According to Bubba—you can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sauté it—however, we’re going to make tacos with it! Shrimp tacos that is. Time for a delicious variation to the popular Southern CA fish taco. I love seafood, or mariscos as you’ll find on menus all over San Diego & Baja. Shrimp (camarones) are long overdue in my kitchen, so we’re making a lighter version of soft tacos using fresh lime, jalapeño yogurt slaw, and some fresh pico de gallo. Though I love crispy fried shrimp from time-to-time, we’ll just be sautéing ours with bright flavors & using a Greek yogurt-based white sauce. This will be healthier, easy, and delicious!
You can use pre-cooked shrimp, but I advise to go for the fresh ones, even if it’s a bit more work to shell and de-vein (which is definitely not my favorite thing to do), but it’s worth the effort. I bought just shy of a pound of shrimp, which is plenty for two people with some leftover (because we’re using smaller tortillas). I think my favorite part of this meal is the lime cabbage slaw—very flavorful—and you’d never guess there is no mayo! After the shrimp prepping, this is a very recipe, good on any weeknight. Essentially,we have to do three things: cook shrimp in a sauce we’ll prep, make shredded cabbage slaw, and eat them!
Here are the little shrimps now:

- ¾ -1 lb fresh shrimp (peeled, de-veined on both sides).
- 1 cup fresh green cabbage, finely shredded (I bought mine pre-shredded).
- 1 cup red cabbage, finely shredded (I bought pre-shredded).
- 8 oz bag Mexican Cheese Blend, shredded (we’ll use ~1T/ taco).
- 2 limes, quartered.
- 1 cup Jalapeño yogurt dip, Skotidakis brand (I get at Cost-co, If unavailable: mix 8-oz plain Greek yogurt, whisk with paprika, little cayenne pepper, lime juice & chopped jalapeño, and 1 tsp prepared salsa).
- fresh salsa (or pico de gallo, from refrigerated section at store, I use medium heat).
- 1 package white corn tortillas (small size).
- 1T Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), for marinating shrimp.
- Sea salt, to taste.
- Ground black pepper, to taste.
- *Chopped cilantro, for topping (optional).
- *Sour cream, for topping (optional).
- Rinse, peel & devein fresh shrimp (You'll want to remove both inside & outside veins).
- Place shrimp into small bowl (assuming ~1lb), add 1T EVOO, juice from ½ lime, & ~1-2T fresh, prepared salsa.
- Mix shrimp in marinade & let sit for ~15 mins.
- Add shrimp & marinade juices to a slightly pre-heated skillet, and cook on medium-low, until shrimp turn pink (avoid overcooking), these shrimp were fairly small (cooked in ~5 mins).
- In another mixing bowl combine ~1/2 cup of both red & green shredded cabbage, juice of ½ lime, ~2T of jalapeño yogurt sauce, S&P to taste, and 1T fresh salsa (This qty makes slaw for several tacos, but make more slaw for larger amount).
- Toss slaw mis well. and set aside to chill in refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble tacos.
- Slightly heat white corn tortillas in skillet on stove.
- Plate tortillas, then add desired amount of Mexican Cheese Blend (~1 oz +/taco)..
- Next add desired amount of cooked shrimp, fresh salsa (or pico de gallo).
- Top with prepared slaw mix (about 2 oz), and add sour cream & chopped cilantro as desired!
Tacos are bueno, especially with fresh shrimp. Try these with some good chips & salsa, limes, and a cold Corona—¡Salud!
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These look amazing, very fresh and not too heavy. Can’t wait to give these a try!
Just made these and they turned out great! I really like that I can make the slaw with yogurt, it felt much healthier. Thanks Lynds :)
I know it isn’t healthy like your yogurt, nor traditional, but I’ve been doing a white sauce for fish tacos that everyone loves and there is never any left over after tacos…..
Mayo watered down with lemon/lime juice till it is runny and smooth. Kick it up with any spices you like, but I keep it white with nothing besides maybe a little garlic.
[…] Shrimp Tacos with Jalapeno Yogurt Slaw from The Dinnervine […]
It turns out our little shrimp tacos were featured in an article on Yummly!! Check it out here with some other awesome taco recipes: http://www.yummly.com/blog/2012/05/flavorful-tacos-everyone-will-taco-bout/
[…] going with the food, and serve fresh shrimp tacos with jalapeño lime slaw and pico de gallo. This simple recipe is as refreshing as it is […]
[…] provides many benefits! Not to mention, they’re downright delicious, grilled, fried, or in a dinnervine shrimp taco! I digress. . . […]