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Complete with crisp-yet-juicy shrimp and homemade coleslaw with the perfect balance of creaminess and tang, you will hardly be able to believe this Shrimp Tacos Recipe comes together in less than 20 minutes! Dish it out for lunch or your next taco night dinner, and I guarantee you will have a new favorite way to serve shrimp.
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Shrimp Tacos with Slaw
Seafood is in abundance in Florida, and I have to tell you, access to fresh shrimp is one of my favorite things about living on the coast. It’s hard for shrimp to not become one of your favorite foods when you’re here: after all, it’s everywhere!
Needless to say, I love coming up with new ways to prepare shrimp, and a classic is to serve them in shrimp tacos. What makes this shrimp taco recipe extra special is that it’s air fried, resulting in extra crispy, juicy shrimp you can set and forget without worrying about overcooking them.
My family loves these shrimp tacos with slaw, not just because they’re delicious as-is, but because you can completely customize them to your tastes. Add a little spice, or maybe a dash of homemade remoulade sauce… You don’t even have to use fresh shrimp – frozen works just as well!
Fried Shrimp Tacos Ingredients
- Shrimp – fresh or frozen*
- Olive oil
- Chili powder
- Garlic powder
- Cumin
- Salt
- Pepper
- Small tortillas
*If you’re using frozen shrimp, you can either cook them for longer or let them thaw first overnight in the refrigerator or in a tightly sealed bag in a cold water bath, changing the water every 30 minutes until they’re thawed. For timing on cooking shrimp from frozen, see the full Air Fryer Shrimp recipe!
Slaw for Shrimp Tacos Ingredients
- Shredded coleslaw mix
- Mayonnaise
- Apple cider vinegar
- Sugar
- Salt
- Pepper
How to Make Shrimp Tacos
- Add shrimp to a bowl with olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper, and toss until the shrimp is fully coated.
- Place shrimp in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Do not overlap any pieces.
- Air fry at 400°F for 5-8 minutes, or until they are cooked through and lightly crispy.
- While the shrimp cook, prepare the tortillas by warming them. Do this by microwaving them for 30 seconds at a time, or warm in a dry skillet over medium heat until they are soft.
- In a large mixing bowl, add coleslaw mix, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Toss until the coleslaw is evenly mixed. Taste and adjust with additional salt and pepper if desired. Cover and refrigerate coleslaw until ready to serve.
- Lay out your tortillas and divide the cooked shrimp evenly among them. Top with coleslaw and any additional desired toppings, and serve.
Shrimp Tacos Recipes Tips
- For these easy shrimp tacos, you can mix up the flavors how you’d like. Leave out the coleslaw if preferred and try another topping, or change the seasonings.
- Flour tortillas or corn tortillas both work for shrimp tacos. Because the fried shrimp use no breading, this means you can easily serve these as gluten-free shrimp tacos by using corn tortillas.
- If you love spice, try adding some sliced jalapeño. You can mellow it out a little with avocado.
- You can also make shrimp for shrimp tacos on the stove. Coat the shrimp with the dry seasonings, then heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, pan-fry the shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side until opaque pink and cooked through.
Shrimp Tacos Toppings
- Crumbled cotija cheese
- Sliced avocado
- Peach mango salsa
- Remoulade sauce makes an amazing shrimp taco sauce!
- Sour cream or avocado crema
Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos FAQ
Shrimp pairs well with a variety of different seasonings, from garlic butter shrimp to coconut and lime. In this shrimp tacos recipe, a mix of chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper is used to create a savory, slightly spicy chili shrimp perfect for pairing with creamy, tangy homemade coleslaw.
You can use precooked shrimp to make shrimp tacos. If you’re using pre-cooked shrimp, I recommend tossing them with a sauce such as the sweet chili sauce used in Chinese Prawns for flavor, and gently reheating them if you want to enjoy the tacos hot. Make sure not to overcook them when reheating, or they will become tough.
Easy Seafood Recipes
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📋 Recipe
Shrimp Tacos Recipe
Equipment
- Air Fryer Oven see notes for how to cook shrimp on stove
Ingredients
Shrimp Tacos
- 1 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 8-10 small tortillas
Optional
- Toppings of your choice, like coleslaw (recipe below), diced tomatoes, cilantro, lime wedges, avocado, sour cream etc.
Slaw for Shrimp Tacos
- ½ bag of store-bought shredded coleslaw mix about 8 oz.
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!
Instructions
- Add shrimp to a bowl with olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper, and toss until the shrimp is fully coated.1 lb raw shrimp, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
- Place shrimp in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Do not overlap any pieces.
- Air fry at 400°F for 5-8 minutes, or until they are cooked through and lightly crispy.
- While the shrimp cook, prepare the tortillas by warming them. Do this by microwaving them for 30 seconds at a time, or warm in a dry skillet over medium heat until they are soft.8-10 small tortillas
- In a large mixing bowl, add coleslaw mix, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.½ bag of store-bought shredded coleslaw mix, ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 Tablespoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Toss until the coleslaw is evenly mixed. Taste and adjust with additional salt and pepper if desired. Cover and refrigerate coleslaw until ready to serve.
- Lay out your tortillas and divide the cooked shrimp evenly among them. Top with coleslaw and any additional desired toppings, and serve.Toppings of your choice, like coleslaw (recipe below), diced tomatoes, cilantro, lime wedges, avocado, sour cream etc.
Notes
- Nutrition includes coleslaw.
- For these easy shrimp tacos, you can mix up the flavors how you’d like. Leave out the coleslaw if preferred and try another topping, or change the seasonings.Â
- Flour tortillas or corn tortillas both work for shrimp tacos. Because the fried shrimp use no breading, this means you can easily serve these as gluten-free shrimp tacos by using corn tortillas.
- If you love spice, try adding some sliced jalapeño. You can mellow it out a little with avocado.
- You can also make shrimp for shrimp tacos on the stove. Coat the shrimp with the dry seasonings, then heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, pan-fry the shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side until opaque pink and cooked through.
Let us know what you think or ask a question about the recipe!