Easy Shrimp Tacos with Spicy Asian Salsa

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These easy Shrimp Tacos are marinated in a mixture of lime, fish sauce, ginger and soy sauce, stir fried, then served on warm tortillas with the most incredible Asian salsa, pickled vegetables and fresh herbs.

This recipe was originally published in March 2018. It has been updated for photos and content. 

If you love tacos (really, who doesn't?) then you have got to try these easy Shrimp Tacos. The shrimp are marinated in a mixture of fish sauce, garlic, sugar and lime juice, quickly stir fried, and served with the most AMAZING Asian inspired green salsa!

The best part of these tacos is the salsa. Seriously.

They're also pretty darn good served with this fresh tomato salsa or mango peach salsa if green salsa isn't your thing. 

And of course, it's such a super simple easy recipe. It only takes about 5 minutes to cook the shrimp, a couple minutes to get the veggies marinated, and less than 5 minutes to make the salsa. Talk about easy.

However, the shrimp do need to be marinated for about 2 hours. We don't want to leave them much longer than that because the lime juice will start to cook them. Then when we stir fry, they just get kind weird.

Ingredients

Medium sized shrimp work the best for this recipe. If they are too large, it becomes difficult to fit them in the tortillas.

All the ingredients should be easy to find in your local store - most grocery stores are even carrying fish sauce now! However, I personally prefer to use Red Boat fish sauce as I believe it has the best flavor. Any fish sauce will work, but if you want to use Red Boat, you can buy it HERE (affiliate link).

Ingredients for Asian Salsa

This is the most incredible salsa guys. With just a hint of Asian flair, it has so much flavor and freshness you'll want to eat it on everything.

It may seem as though there are a lot of ingredients involved (there kinda are), but I promise this recipe is VERY easy to make guys!

Ingredients for Pickled Vegetables

So guys, you don't HAVE to make these pickled vegetables, but I highly recommend it. They just go so well with these tacos and are so easy to make.

Step By Step Instructions

So first off, get all your marinade ingredients in a bowl and add your shrimp. Let it marinade in the fridge for about 2 hours. Too much longer and the lime juice starts to cook the shrimp.

Once your two hours is up, drain your shrimp and pat them dry with a paper towel.

Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil over medium high in a wok (you can use a cast iron skillet too) and add your shrimp. Stir fry until pink (no longer translucent), about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Serve the shrimp on the corn tortillas with some shredded cabbage, pickled vegetables (optional), fresh herbs and Asian salsa.

This Instant Pot Spanish rice is amazing served with them as well!

How to Prepare Corn Tortillas

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet and fry the tortillas, about 1-2 minutes per side. Place on a plate and cover them with a damp paper towel until you're ready to use them.

How To Make Spicy Asian Salsa

Place ingredients in a food process, process and done. Seriously, that's it. Now try not to eat it all before your shrimp is done!

How to Make Quick Pickled Vegetables

Thinly slice the carrots and radish into small matchsticks (see photos). Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and chilies in a bowl and mix until the sugar is dissolved.

Pour over the vegetables and let sit for at least an hour. For even better results, you can make these a day in advance and let them sit overnight.

Variations

• Use flour tortillas instead of corn if you prefer them;
• These would also be great topped with Chimichurri, Remoulade, or Thai Peanut Sauce;
• Add onions, jalapenos, cucumbers and/or sliced radishes to the pickled vegetables;
• Even though the salsa in this recipe is to-die-for, I understand sometimes you guys want a creamy sauce instead....try this creamy Yum Yum Sauce.

Expert Tips

1. Don't let the shrimp marinade for more than 2 hours as the acidity in the lime juice will cook the shrimp too much.
2. Drain the shrimp well and make sure the pan is hot before adding them. We want them to sear on the outside.
3. The shrimp are done when they are pink and no longer translucent.
4. Add a Thai chili to the salsa if you'd like some extra heat.
5. The pickled vegetables will taste the best of you marinade them for at least 4 hours. They will still work at one hour, but if you have time, marinade them longer.

More Fun Taco Recipes

• Pork Belly Tacos (these are sooooo good);
• Korean Pork Bulgogi Tacos (the flavor on the pork in these is incredible, with just the perfect amount of spice);
• Grilled Salmon Tacos;
• Slow Cooker Carnitas (technically a Carnitas recipe, but what better way to use Carnitas than in a taco??);
• Spicy Lamb Tacos with yogurt sauce.

Favorite Shrimp Recipes

• New Orleans BBQ Shrimp (so buttery, spicy and tangy);
• Creamy Shrimp Scampi (isn't creamy pasta just the ultimate comfort food??);
• Thai Grilled Shrimp Skewers (so much flavor in these marinated shrimp skewers - plus, learn how to make sticky rice);
• Shrimp Lo Mein (ummm...stir fried egg noodles and vegetables in yummy sauce? YES please!!);
• Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad (this is the way we should all be eating salad);
• Check out all the Shrimp Recipes (there are so many as you guys all seem to loooove shrimp!).

Did you make these Shrimp Tacos? Drop a comment below and let me know what you think. Don't forget to rate the recipe!