Baja-Style Beer-Battered Shrimp Tacos
These Beer-Battered Shrimp Tacos are made by stuffing warm corn tortillas with crispy fried shrimp, a simple cabbage slaw, and creamy chipotle sauce. The whole recipe takes less than an hour to assemble! This is the perfect fast and easy weeknight dinner for when you're craving authentic baja-style shrimp tacos but don't want to go out to eat.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 8 tacos
Video
Ingredients
Beer Battered Shrimp
- 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (21-25 count)
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1 cup beer, like modelo or another lager-style beer
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
- Ice cubes
- Canola oil, for frying
Chipotle Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 lime, juiced
- 3 canned chipotle peppers
- 1 tablespoon Adobo Sauce from chipotle pepper can
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Taco Ingredients
- 1 cup pico de gallo
- 8 corn tortillas, warmed
- 2 cups finely shredded green cabbage
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Make the chipotle sauce. In a small food processor or blender, combine the mayo, crema, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, chipotles, adobo sauce, and sugar. Blend until smooth and then season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Make the beer batter. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and the ancho chile powder. Whisk in the beer until the batter is smooth, then transfer the bowl to the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil. In a 4 qt dutch oven, heat about 1 1/2 inches of oil to 375 F over medium heat. Use a thermometer so you can keep the temperature consistent.
- Prep the shrimp. After peeling the shrimp and removing the tails, pat them very dry with paper towels and then transfer them to a mixing bowl. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and toss well. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the top and toss the shrimp until they’re coated.
- Fry the shrimp. Remove the batter from the fridge and stir in a couple of ice cubes so that the batter is very cold. Once the oil is hot, dip 1/3-1/2 of the shrimp in the batter, shaking off the excess, then gently lower them into the oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes, agitating the shrimp a bit they fry, until they’re golden brown and crispy. Use a mesh skimmer to transfer the shrimp to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Continue to fry the shrimp in batches, letting the oil heat back up between batches. Sprinkle the hot shrimp with a bit of salt as they come out of the oil.
- Assemble the shrimp on the warmed corn tortillas with the pico de gallo and shredded cabbage. Drizzle with the chipotle sauce and serve with lime wedges for squeezing. You can also toss the cabbage with a bit of lime juice and cilantro to make a quick slaw.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 tacoCalories: 260kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 10gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 743mgPotassium: 161mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 403IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 116mgIron: 1mg
