Blackened Shrimp Tacos is an easy 30-minute dinner packed with bold flavor and fresh toppings. The seasoned shrimp cook quickly in a skillet, making this recipe perfect for busy weeknights, Taco Tuesday, or a light family dinner.
We love serving these shrimp tacos with crunchy slaw, fresh lime juice, and warm tortillas for a restaurant-style meal that is simple to make at home.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
If you love blackened fish tacos, then you are going to love these shrimp tacos. Shrimp placed in flour tortilla and topped with a delicious coleslaw for a light and refreshing meal. These shrimp tacos are delicious and one of our favorite meals.
- Ready in about 30 minutes
- Great for busy weeknights
- Easy to customize with different toppings
- Restaurant-style tacos at home
- Uses simple pantry spices
- Light but still filling
- Easy to pair with rice, beans, or salad
Seafood recipes are a family favorite and the Blackened seasoning gives the shrimp so much flavor. You must also try Blackened Mahi Mahi, Grilled Shrimp Tacos, Blackened Tilapia Recipe or The Best Blackened Salmon Recipe.
Ingredients
- Raw Shrimp – Buy the peeled and deveined, if you have any leftover, use them to make my delicious shrimp tacos.
- Avocado Oil (divided) – Use oil that you prefer
- Onion Powder – If you are out, check out Best Onion Powder Substitutes
- Garlic Powder – You may love these The Best Garlic Powder Substitute if you are out
Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.
How to Make Blackened Shrimp Tacos
Step 1 – Combine Seasoning – Mix together the seasoning for the shrimp in a small mixing bowl. Place the shrimp in a large bowl.
Step 2 – Coat Shrimp – Coat the shrimp with 1 Tablespoon of Avocado Oil. Then add in the seasoning mixture and toss to coat the shrimp with the seasoning mixture.
Step 3 – Heat Skillet – Preheat a cast iron pan over high heat (approximately 450-500 degrees Fahrenheit). Spread the remaining avocado oil onto the pan.
Step 4 – Add Shrimp – Add the shrimp to the pan.
Step 5 – Cook Shrimp – Cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes. Do not move it to get a nice blackened coating on the shrimp. Flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through.
Step 6 – Warm Tortillas – Warm the tortillas.
Step 7 – Combine Slaw Ingredients – Mix together the slaw ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
Step 8 – Divide Ingredients – Divide the shrimp and slaw evenly between the tortillas. Top the tortillas with the fresh cilantro and cojita cheese. Serve warm and enjoy! We love to serve with fresh squeezed lime juice.
Expert Tips
- Choosing the Right Shrimp – We like to use raw shrimp in this recipe, but you can also use frozen shrimp. Make sure to let the shrimp thaw before placing in the skillet.
- Seasoning – Before cooking the shrimp, combine the seasoning ingredients in a bowl. Make sure to cover the shrimp completely with the blackened seasoning.
- Heat Skillet – Prepare the skillet by heat on medium-heat heat with olive oil.
- Cooking Shrimp – Cook the shrimp in the skillet without moving for about 2 minutes. This creates a crispy texture and flavorful center. Make sure the shrimp is cooked thorough.
Variations Ideas
- Shrimp Taco Topping – We love the delicious homemade coleslaw but you can top these tacos with anything. We have topped it with mango salsa, cabbage slaw, or pineapple salsa. All make these tacos so refreshing.
- Change the Meat – We love shrimp tacos, but feel free to use the seasoning with other meats. We love blackened chicken and other types of fish.
- Seasoning Blend – We love making homemade blackened seasoning as we can easily change the ingredients. But you can also just buy it at the store. Feel free to add in chili powder or brown sugar to slightly change the flavor. You may even like this Grilled Shrimp Marinade.
- Cook in the Oven – You can easily make this recipe as a sheet pan. Place the shrimp and veggies on a sheet pan for a delicious low-carb meal. Make sure to place the shrimp in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Tortillas – We used flour tortillas in this recipe, but feel free to use what you prefer. There are many options to choose from at the grocery store to fit any diet restrictions.
What to Serve with Blackened Shrimp Tacos?
These blackened shrimp tacos are delicious served with many different recipes. They can even be served by themselves as they are so filling. Here are some of our favorites sides.
- Cilantro Lime Rice – This rice is my favorite to serve with these shrimp tacos. I even love to serve the tacos on the rice with the coleslaw without the tortillas.
- Black Beans Corn Salsa – This corn salsa is so light and refreshing. I even like to top my tacos with this salsa. Squeeze a lime wedges over the top for delicious flavor.
- Homemade Salsa – Anytime we make tacos, it always served with a side if chips and salsa. This homemade recipe is made with simple ingredients. You will never buy salsa at the store again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Blackened seasoning is similar to a Cajun seasoning spice blend. We like to make the seasoning from scratch as it taste better and we can control the ingredients.
But you can also buy store bought blackened seasoning.
When we make these shrimp tacos, we use large, jumbo or colossal size shrimp. We prefer the shrimp that has been already been peel and devein. But you can also buy them without this done.
If you prefer, you can also buy the precooked shrimp. The shrimp is then placed in a cast iron skillet with the seasoning. The shrimp is cooked and then made into a taco with delicious toppings.
These tacos are best served fresh but you can refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes
If you make this recipe for blackened shrimp tacos, please leave us a comment or a star review. We love to hear from you.
Blackened Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
For the Shrimp:
- 1 ½ pound Raw Shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil divided
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
For the Slaw:
- 2 cups Coleslaw Mix shredded cabbage and carrots
- 3 Green Onions sliced
- ¼ cup Mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Granulated Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
For the Tacos:
- 12 Corn Tortillas 6 inches
- 1 cup Crumbled Cojita Cheese
- ½ cup Fresh Cilantro chopped
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Instructions
- Mix together ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon paprika in a small mixing bowl. Place 1 ½ pounds raw peeled and deveined shrimp in a large bowl.
- Coat the shrimp with 1 Tablespoon of Avocado Oil. Then add in the seasoning mixture and toss to coat the shrimp with the seasoning mixture.
- Preheat a cast iron pan over high heat (approximately 450-500 degrees Fahrenheit). Spread the remaining avocado oil onto the pan.
- Add the shrimp to the pan.
- Cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes. Do not move it to get a nice blackened coating on the shrimp. Flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through.
- Warm the tortillas.
- In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups coleslaw mix, 3 sliced green onions, ¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Then it’s time to build the tacos.
- Divide the shrimp and slaw evenly between the 12 warm corn tortillas.
- Top the tacos with ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro and 1 cup crumbled cojita cheese. Serve warm and enjoy!
