Grilled Shrimp Tacos

If there’s one food I’m almost always in the mood for, it’s tacos… okay, and pizza… but today we’re just talking about tacos!

I’m a sucker for all things taco, and you can make them out of so many different types of foods! Carnitas, beef barbacoa, sweet potatoes, etc.

Seafood is so fun to eat in the summer, mostly because it just feels light and summery, or at least it does to me.

These shrimp are tossed in a “marinade” of sorts, just some oil (I prefer vegetable or avocado since they have high smoke points and won’t burn as easily), and taco seasoning. I use marinade in quotations because it looks similar to a marinade, but the shrimp doesn’t have to sit in the mixture for any length of time, like with a traditional marinade.

You can choose to make your own seasoning (which I highly recommend, and will link to that recipe down in the recipe card), or choose your favorite store-bought variety.

From there, you can add additional seasonings, like a smoky ancho chile powder, or a chipotle chili powder, or leave it traditional with just the taco seasoning.

After a quick bit of time on the grill, the shrimp are ready to be tossed with your favorite taco toppings, added to your favorite type of tortilla, and devoured!

How to make grilled shrimp tacos?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Combine sriracha sauce ingredients. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
2. Prepare grill and “marinade”. Preheat grill to medium high and pat shrimp very dry. Combine oil and taco seasoning in a bowl.
3. Add shrimp and toss.
4. Thread shrimp onto skewers. Or you can use a grill basket.
5. Grill. The shrimp only needs a couple of minutes on each side. Then add the tortillas and grill for about a minute.
6. Assemble and serve.

Variations of this recipe

• No grill required – no grill or rainy weather? No problem! Skip the skewers and heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Add a small drizzle of vegetable oil, then add taco-seasoned shrimp to the skillet in a single layer. Depending on the size of your skillet, this may need to be done in batches. Cook a minute or two per side, until shrimp is opaque and curls into a “C” shape.
• Spicy – to increase the heat and spice level, add some cayenne pepper to the taco seasoning, increase the sriracha in the sauce, and/or use serrano peppers instead of jalapeños.
• Mild – for a milder taco, make sure you’re using a mild taco seasoning, and decrease the amount of sriracha in the sauce. You can also skip adding the jalapeños to the tacos.
• Tortillas – if you’re not a fan of corn tortillas, you can use flour tortillas instead. Just note that most flour tortillas, even soft taco sized, are a little larger than corn tortillas, so you may not get as many tacos.
• Sauce – we love the creamy sriracha lime sauce on these tacos, but you can use an avocado crema, avocado ranch, or any sauce you’d like!
• Toppings – the best part about tacos is the sheer amount of toppings options! Our favorites are jalapeno, avocado, and a creamy sauce of some kind, but some cotija cheese, salsa, guacamole, etc are great options.

Making shrimp tacos ahead of time

This recipe tastes best when made right before serving, however, parts of the recipe can be made ahead.

The creamy sriracha lime sauce can be made and stored in the refrigerator.

The toppings can be prepped and refrigerated ahead of time.

Then just grill up the shrimp, and assemble the tacos!

Storage

Assembled tacos aren’t great to store, but any leftover grilled shrimp can be stored well.

Cooked shrimp should be stored in an airtight container and eaten within 3 days.