Panko-Crusted Shrimp Tacos

Honestly guys, this shit is no joke! If you know me well, you know how much I loooove me some shrimp. Grilled shrimp, steamed shrimp, fried shrimp, any type of shrimp that you place in front of me, please expect nothing less than for the entire platter to be devoured. With that said, these shrimp tacos are definitely at the very top of the list for one of my new favorite shrimp dishes.

I wish I could pinpoint my favorite part of these tacos. I could say it’s the creamy avocado crema, or maybe the freshness of the shredded purple cabbage. But, really, who am I kidding? They’re definitely those crispy, juicy, lightly battered panko-crusted shrimp babies that take the cake! The crunchiness of the batter paired with refreshing, bright cabbage and savory, garlicy creama. Like, I am seriously drooling over my laptop reliving this flavor combo.

In this recipe I use soft corn tortillas for my taco shells. So, I know some of yall would prefer flour tortillas but, come on now, I think we can all agree that flour tortillas are super basic! To me, corn tortillas are more authentic and sexy! I like to imagine that they were made fresh that day in Mexico and delivered straight to my local grocery store just waiting for me to pick up. I’m smart enough to know that they were most likely made in some factory in west-bubble-fuck, Pennsylvania, but a girl can dream!

If you want to be basic and use flour tortillas I won’t be mad at you because, really, the tortillas are not the star of this dish, the shrimp is. Yes, we are talking about the shrimp again! In this recipe you will see that I like to double batter my shrimp, meaning I first coat them in an egg wash, then flour, then egg again, then panko crumbs. To be honest with you, I started doing this because it was part of the recipe on the back of the panko crumbs box, but I soon realized the value in this double batter. Not only does it help the batter stick to the shrimp very well but it also gives it an extra crunch of deliciousness! I recommend seasoning everything (raw shrimp, flour and panko) individually as well to give it several layers of extra flavor.

Once you’ve got these babies fried and dried, top your tacos with your favorite pico de gallo (I used spicy pico), cabbage and don’t forget the avocado crema. What? You don’t know how to make avocado crema?? Well, at the bottom of this post I’ve included a bonus recipe just for you! You’re welcome!

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Panko-Crusted Shrimp Tacos

by Jasmine Nichole Sanders

Crispy, delicious tacos that make you wish you were eating them on the beach in Mexico!

Ingredients

18 peeled jumbo shrimp
6 corn tortillas
4 cups vegetable oil
1 cup panko crumbs
1 cup flour
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup pico de gallo
2 cups shredded purple cabbage
1/3 cup avocado crema
3 tsp salt
3 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 limes
Instructions
In a large skillet, heat oil on medium heat. The oil should fill the skillet one inch from the bottom.
Place shrimp, panko crumbs, flour and eggs in separate bowls. Season shrimp, panko and flour separately, each with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. Coat each shrimp in the egg, then in flour, then back in the egg, then panko crumbs. It is recommended to do this one shrimp at a time.
Heat oven to 375 degrees F and prepare tortillas on a baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes while moving on to shrimp.
Drop a sprinkle of flour in the hot oil to test if it is hot enough. The flour should vigorously sizzle in the oil when it is hot. Place shrimp, one by one, in the hot oil carefully, making sure the shrimp are not touching each other. Fry in multiple batches, if necessary for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. If shrimp gets brown too quickly, adjust heat. Once cooked, remove shrimp carefully with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate.
Place 3 fried shrimp in each tortilla and top with about 2 tbsp each of pico de gallo, an even layer of cabbage and a few dollops of avocado crema. You can also choose to put the avocado crema in a squirt bottle and drizzle over the tacos.
Squeeze a few drops of lime juice over tacos and garnish with cilantro.