Grilled Cilantro-Lime Shrimp Tacos with Cabbage & Corn Slaw

We were recently able to have all of my immediate family get together at our house to spend some quality time together. My mom and sister with family were able to spend almost a week here, but my brother was only able to stay one night. The special dinner to serve when everyone was able to be together had to be TACOS. 🙂 Guacamole too, of course.

I had received extra CSA chard from a friend, so I served Rick Bayless’ Swiss Chard Tacos (one of my favorites) along with these shrimp tacos for variety. It’s always more fun to be able to try different types and use tons of toppings! We set up the table so that everyone could assemble their own tacos. The chard tacos had smoky chipotle salsa, feta, and sour cream toppings, and the shrimp tacos had corn slaw and roasted jalapeño crema toppings. We also had rice and refried beans on the side. Nice. 🙂

This recipe was adapted from closetcooking.com. I modified the cooking times, used a grill basket to cook the shrimp, and used raw fresh corn in the slaw. The recipes below were doubled for my crowd.

Yield: Serves 4

For the Grilled Cilantro-Lime Shrimp:

• 1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 2 limes, juice and zest (about 1/4 cup lime juice)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno, coarsely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Marinate the shrimp in the mixture of the lime juice, zest, oil, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, salt and pepper for 15 to 20 minutes. (In the original recipe, the shrimp marinated for 30 minutes & was “cooked” by the end; I modified the cooking time so that the shrimp would not be overcooked after grilling.)
2. Skewer the shrimp and grill over medium-high heat until cooked (pink), about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Alternatively, place shrimp in a lightly-oiled grill basket over medium-high heat and cook until pink, about 1 to 2 minutes per side.

For the Roasted Jalapeño Crema:

• 2+ jalapeno chiles, cut in half and seeded
• 1/2 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons cilantro
• 1 small clove garlic, grated
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• coarse salt, to taste

1. Place the peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet with the cut side facing down, place the baking sheet on the top shelf in the oven and broil until the outer layer of the skin has blistered and blackened, about 8-14 minutes.
2. Seal the foil around the chiles and let them cool until you can handle them, about 10 minutes, before pinching off the skins.
3. Puree with remaining ingredients. Set aside 1/4 cup for the Corn Slaw. Place remaining Crema in a bowl for serving.

For the Corn Slaw:

• 1 cup fresh corn kernels
• 2 cups cabbage, shredded in a food processor
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup roasted jalapeño crema (above)

1. Combine all ingredients. Place in a serving bowl.

For the Tacos:

• 1 pound cilantro lime shrimp
• 12 small corn tortillas
• Roasted Jalapeño Crema
• Corn Slaw
• 1 large avocado, diced, optional
• cilantro to taste, optional

1. Assemble the tacos with corn slaw on the bottom, topped with avocado, shrimp and a dollop of roasted jalapeño crema along with a garnish of cilantro.

One Year Ago:

• Oaxaca-Style Mushroom & Cheese Quesadillas
• Poisson Meuniere or Fish with Lemon & Browned Butter Sauce

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

View all posts by Josette@thebrookcook →