The Shrimp Tacos To End All Shrimp Tacos

All I can say is sometimes...you make something special. Something beyond, "Hey, that was good." Something that screams, delicious, the moment it touches your lips. Something that warrants a happy-dance and congratulatory back patting.

Sometimes, you hit it out of the park and you think to yourself ~Magic.


This is one of those times.


Simple. Flavorful. Delicious.
These, my friends, are the shrimp tacos to end all shrimp tacos.
And after years of trying to nail down the perfect shrimp taco recipe, tonight I go to bed with a great big smile on my face.

Yeah.
They're that good. Grin.

My Shrimp Taco Tutorial

Make slaw












After marinating 30 min.


Cut each shrimp into two or three bite size pieces. Squeeze wedge of fresh lime juice over shrimp. Toss and refrigerate.
 







Make batter.






Prepare tortillas by heating up a large skillet. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and spread around skillet. Place 3 tortillas in hot skillet and fry 20 or 30 seconds on each side. Stack on a plate. Repeat this process adding a teaspoon of vegetable oil with each batch until all of your tortillas are warmed up and soft.




Slice one whole ripe avocado into wedges.

Pour vegetable oil into a deep pan until about 2 inches deep. Heat over med-high heat. Oil should be around 365 degrees but I can tell the oil is ready when a drop of water pops when added to the hot oil ;-)

Remove your shrimp from frig and toss in beer batter. Drop each piece of battered shrimp into the hot oil, being careful not to crowd the pan. Discard extra batter. You will probably need to cook the shrimp in two batches. Fry until gold brown and then drain the shrimp on paper towels.









Place hot fried shrimp in a large bowl. Drizzle Thai Sweet Chili sauce over your shrimp and gently toss.
You want enough sauce to coat but you don't want to drown the shrimp.



Time to assemble the tacos.  Add 3 or 4 shrimp pieces on a prepared tortilla. Add desired amount of slaw and one slice of fresh avocado.







Repeat until your heart's content.


The Lemonista's Shrimp Tacos
Yields 12 tacos
*if you decide to double the recipe, you do not need to double the batter. It is enough to make 2lbs of shrimp

1 lbs raw jumbo shrimp, thawed (if using frozen) peeled and deveined 
wedge of fresh lime
12 My Nana's brand white corn tortillas, taco size. 
Vegetable oil
1 bottle Thai Sweet Chili sauce (found in Asian section at grocery store or here is a link to a good one)
1 recipe Jalapeno Cilantro Slaw (below)
1 recipe Mexican Beer Batter (below) 

1. Make slaw.
2. Cut each shrimp into two or three bite size pieces. Squeeze wedge of fresh lime juice over shrimp. Toss and refrigerate. 
3. Make batter.
4. Prepare tortillas by heating up a large skillet. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and spread around skillet. Place 3 tortillas in hot skillet and fry 20 or 30 seconds on each side. Stack on a plate. Repeat this process adding a teaspoon of vegetable oil with each batch until all of your tortillas are warmed up and soft. 
5. Slice one whole ripe avocado into wedges. 
6. Pour vegetable oil into a deep pan until about 2 inches deep. Heat over med-high heat. Oil should be around 365 degrees but I can tell the oil is ready when a drop of water pops when added to the hot oil ;-)
7. Remove your shrimp from frig and toss in beer batter. Drop each piece of battered shrimp into the hot oil being careful not to crowd the pan. You will probably need to cook the shrimp in two batches. Fry until gold brown and then drain the shrimp on paper towels. 
8. Place hot fried shrimp in a large bowl. Drizzle Thai Sweet Chili sauce over your shrimp and gently toss. You want enough sauce to coat but you don't want to drown the shrimp. 
9. Time to assemble the tacos.  Add 3 or 4 shrimp pieces on a prepared tortilla. Add desired amount of slaw and one slice of fresh avocado. Repeat until your heart's content. 

Jalapeño Cilantro Slaw

1/3 cup good quality Mayo (such as Best Foods)
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
1 Tablespoon white sugar
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
10oz bag angel hair shredded cabbage
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeds removed, sliced very thin
1/2 bunch french cilantro, chopped. (no stems)
3 green onions, chopped

Mix first 5 ingredients and then pour over cabbage mixture. Marinate slaw in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes.

Mexican Beer Batter
*You can use this same batter for fish tacos. 
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup white rice flour (found this in Gluten free section at grocery store)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup cold Mexican beer, such as Corona or Tecate

Combine all ingredients and stir until batter is smooth.

**I live in Phoenix, Arizona and I can easily find delicious Arizona made My Nana's tortillas, but if you do not live in Arizona, and do not have access to My Nana's products, Mission brand white corn tortillas also work great in this recipe. 

Peace out :-)

~The Lemonista

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