I found half a pound of frozen shrimp (30/40 count) in my freezer from my recipe for Blackened Shrimp Pasta, So I decided to give Blackened Shrimp a new way–Blacked Shrimp Tacos! Tacos can always be delicious, aren’t they??

The blackened shrimp are so easy to prepare and delicious that they could almost take on the tacos themselves. I added a simple slaw to add some bulk to the dish and offset the spicy blackening spice. The mild sugariness of the salad as well as its tart Dijon mustard, go perfectly in combination with the smoky sauce of the shrimp that has been blackened. Then I was looking for the Blackened Shrimp Tacos to have more charisma, so I made an incredibly spicy garlic lime sauce to drizzle over the top.

HOW MANY DOES THIS RECIPE SERVE?

The below batch is tiny because I had half a pound of shrimp in my freezer. If you have 30/40 shrimp counts, that means I had 18 shrimp. I added three shrimp to each taco, which yielded six tacos. The amount you consume in two or three tacos per “serving” is subjective, and I’ve put the price per taco, not the suggested serving size.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH BLACKENED SHRIMP TACOS

These delicious little tacos are well with Cumin lime sweet potatoes, Warm Corn and Avocado Salad, Chili Roasted Sweet Potatoes, and Cilantro lime rice.

ARE THESE SHRIMP TACOS SPICY?

I would consider these tacos “medium” spicy, but this depends on your tolerance for spicy food items. Since I used a homemade Cajun seasoning mix to make the shrimp that was blackened, you can adjust the spice to suit your taste. To make shrimp tacos less smoky, you can reduce the amount of cayenne by half. You can increase the amount of cayenne pepper to make them smoky.

INGREDIENTS

COLESLAW

1/3 cup mayonnaise ($0.40)

1/2 Tbsp honey ($0.06)

1 tsp Dijon mustard ($0.06)

1 tsp of red vinegar ($0.02)

1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)

Freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)

1/2 bag of coleslaw mix (shredded carrots and cabbage) ($.75)

Three green onions diced ($0.28)

SMOKY GARLIC LIME SAUCE

1/3 cup mayonnaise ($0.40)

1/8 teaspoon mince powder ($0.02)

1/4 tsp smoked paprika ($0.02)

1/8 tsp salt ($0.01)

One lime (1 Tbsp juice) ($0.39)

BLACKENING SEASONING

1 Tbsp smoked paprika ($0.30)

1 Tbsp of dried thyme ($0.10)

One teaspoon dried oregano ($0.10)

1/2 teaspoon cumin ($0.05)

1/4 tsp cayenne ($0.03)

14 tsp of garlic powder ($0.03)

14 tbsp onion powder ($0.03)

1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)

Freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)

TACOS

1/2 1 lb deveined and peeled shrimp (30/40 number) ($4.00)

1TBSP butter ($0.13)

One clove of minced garlic ($0.08)

Six small corn tortillas ($0.30)

Three onions of green, cut ($0.28)

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix honey, mayonnaise,se, Dijon, white wine vinegar, salt, and a little fresh cracked black pepper in the bowl for the coleslaw dressing. Mix the coleslaw mix along with chopped green onions into a bowl. Then add around 1/4 cup of dressing. Stir until everything is covered in sauce. Add additional seasoning if you like. The slaw can be refrigerated until it is ready to serve.

Mix the mayonnaise mixture, garlic powder, smokey paprika, and juice of half a lime (about one tablespoon) in a tiny bowl to make the smoky garlic lime sauce. Keep the remaining portion of the lime for serving as wedges along with the tacos.

A dry skillet is heated to medium temperature. When the skillet is hot, the tortillas are toasted on both sides until brown on the edges. The toasted tortillas should be plates and then covered with a clean towel until ready to serve.

Make the blackening seasoning by mixing the smoke-smoked paprika and thyme with oregano, cumin, cayenne powder, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh cracked pepper, and salt in an ice-cold bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning on the shrimp, and mix until the shrimp is covered.

Incorporate the minced garlic and butter into a pan. Then, cook on medium heat for around one minute until the garlic becomes fragrant and softened. Add the shrimp seasoned with salt and sauté until the shrimp are soft (about three to five minutes). Take the skillet off the heat to prevent boiling the shrimp.

Put approximately 1/4 cup of coleslaw into each tortilla for serving the tacos. Top with three shrimp, drizzle the spicy garlic sauce, and a handful of chopped green onions. Pour the fresh lime wedge over the top.