Lime Crema Slaw
- 1/2 cup sour cream preferably Mexican
- 1/2 tsp lime zest
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 lime juiced
- 3/4 cup cabbage shredded
Shrimp Tacos
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 pound shrimp shells removed and deveined
- 1 roma tomato chopped
- 1/4 cup white onion chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 12 flour tortillas
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
- Remove the stems and seeds from the ancho chiles. Heat them in a skillet over medium heat for one minute each side. They should get darker in color, but do not burn them. Soak the toasted chiles in cold water for 30 minutes.
- Drain the chiles and discard the soaking liquid. Add the chiles and the remaining adobo marinade ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Remove the tails from the shrimp and cut into 3/4" to 1" pieces. Place the shrimp in a glass bowl and lightly season with salt. Add the adobo marinade and stir. Refrigerate the shrimp in the marinade for 60 minutes.
- Mix together the ingredients for lime crema in a small bowl and stir. Add the finely sliced cabbage and stir. Heat some olive oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. Cook the shrimp until just cooked through, 2 – 3 minutes per side.
- Place some cabbage with lime crema on fresh hot tortilla, top with shrimp adobo, add some chopped tomatoes, onion and cilantro and serve with lime wedges.