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.
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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.
Other Mexican Recipes
- 4 flour tortilla
- 1 ripe avocado
- 4 tbsp sweet corn
- Lettuce or any green mix of preference
- Jalapeños optional
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro optional
- 300 gr Shrimps 26/30 12-15 units
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Vegetable oil to fry
- 2 tbsp sweet chili thai sauce
- 6 tbsp mayo
- 1 garlic clove minced
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Clean the shrimps and devein them.
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Beat the eggs and add the salt.
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Place flour and breadcrumbs in separated plates. Create an assembly line in the following order: shrimps. flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs.
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Coat the shrimps in that order. Fry them in a pan with enough vegetable oil to cover the shrimps.
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Let them rest in a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
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Mix all the ingredients for the sauce and stir.
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Warm the flour tortillas (microwave 15-25 seconds).
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Top the tortillas with the veggies, in this case, green mix, grated carrot, and sweet corn.
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Add the fried shrimp, avocado, jalapeño, sweet Thai chili mayo, and some fresh chopped cilantro.
Owner and Food blogger on The Cookware Geek. She loves cooking, baking, traveling, playing with the cats, and knitting. She believes that eating delicious meals doesn’t require a culinary degree or a Michelin-star chef in your kitchen.