Chile Shrimp Taco Color Pair Recipe

This is my favorite shrimp tortilla! Cooked tender shrimp with perfect spices and butter, mashed avocado and crunchy salad!

I could be happy to eat these tacos once a week (maybe more!). We have especially generous spices for the shrimp. You will find chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, and my secret ingredients: unsweetened cocoa powder. Believe me this! I only added a little, but for the taste it was very worth it.

If you want to try a different flavor profile on your next shrimp taco night, consider swapping the Chilean butter shrimp shown here for our Cilantro Lime Butter shrimp (they are just as delicious). And, if I didn’t remind you how easy, delicious homemade tortillas to make, I wouldn’t offer you justice. They will take these tacos to a whole new level!

Key Ingredients

• shrimp: Use fresh, high quality giant or large shrimp. I like to remove the tails of these tacos from the shrimp, which makes them easier to eat. I also leave the whole shrimp, although you can definitely chop them if you want.
• Shrimp spice rub: This is where the magic happens! Our shrimps are generously coated on a solid spice rub, which contains ancho paprika (gentle and sweet), paprika (for smoky heat), cumin and cilantro. My secret ingredient is cocoa powder without sugar. The cocoa powder seems a bit strange, but with chili powder (a bit similar to moor sauce, usually including dark or unsweetened chocolate). If you can’t find Chipotle powder, smoked paprika provides an excellent alternative and has a similar smoky flavor. For spicy shrimp tacos, add Chipotle powder (it can be punched).
• butter: I love cooking our shrimp with butter. It melts and mixes with the spices to make some butter sauce. It’s incredible! If you are against butter, olive oil or avocado oil is very good.
• Red cabbage salad: We keep this dairy-free color and super simple. To do this, you will throw the cabbage and onion away with fresh lime juice, salt and coriander. This crunchy, rich salad is the perfect opposite to spiced shrimp and creamy avocado.
• avocado: I like to add a layer of mashed potatoes, lime and salt to the tortillas before adding my shrimp and salad. It acts as our taco sauce and works well with other flavors.
• Tortillas: Use corn or flour tortillas. I love the flavor of corn tortillas, but it really depends on you. And, if you feel ambitious, I highly recommend trying to start them from scratch! Homemade tortillas really take these tacos to the next level. You can find recipes for homemade tortillas and homemade flour tortillas on your blog!

When making these shrimp tacos, I first toss the shrimp with spices and then set the bowl aside while I prepare the salad and mash the avocado. This short break allows the shrimp to truly absorb all the incredible flavors in the spice mixture.

The salad takes a few minutes, so I’m going to do it next. Salt and lime help with wilted cabbage and onions, so make it a good idea before cooking the shrimp.

Then, for assembly, I like the cream layer of avocado, chili butter shrimp and the generous help of the colors. I can’t wait for you to try these tacos. They are easily one of my favorite shrimp recipes on my blog!