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Blackened Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema

Name: Blackened Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema
Prep time: 11 min
Total time: 26 min
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients: sour cream — 118 g; limes — 130 g; garlic — 3 g; salt — 6 g; green cabbage — 473 g; thin red onion — 59 g; cilantro — 15 g; shrimp — 454 g; smoked paprika — 15 g; garlic — 10 g; dried leaf oregano — 1 g; cayenne pepper — 3 g; black pepper — 3 g; unsalted butter — 27 g; corn tortillas — 800 g

Blackened Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema reads sourness 6.9, citrus 6.4 and allium 4.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Tex-Mex main, about 26 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 4.9 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 1.7 / 10
Sour & Bright — 8.8 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 3.8 / 10
Rich & Fat — 3.3 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.8 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sourness 6.9 · Citrus 6.4 · Allium 4.1 · Umami 3.9 · Salinity 3.6 · Smoke 3.4 · Herbaceous 3.2 · Richness 3.1 · Funk & Ferment 3.1 · Heat 2.9 · Marine & Briny 2.8 · Warm Spice 2.3 · Bitterness 1.5 · Sweetness 1.5 · Earthy 1.0 · Floral 0.9 · Fruity 0.8

What's in it (15)

sour cream — 118 g
limes — 130 g
garlic — 3 g
salt — 6 g
green cabbage — 473 g
thin red onion — 59 g
cilantro — 15 g
shrimp — 454 g
smoked paprika — 15 g
garlic — 10 g
dried leaf oregano — 1 g
cayenne pepper — 3 g
black pepper — 3 g
unsalted butter — 27 g
corn tortillas — 800 g

Time & effort: about 26 min (11 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 176.3 kcal, 7.4 g protein, 4.2 g fat, 31.2 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (10 steps)

Whisk the sour cream, half the lime zest, 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, the grated garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt together in a small bowl until smooth.
Cover and refrigerate the crema while you prep everything else.
In a medium bowl, toss the cabbage and red onion with half the cilantro, the remaining lime zest and juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Set the slaw aside to lightly pickle and soften, tossing once, 10-15 minutes.
Pat the shrimp dry, then toss in a bowl with the smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.
Toss the seasoned shrimp with the melted butter.
Heat a large cast-iron or heavy skillet over high heat until just smoking, about 2 minutes; add the shrimp in a single layer and sear undisturbed until deeply charred and opaque halfway up, about 1 1/2 minutes.
Flip the shrimp and cook until opaque throughout, firm, and the internal temperature reaches 145°F, an additional 1 to 1 1/2 minutes; transfer to a plate.
Wipe out the skillet, reduce the heat to medium, and warm the tortillas one at a time until pliable and lightly toasted with a few brown spots, about 20 seconds per side.
Divide the slaw among the tortillas, top with the blackened shrimp, drizzle with the lime crema, and scatter the remaining cilantro over top; serve immediately.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Fish Tacos with Baja Crema and Cabbage Slaw — Mexican
Tandoori Salmon — Indian
Solomon Gundy — Jamaican
Shrimp and Poblano Tacos with Lime Crema — Mexican
Grilled Chicken Shawarma Skewers — Middle Eastern

Keep reading: what sourness, citrus, allium mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.