Shrimp Tacos | Stovetop – Air Fryer
Shrimp tacos will be your new favorite taco for “Taco Tuesday.” They are a great 30-minute meal and a flavor bomb for your mouth.
We love our tacos around here. Pretty much any taco you can think of, but these shrimp tacos are one of our all-time favorites.
Why Should You Make Them?
- Easy: These tacos need no culinary skills to master. They are easy for beginners, but seasoned cooks will want to make them because they taste so good.
- Fast: You will have these tacos on the table in less than 30 minutes, with minimal cleanup. Make them in a skillet on the stovetop or in your air fryer, whichever you prefer.
- Flavor: You can pair these shrimp tacos with a pineapple slaw or a spicy coleslaw, which takes five minutes to prepare. You don’t even have to prep any toppings unless you want to.
- Gourmet: These tacos feel a bit fancy, so they are even great to serve to guests, for a party, or a taco bar.
How to Choose Shrimp?
When shopping for shrimp, you will want to buy frozen shrimp. Any thawed shrimp that is behind the fish counter has been previously thawed, so you are never sure how long they have been thawed behind the counter.
Deveining
For ease, choose shrimp that have been peeled and deveined. You must use a sharp paring knife to devein them if you purchase shrimp that hasn’t been deveined. Locate the black vein that runs along the middle of the back. Cut a slit in the shell to expose the vein. Pull out that vein using the tip of the knife or your finger.
Peeling shrimp
If you purchase head-on shrimp, gently twist the head section off. Grab the top of the shell closest to the head and pull the shell off while you grab the tail section of the shell. Twist the shell at the tail section to keep the tail on the shrimp. To remove the shell from the tail end, just twist all of the flesh away from the tail end.
What You Need
- Shrimp: You can use any size you like or have on hand. From small to colossal shrimp, they all taste delicious. We used small shrimp, 45-60 counts per pound.
- Onion: If you cook the shrimp in a skillet on the stove, use freshly, finely diced onion. For the air fryer, substitute onion powder.
- Garlic: As with the onion, use fresh garlic on the stovetop and garlic powder in the air fryer.
- Cumin: Cumin adds an earthy flavor to Mexican food. It is pretty much requisite.
- Chili Powder: Chili powder adds a bit of spice to the shrimp.
- Mexican Oregano: Oregano will add a little color and a herbaceous, slightly bitter flavor.
- Salt and Pepper: Season with sea salt or kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Oil: If pan-frying them on the stovetop, use olive oil to season the pan.
- Tortillas: Use corn or flour tortillas, whichever you prefer.
Toppings
- Coleslaw: We like to use spicy coleslaw or a pineapple slaw.
- Lettuce: Shredded lettuce is the perfect, fresh, crunchy topping for tacos.
- Tomatoes: Chopped tomatoes are delicious on tacos.
- Cheese: With coleslaw, the best cheese to use is queso fresco or cotija cheese. You could use mild cheddar or a taco blend cheese as well.
- Radishes: Sliced fresh or pickled radishes are great.
- Peppers: Fresh sliced jalapeño peppers or pickled or candied jalapenos are delicious on shrimp tacos.
- Onions: Thinly sliced red or pickled onions add a great flavor to the tacos.
- Cilantro or Parsley: Chop cilantro to garnish the tacos. If you don’t like cilantro, use Italian parsley instead.
- Lime Wedges: Serve the tacos with lime wedges on the side so that people can squeeze some lime juice on the tacos. You can also use lime zest to spice up the tacos.
- Salsa: Choose your favorite salsa or make a pico de gallo.
- Avocado: Thinly slice avocado or make a quick guacamole.
- Sour Cream or Mexican creme: These will add a creamy texture.
- Chipotle Aioli: Aioli makes a delicious shrimp taco sauce to drizzle on your tacos.
How to Thaw Shrimp
Thaw the shrimp in a bowl overnight in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. To fast-thaw shrimp, remove the air from their bag or place them in an airtight storage bag. Submerge the bag in cold water. You must hold the bag with a heavy pot or similar tool because it will float. Thaw for about 30 minutes in the cold water or until thawed.
If you air fry the shrimp, you can cook them from frozen.
How to Make Them
Add the shrimp to a medium bowl. Add the spices and oil. Mix well. Refrigerate the shrimp bowl for 15 minutes for the flavors to mingle.
Arrange the shrimp in your air fryer basket. A large air fryer should hold about one pound.
Preheat the air fryer for 3-4 minutes. Air fry small shrimp for about 5 minutes. There is no need to flip them. Jumbo shrimp should be fried for 3-4 minutes, flipped, and air-fried for 3-4 more.
To Air Fry the Shrimp
Heat oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp. Fry for 3-4 minutes for small shrimp. When the tail turns pink and the meat is translucent that shrimp is done. Jumbo shrimp will take about five minutes.
Flip each shrimp. A pigtail flipper works well for this task. Fry them for an additional 2-3 minutes until pink throughout.
To Pan Fry the Shrimp
When the shrimp finish cooking, remove them to a clean bowl. Heat your tortillas; we did a tutorial on eight ways to heat flour or corn tortillas. We like to serve seafood and fish tacos with shredded cabbage slaw, like this spicy coleslaw or pineapple slaw, and garnish with sliced radishes, green onion, lime wedges, queso fresco, or cilantro.
Side Dishes to Serve with Shrimp Tacos
- Refried Beans: Homemade or store-bought, canned frijoles or refried beans taste delicious with tacos.
- Mexican Rice: Homemade or packaged Mexican rice is a delicious side.
- Cilantro Lime Rice: This zesty recipe is excellent with Mexican foods.
- Sopapillas: Sopapillas are fried dough that is puffy and delicious with Mexican foods.
- Mexican Street Corn: This corn is a fun, delicious twist on corn on the cob. It is sprinkled with paprika and cayenne pepper and topped with cotija cheese.
Pro Tips
- Don’t Overcook: Cook the shrimp until it just turns pink throughout. Overcooked shrimp will be tough and rubbery.
- Don’t Overcrowd Your Pan: If the pan is too crowded, it is difficult to track which shrimp you flipped. The other issue with overcrowding is that too much liquid is released immediately, and the food will steam instead of fry, which is true for any protein.
- Buy Frozen Shrimp: Buying frozen will ensure you have the freshest product available. Shrimps are frozen shortly after harvesting to preserve their freshness.
- Make Toppings or Coleslaw Ahead: Since they cook in less than 30 minutes, you will want to prepare all your toppings, salsas, or coleslaw beforehand.
- Great for a Party: Because of their fast cooking time, they are great for a large crowd. If you have a lot of guests, you could even pan-fry some and air-fry some to get them cooked faster. They are great for a taco bar. Choose another slow-cooked taco for a different flavor and ease of serving.
If you love easy shrimp dishes, try this southern-style shrimp and grits, with creamy grits, tender shrimp and spicy andouille sausage.
More Mexican Recipes
- Salmon Tacos
- Pineapple Slaw
- Spicy Coleslaw
- Taco Bar
- How to Heat Tortillas
- Ground Beef Tacos
- Chicken Tacos
- Lobster Tacos
- Rabbit Tacos
- Pheasant Tacos
Helpful Tools
Delicious shrimp tacos are easy to make in the air fryer or stovetop in less than 30 minutes. They’re perfect for any taco Tuesday but great to serve to a crowd for Cinco de Mayo.
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 Pound shrimp
- 1 Teaspoon onion powder
- 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 Teaspoon Chili powder
- 1 Teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
- 10 Corn or Flour Tortillas
Instructions
- If shrimp are not peeled or deveined, clean the shrimp. You must use a sharp paring knife to devein them if you purchase shrimp that hasn’t been deveined. Locate the black vein that runs along the middle of the back. Cut a slit in the shell to expose the vein. Pull out that vein using the tip of the knife or your finger.1 Pound shrimp
- If you purchase head-on shrimp, gently twist the head section off. Grab the top of the shell closest to the head and pull the shell off while you grab the tail section of the shell. Twist the shell at the tail section to keep the tail on the shrimp. To remove the shell from the tail end, just twist all of the flesh away from the tail end.
- Mix all of the remaining ingredients, except tortillas, together in a medium bowl. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes.1 Teaspoon onion powder, 1 Teaspoon garlic powder, 1 Teaspoon ground cumin, 1 Teaspoon Chili powder, 1 Teaspoon Mexican oregano, 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
Air Frying
- Arrange the shrimp in your air fryer basket. A large air fryer should hold about one pound.
- Preheat the air fryer for 3-4 minutes. Air fry small shrimp for about 5 minutes. There is no need to flip them. Jumbo shrimp should be fried for 3-4 minutes, flipped, and air-fried for 3-4 more.
Pan Frying
- Heat oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp. Fry for 3-4 minutes for small shrimp. When the tail turns pink and the meat is translucent that shrimp is done. Jumbo shrimp will take about five minutes.
- Flip each shrimp. A pigtail flipper works well for this task. Fry them for an additional 2-3 minutes until pink throughout.
Assemble tacos
- Heat the tortillas in your preferred method. Add some shrimp to the taco. Top with suggested toppings or coleslaw in the notes below.10 Corn or Flour Tortillas
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!Notes
- Coleslaw: We like to use spicy coleslaw or a pineapple slaw.
- Lettuce: Shredded lettuce is the perfect, fresh, crunchy topping for tacos.
- Tomatoes: Chopped tomatoes are delicious on tacos.
- Cheese: With coleslaw, the best cheese to use is queso fresco or cotija cheese. You could use mild cheddar or a taco blend cheese as well.
- Radishes: Sliced fresh or pickled radishes are great.
- Peppers: Fresh sliced jalapeño peppers or pickled or candied jalapenos are delicious on shrimp tacos.
- Onions: Thinly sliced red or pickled onions add a great flavor to the tacos.
- Cilantro or Parsley: Chop cilantro to garnish the tacos. If you don’t like cilantro, use Italian parsley instead.
- Lime Wedges: Serve the tacos with lime wedges on the side so that people can squeeze some lime juice on the tacos. You can also use lime zest to spice up the tacos.
- Salsa: Choose your favorite salsa or make a pico de gallo.
- Avocado: Thinly slice avocado or make a quick guacamole.
- Sour Cream or Mexican creme: These will add a creamy texture.
- Chipotle Aioli: Aioli makes a delicious shrimp taco sauce to drizzle on your tacos.
- Refried Beans: Homemade or store-bought, canned frijoles or refried beans taste delicious with tacos.
- Mexican Rice: Homemade or packaged Mexican rice is a delicious side.
- Cilantro Lime Rice: This zesty recipe is excellent with Mexican foods.
- Sopapillas: Sopapillas are fried dough that is puffy and delicious with Mexican foods.
- Mexican Street Corn: This corn is a fun, delicious twist on corn on the cob. It is sprinkled with paprika and cayenne pepper and topped with cotija cheese.
