Here are my new favorite shrimp tacos! There’s tender shrimp cooked with the perfect blend of spices and butter, mashed avocado, and a quick and crunchy slaw!

I could happily eat these tacos once a week (maybe more!). We’re especially generous with the spices for the shrimp. You’ll find chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, plus my secret ingredient: unsweetened cocoa powder. Trust me on this one! I only add a little bit, but it’s so worth it for the flavor.

If you want to try a different flavor profile for your next shrimp taco night, consider swapping the chile butter shrimp shown here for our cilantro lime butter shrimp (they are just as tasty). And, I wouldn’t be doing you justice if I didn’t remind you how simple and delicious homemade corn tortillas are to make. They will take these tacos to an entirely new level!

Key Ingredients

• Shrimp: Use fresh, high-quality jumbo or large shrimp. I like to remove the tails from my shrimp for these tacos, which makes them easier to eat. I also leave the shrimp whole, though you can certainly chop them if you like.
• Shrimp Spice Rub: This is where the magic happens! Our shrimp are generously coated in a robust spice rub featuring ancho chile powder (mild and sweet), chipotle powder (for smoky heat), cumin, and coriander. My secret ingredient is a touch of unsweetened cocoa powder. The cocoa powder may seem a little strange, but it works really well with the chile powders (somewhat similar to a mole sauce, which often includes a dark or unsweetened chocolate). If you can’t find chipotle powder, smoked paprika makes an excellent substitute and has a similar smoky flavor. For spicy shrimp tacos, increase the chipotle powder (it packs a punch).
• Butter: I love to cook our shrimp in butter. It melts down and mixes with the spices to make a little bit of a butter sauce. It’s incredible! If you are opposed to butter, olive oil or avocado oil work perfectly fine.
• Red Cabbage Slaw: We keep this slaw dairy-free and super simple. To make it, you’ll toss shredded cabbage and onions with fresh lime juice, salt, and cilantro. This crunchy, tangy slaw is the perfect counterpoint to the spiced shrimp and creamy avocado.
• Avocado: I love adding a layer of mashed avocado with lime and salt to the tortillas before adding my shrimp and slaw. It acts as our taco sauce, and works so nicely with the other flavors.
• Tortillas: Use corn or flour tortillas. I love corn tortillas for their flavor, but it really is up to you. And if you’re feeling ambitious, I highly recommend trying your hand at making them from scratch! Homemade tortillas truly take these tacos to the next level. You can find recipes for homemade corn tortillas and homemade flour tortillas on the blog!

When making these shrimp tacos, I toss the shrimp with the spices first, then set the bowl aside while I prepare the slaw and mash the avocado. This brief resting time allows the shrimp to really soak in all that incredible flavor from the spice mix.

The slaw takes minutes to make, so I make that next. The salt and lime help to wilt the cabbage and onion a little, so making it before you cook the shrimp is a great idea.

Then, for assembly, I love the creamy layer of avocado, the chili butter shrimp, and a generous helping of the slaw. I can’t wait for you to try these tacos. They are easily one of my favorite shrimp recipes on the blog!