Tacos de Camarón al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp Tacos) with Lime Crema

Name: Tacos de Camarón al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp Tacos) with Lime Crema
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 450 g shrimp; 4 clove garlic; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 tsp chile powder; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 0.5 tsp ground cumin; 0.5 tsp crushed red pepper; 1 tbsp lime juice; 1 tsp kosher salt; 0.25 tsp black pepper; 2 piece tomato; 0.5 cup red onion; 1 piece jalapeño; 0.25 cup cilantro; 1 tbsp lime juice; 0.5 tsp kosher salt; 120 g sour cream; 1 tbsp lime juice; 2 tbsp water; 8 piece corn tortillas; 2 cup green cabbage; 1 piece lime; 1 tbsp chopped scallions

Quick, bright garlic shrimp tacos with crunchy cabbage, fresh pico de gallo and a tangy lime crema — ready in about 30 minutes for an easy weeknight dinner.

AI image

30 min

start to finish

10 min

hands on

Easy

difficulty

servings

4 servings

Ingredients

For the pico de gallo

2 piece tomatomedium, seeded and diced
½ cup red onionfinely diced (about 80 g)
1 piece jalapeñoseeded and minced (leave seeds for more heat)
¼ cup cilantrofinely chopped (packed, about 15 g)
1 tbsp lime juicefresh
½ tsp kosher salt

For the lime crema

120 g sour creamor Mexican crema
1 tbsp lime juiceplus 1 tsp lime zest
2 tbsp waterto thin as needed

To serve

8 piece corn tortillas6-inch, warmed
2 cup green cabbagethinly shredded (about 140 g)
1 piece limecut into wedges

Optional

1 tbsp chopped scallionsfor garnish

Contains shellfish, dairy. Cooking for an allergy? Check the label on every packet you use — brands differ, and we can only tell you what the recipe calls for.

Roughly, per serving

380 kcal28g protein20g carbs16g fat

An estimate, not a lab analysis.

Method

Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and put them in a medium bowl.
Add minced garlic, lime juice, chile powder, smoked paprika, cumin, crushed red pepper, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper to the shrimp and toss to coat.
Let the shrimp sit to marinate while you prep the salsa and crema.
Short marinating (5 minutes) flavors the shrimp without making them mushy.
Make the pico de gallo: combine diced tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, 1 tbsp lime juice and 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl; taste and adjust salt.
Make the lime crema: whisk together sour cream, lime juice, lime zest and 1–2 tbsp water until smooth; adjust thickness and salt to taste.
Add water a teaspoon at a time until the crema is pourable but still thick enough to coat.
Heat a large heavy skillet (cast-iron or stainless) over medium-high heat until hot.
Add the vegetable oil to the hot skillet and swirl to coat.
Add the marinated shrimp in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until the edges are pink and the undersides are lightly browned, about 1.5 minutes.
Flip the shrimp, add the butter (if using) and cook until just opaque and cooked through, 1–2 more minutes; remove from heat.
Do not overcook shrimp—total cook time is short and they finish cooking quickly once opaque.
Warm the corn tortillas: heat a dry skillet over medium and warm each tortilla 20–30 seconds per side or wrap stack in a damp towel and microwave 30 seconds.
Assemble tacos: divide shredded cabbage among tortillas, top with 4–5 shrimp each, spoon pico de gallo over the shrimp, drizzle with lime crema and garnish with scallions and lime wedges.
Serve immediately.

Worth knowing

Buy peeled and deveined shrimp to save time; if using larger (jumbo) shrimp, cut them into 2–3 pieces so each tortilla gets 4–5 bites.
If you prefer dairy-free, swap sour cream for plain unsweetened coconut yogurt or a vegan crema.
To add smoky heat, swap half the chile powder for ground chipotle chile.
Leftover pico keeps refrigerated 2 days; crema keeps 3 days. Cooked shrimp are best eaten the same day.

Make it yours

Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.

PescatarianQuickOne pan

More Mexican cooking

An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Mexican cooking, not any restaurant's recipe. Written to be pescatarian as listed.