Description
Food truck-style Baja Shrimp tacos made with crunchy shrimp, sautéed carrots and cabbage, pickled onions, drizzled with homemade chipotle mayo, and topped with queso fresco!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ pound large shrimp
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2–4 chipotle peppers
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 2 cups finely shredded cabbage
- Oil for frying
- Flour tortillas
- Pickled onions
- Pickled jalapeños
- Cilantro
- Crumbled queso fresco
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- PREP: Place the shrimp in a medium bowl. Toss them with ½ cup of buttermilk and ½ teaspoon of salt; set aside for at least 10 minutes. In a food processor, blend together the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce along with ¼ cup of buttermilk and run the food processor until the peppers break down. Add mayonnaise and pulse the food processor just until the ingredients combine.
- DREDGE AND FRY: Place the flour and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, garlic powder, and smoked paprika in a shallow baking dish; whisk. Pour the remaining ½ cup of buttermilk in a shallow bowl. Place the panko in another shallow baking dish. Take each shrimp from the buttermilk, dredge in flour, then buttermilk, and finally the panko. In a large cast-iron skillet heat 1 inch of oil to 350ºF over medium heat. Fry shrimp in batches until golden, about 2-3 minutes per batch, flipping halfway through. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
- SAUTE: In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the matchstick carrots and saute them for 30 seconds before adding in the cabbage. Season with a pinch of salt and cook to al-dente.
- TACOS: Heat the tortillas in a skillet or over an open flame. Spoon some of the cabbage mixture in the tortilla, top with fried shrimp, add pickled jalapeños and red onions, fresh cilantro, and crumbled queso fresco. Drizzle with chipotle mayo and serve with lime wedges!
Notes
Inspired by Torchy’s Tacos; soaking shrimp in buttermilk helps tenderize and flavor them.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Fish & Seafood
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Mexican-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tortillas
- Calories: 549 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 820 mg
- Fat: 33 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 22 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 17 g
- Cholesterol: 115 mg
Keywords: Baja shrimp tacos, chipotle mayo, crispy shrimp, seafood tacos