Crispy and delicious fried shrimp tacos with a lot of Tex-Mex flavor.
I’ve already shown you how to make spicy shrimp tacos with green sauce, but here we are getting a bit crazier: deep-fried breaded shrimps with sweet Thai chili mayo. Another level in the shrimp taco universe.
Breaded shrimp tacos are a super easy and fun idea for taco Tuesday night. They may seem more difficult than regular pan-seared shrimps but the extra effort is so worthy. Besides, I will tell you my ultimate secret to fry with ease: organizing your workstation.
Never underestimate the power of a clean countertop with three plates for the coating (egg, flour, and breadcrumbs). You have everything you need in one single place. Then, it is a simple assembly line that ends on the pan with oil.
I tell you this because it used to be stressful for me to fry ANYTHING. My kitchen always ended in a mess, like if a bomb exploded in the middle of it.
If you want to see my ultimate guide about deep frying you can check this post.
How to make deep-fried shrimp tacos?
For this recipe, I like to use bite-size shrimps. The best size for these tacos is 26/30 shrimps. No jumbo size that you can’t eat in one bite but not those teeny tiny shrimps that disappear while frying.
The key for a crunchy shrimp is the batter and coating. As always, three ingredients are the key for a perfect breaded shrimp: flour, egg, and breadcrumbs.
You MUST coat the shrimps in that exact order. Flour > beaten egg > breadcrumbs. The reason is the following:
The flour will stick to the wet surface of the raw shrimp and it will hold the crust.
I used to get so upset when a big batch of fried shrimp would lose their coat in the oil and all my work was wasted. Sad, naked shrimps for dinner 🙁
When coating, the order of the ingredient DOES matter.
Then, it’s just frying with a good quality vegetable oil. I mostly use canola oil or sunflower oil.
Also, you can use a deep fryer to make the job way easier.
What to put in fried shrimp tacos?
Whatever your foodie heart wants, honestly, whatever.
This is why I love tacos. You can put anything you have in your fridge and create a delicious meal.
My rule is to add 2-3 veggies (+ mandatory avocado) and a creamy sauce.
For this recipe, I made a sweet Thai chili mayo that goes amazing with seafood. It’s creamy, garlicky and sweet.
You can also use my infallible cilantro garlic sauce to shake things a bit. It’s more pungent and has a stronger garlic flavor.
Veggies ideas:
- Cabbage
- Lettuce
- Carrots
- Corn
- Onions
- Spinach
Also, you can add the classic Tex-Mex toppings: cheese, black beans, jalapeño, mango pico e gallo, caramelized onions, sour cream, etc.
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