Shrimp Tacos (Keto Adaptable)

Shrimp Tacos originate from California, Baja California that is, and they are definitely my “go-to” dish. I first had them years ago at a restaurant in California and quickly went home and came up with my own version. They are fast and easy to make and I usually have the ingredients on hand.

Back home in California it is easy to buy the frozen, cleaned, pre-shelled and de-viened shrimp at Costco. There is always a bag hanging out in my freezer just waiting to spring into action. Cabbage lasts a long time in the refrigerator so that seems to always be ready and the corn tortillas last well in the freezer too.

After our visiting friends left back home to New Zealand, we felt the loss of their company so to console ourselves we arrived back home after dropping them off at the airport and fried up a delicious batch of Shrimp Tacos. It was just what the doctor ordered: those crispy corn tortilla shells stuffed with spicy shrimp and cool cabbage topped with some Tapatio (Mexican hot sauce that we brought from home) brought us right back to our happy place. Especially when served with an ice cold beer.

Shrimp Tacos 

Makes 8 tacos, just enough for two people if shrimp tacos are all you are eating….but who’s counting?

Ingredients:

32 Shrimp (cleaned, heads and shells removed and de-veined)

2 Tablespoons bottled hot sauce (I like Pico Pica but you can also substitue chili powder, minced garlic, cumin and salt)

2 Tablespoons of water

Half a head of cabbage finely shredded

8 corn tortillas (For Keto, use my recipe Seed Crisps cut into larger “tostada” size pieces or serve as salad or lettuce/cabbage wraps with avocado or guacamole)

oil for frying

1 lime cut up into 8 sections

salt

Instructions:

Sauté shrimp with salsa or spices and water until the shrimp is cooked and pink

In the meantime, get your oil hot for frying the corn tortillas. I use a small skillet and fry them one at a time. First put the tortilla in the hot oil, allow it to fry up a little bit, just a few seconds. Then flip one side up to form a taco shape. Use a spatula to hold up the one side so it frys up with a big gap and not flat against the other side. Flip it over to fry the other side.

Cut the cabbage by slicing it very, very thin. The thinner the better, it should look shredded.

Fill the taco shell with 4 shrimps each then top with the shredded cabbage. Top it off with a couple dashes of hot sauce like Tapatio*. Then sprinkle a little salt and a squeeze of lime on each taco.

For Keto, you can make the Seed Crisps in large “Tostada” size pieces and serve like a tostada with a layer of guacamole, shrimp and shredded cabbage topped with hot sauce. Or as “Lettuce/Cabbage Wraps” with a large leaf of cabbage filled with guacamole, shrimp and hot sauce. Or even a salad with lettuce, shrimp, avocado, cucumber, tomato and black olive.

 

*If you don’t have access to Tapatio and if you cant take things very hot and spicy you can make an alternate sauce of 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, a dash of salt, some chili powder (you can find chili powder in Italy at an Indian store or at Tiger) a squeeze of lime and garlic.

Serve with an ice cold beer

 

 

 

 

Assemble tacos: first the shrimp, then cabbage then a squeeze of lime and salsa

 

For other great recipe ideas, try one from our Archives:

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Canning and Preserving:

Noyaux (French bitter almond extract from stone fruit) (Published Aug 7, 2017)

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Canned Peaches (Published August 23, 2018)

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