These gluten free blackened shrimp tacos are the perfect weeknight meal for the entire family. The shrimp are succulent and juicy and pair perfectly with the refreshing cabbage slaw and tangy bang cream sauce. The tacos are also easy to make, healthy, and absolutely delicious.
This fabulous shrimp tacos recipe was sponsored by my friends at Mr. Spice!
Why are these shrimp tacos so great?
I've been consuming a lot of tacos lately.
A few months ago, I made my healthy chicken tinga tacos, and knew I wanted to create a fabulous shrimp taco recipe soon after.
You could even turn these into shrimp taco bowls by omitting the tortillas and replacing them with some sautéed cauliflower rice or white/brown rice.
These tacos are wonderful though, and here's why:
- The blackened shrimp are succulent, juicy, and full of SO much flavor!
- The tangy bang cream sauce is delectable. You are going to want to pour it over all of the things.
- They are perfect for meal prep. I like to prepare the shrimp, slaw, and sauce. I can store them separately in the fridge and assemble the toppings I want with the tortillas when I'm ready to have some!
- Customization! You can add your favorite taco toppings to this dish. I never skip on the traditional toppings like red onion and cilantro though.
I've been absolutely loving on this Tangy Bang sauce. It's a combination of sweet, sour, and tangy which makes it the ultimate hot sauce. I love that it's also organic and Non-GMO!
I also love the inclusion of apple cider vinegar, ginger, and horseradish in the ingredients. It has such a unique flavor that I will now use instead of more traditional tasting hot sauces.
I've always been very into the combination of mayonnaise mixed with hot sauce.
I use it as a dip for roasted potatoes, pour it over my morning eggs, and absolutely love it as a sauce on any and all tacos.
I highly recommend making your own mayonnaise if you can, as it has a very specific and delectable taste and texture.
you will not get from anything store bought.
How to make blackened shrimp tacos
In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp with the pepper, salt coconut sugar, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, cumin, and chili powder.
Set aside to marinate together for 30 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add avocado oil and let heat through for 1 minute. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer and cook for 2-2.5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes until opaque.
Add the garlic cloves, stir, and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a shallow bowl or container, mix together the mayonnaise, rice vinegar, and honey until smooth throughout. Taste and add salt and black pepper, to taste. Add green cabbage and mix thoroughly so it is saturated in the mixture. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise with the tangy bang sauce. Add kosher salt, to taste and set aside.
Lightly spray the tortillas with oil and heat over low heat in a small frying pan for a few minutes until soft and pliable.
Spoon cabbage slaw into each tortilla. Add cooked shrimp and desired toppings (avocado, red onion, cotija cheese, micro greens & cilantro.) Top off with tangy bang cream sauce and enjoy!
What kind of toppings can I use?
Well, feel free to get as creative as you'd like here.
I've included a list of my favorite toppings for these blackened shrimp tacos, but if you have some tried and true favorites, don't let me stop you.
Here is how I top mine off:
- Cabbage slaw
- Red onion
- Diced avocado
- Chopped cilantro
- Tangy bang cream sauce
- Cotija cheese
- Micro greens
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Definitely don't skip out on heating up/softening your tortillas. I like to put a frying pan over low heat and spray the tortilla with a little oil on each side. Heat for about 2 minutes until soft and pliable.
- Buy raw shrimp. This will ensure the best cooking result and keep you from ending up with rubbery, overcooked shrimp.
- If you want a light side dish to serve with these tacos, cut up more green cabbage and make more sauce. The cabbage slaw is great as an accompaniment on the side!
More gluten free recipes you'll love:
Instant Pot Paleo Chicken Tikka Masala
Instant Pot Chicken Taco Bowls
Gluten Free Blackened Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 1 pound raw large shrimp peeled & deveined, tail on
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 ½ tablespoons avocado oil
- 5 garlic cloves minced
Cabbage Slaw
- ¼ cup Homemade Paleo Mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey see notes
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 ½ cups shredded green cabbage lightly packed
Tangy Bang Cream Sauce
- ¼ cup Homemade Paleo Mayonnaise
- 1 ½ tablespoons Tangy Bang Sauce
- kosher salt to taste
Assembly
- 8 corn tortillas see notes
- 1 avocado diced
- ¼ cup red onion finely diced
- ½ cup cotija cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup micro greens
- ¼ cup cilantro minced
Instructions
Blackened Shrimp
- In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp with the pepper, salt coconut sugar, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, cumin, and chili powder. Set aside to marinate together for 30 minutes.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add avocado oil and let heat through for 1 minute. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer and cook for 2-2.5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes until opaque.
- Add the garlic cloves, stir, and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.
Cabbage Slaw
- In a shallow bowl or container, mix together the mayonnaise, rice vinegar, and honey until smooth throughout. Taste and add salt and black pepper, to taste. Add green cabbage and mix thoroughly so it is saturated in the mixture. Set aside.
Tangy Bang Cream Sauce
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise with the tangy bang sauce. Add kosher salt, to taste and set aside.
Assembly
- Lightly spray the tortillas with oil and heat over low heat in a small frying pan for a few minutes until soft and pliable.
- Spoon cabbage slaw into each tortilla. Add cooked shrimp and desired toppings (avocado, red onion, cotija cheese, micro greens & cilantro.) Top off with tangy bang cream sauce and enjoy!
Notes
- I would recommend using raw shrimp in this recipe. You can quickly thaw shrimp by placing them in the refrigerator overnight or soaking them in cold water for about 30 minutes.
- Corn tortillas are my favorite for this recipe. However, you can use flour if you don't want/need them to be gluten free.
Cathy says
This has been my favorite recipe of quarantine! So so good. The shrimp seasoning is amazing and it's a great pairing with slaw. I made Whole 30 Mayo for the sauce, and used Sriracha bc I didn't have the Bang sauce. Perfect with Siete almond tortillas.
Jennifer says
Another winner recipe from Monica! I made this for my parents and family and everyone loved it. Next time I will use slightly smaller shrimp (mine were the large size) and it just felt like the texture was off...I wanted more crunch. So i might actually try grilling the shrimp next time also. The flavors all went together so well! I substituted Franks Red Hot for the Tangy Bang sauce and it worked great!
Heck yeah, Frank's hot sauce is amazing- this sounds FABULOUS!!!!!