These spicy shrimp tacos are an easy 30 minute meal that combines the smoky flavor of chipotle with a creamy and crunchy slaw. The slaw is tossed with my famous creamy cilantro sauce for a delicious and healthy meal!
A 30 Minute Meal
One thing that is always in my freezer without fail is frozen shrimp. I really took Bubba’s speech to heart during Forrest Gump. That guy was totally right – you can make so many different meals with shrimp. And they cook really dang fast. In my opinion, if you don’t have issues with histamine, shrimp are one of the best items you can keep on hand for a quick dinner.
Another item I always like to keep on hand are tortillas. I have some recommendations for where to find ones that are good, but they do freeze really well. For this recipe I start off with the spicy shrimp taco marinade and while that’s sitting, I make the creamy cilantro sauce. I’ll brown my tortillas over the gas grill and wrap them in tin foil to keep warm, then cook the shrimp in a big pan. The final step is to combine a slaw mixture with the cilantro sauce and serve!
Why Pomegranate Juice?
If you’re on a migraine diet, you cannot have citrus in the elimination period. This is really tough for any kind of Tex-Mex meal since that tangy flavor is so essential. This is why I love subbing pomegranate juice in these spicy shrimp tacos. The flavor is phenomenal and will make you wonder why you haven’t been using it all along. It adds the perfect amount of tanginess without any sweetness.
As for spices, I used Frontier Chipotle Chili Powder and Trader Joe’s Smoked Paprika, which add the smoky flavor and a little bit of the spiciness for these tacos.
Creamy Cilantro Sauce
Affectionately known among my readers as “the sauce”, which is originally used on these zucchini poppers, I knew I had to find other ways to incorporate this into other dishes. Some use it just as a dip for chips and veggies, but it’s so good as a sauce for tacos or even grilled seafood.
To make this easy on myself, I whipped up a batch in my food processor and just tossed it with a coleslaw mix. You can usually find this mixture of cabbage and carrots bagged near all the lettuce and other salad mixes. If dairy is an issue for you, you can simply leave out the cottage cheese in the mixture.
Low Carb & Gluten-Free Options
If you’re gluten free, you can easily sub corn tortillas for these spicy shrimp tacos, but other options include jicama tortillas (sometimes I see these sold in grocery stores) or just serve on a bed of lettuce or cauliflower rice.
Other Taco Recipes:
Baja Fish Tostadas
Chicken Tinga Tacos
Marinated Steak Tacos
Instant Pot Steak Tacos
These spicy shrimp tacos have a chipotle chili marinade for spicy smoky flavor and are paired with a creamy cilantro slaw for a quick 30 minute meal that is so flavorful and delicious.
- 1¼ pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or any mild oil will do)
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 corn or flour tortillas
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/2 garlic clove (or full depending on preference for garlic flavor)
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon cottage cheese *can be subbed with mayo for dairy free
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 5 oz coleslaw mix (just 1/2 a 10oz bag)
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In a large bowl, combine defrosted peeled and deveined raw shrimp with oil, pomegranate juice, chipotle chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin and salt. Stir to combine and coat well. Then cover and chill in the fridge till you're ready.
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In a small food processor, combine the ingredients for the creamy cilantro sauce (not the coleslaw mix), blend till smooth, and place in the fridge to chill.
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Tortillas can be covered in tin foil and heated in the oven for 5 minutes at 350 or, if you have a gas grill or stovetop, you can toast them over the open flame about 30 seconds per side using tongs (and WATCHING CAREFULLY) to get a nice char. If microwaving, cover with a damp paper towel and heat in 15 second increments.
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Heat a large pan over medium high and add marinated shrimp with all of the sauce. Make sure all the shrimp are in one layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side, then flip the shrimp and cook another 2-3 minutes until cooked through and light pink. Quickly toss the coleslaw mix with the creamy cilantro sauce, and fill the tortillas with the shrimp and slaw!
- See post for gluten-free and low carb subs
- This recipe isn't too spicy in my opinion but I'm also Texan! If you want, you can cut back on the amount of chipotle chili powder. If you need more...well, I'm guessing you already have a favorite hot sauce.
- If you end up with extra cilantro sauce, you can use it as a dip or on this recipe.
I made this with turkey breast since I don’t like seafood. It was so delicious! I used the dressing for black bean quesadillas, too. Thanks for another satisfying HYH recipe!
This one has become a favorite at my house. I don’t even use any salt and it still has plenty of flavor. Thanks so much for an excellent recipe!
My husband and I DEVOURED these shrimp tacos. I even had to substitute with tart cherry juice instead of pomegranate and they were still phenomenal. Another great staple in our house and something I’m excited to make for friends and family!
Thanks, Rachael! So happy you enjoyed!