Baked Crispy Shrimp Tacos
These easy crispy shrimp tacos are amazing! Like, one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Baked, not fried, they are crispy and crazy good.
I posted a picture of these crispy shrimp tacos a few months ago on Instagram. You went crazy. (Meanwhile, I was already going crazy at home; they are next level delicious.)
I’ve never had that many requests for a recipe! Shrimp lovers unite. Taco lovers, get on over here.
After making them a couple more times, I figured they needed a decisive spot here on the blog. I don’t know about anyone else, but I will be making these shrimp tacos regularly for the rest of forever.
They are crazy good! And surprisingly really easy (baked, not fried!). They have easily solidified a spot on the “Top Recipes of All Time” list.
Unsolicited Testimonials
In case you’re like “Mel, you always get a little dramatic about food,” I can promise you I’m not the only one raving about these tacos.
Brian and my 14-year old have already requested them for birthday dinners (neither of their birthdays are coming up any time soon, but they want me to still make note of it).
And the last time I made them, a good friend stopped by super fast to drop something off. As she was getting back in her car, I shoved a crispy taco in her hand with the order: “you don’t have a choice; try this now!”
She is used to me doing this sort of thing and wasn’t alarmed by my over bearing demand (welcome to being my friend). She later texted me and said it was one of the best things she’s ever eaten.
These crispy shrimp tacos are way better than any shrimp taco I’ve ever had in a restaurant. For a fraction of the cost. And they take hardly any time to put together.
Making Crispy Shrimp Tacos
While these shrimp tacos are ultra-simple to make, they are bound by the laws of flavor building.
These levels are built by a simple mixture of:
- tomatoes
- onions (don’t be a hater :))
- jalapeños (don’t leave them out! scrape out seeds if you want less heat)
- ketchup (just trust me on this)
- fresh lime juice
- garlic + salt + pepper
Don’t panic or freak about the ketchup. You can still be a foodie and embrace ketchup. I promise. It won’t ruin your reputation. In fact, anyone tasting these tacos will never even know ketchup exists in the ingredient lineup.
The ketchup helps thicken this mixture and adds a concentrated punch of flavor.
This special mixture cooks in a skillet until thick and syrupy. The tomatoes will break down a bit and the onions will soften.
The shrimp go in for a quick 2-minute cooking sesh to turn pink and that’s about it (they’ll cook a bit more in the oven).
The Key to Crispy Shrimp Tacos
The key to crispy, crunchy tacos is twofold.
1) brush a couple tablespoons of oil on the sheet pan (they won’t get as crispy without the oil; trust me, I tried)
2) preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (do it!)
The tortillas are arranged on the oiled baking sheet, sprinkled with a bit of Monterey Jack cheese, and then graced with a strip of that tasty shrimp/tomato mixture.
Bake those babies until the cheese is bubbly and the edges are golden.
Flour vs corn tortillas
I’ve made these crispy shrimp tacos with both corn and flour tortillas.
Both work great and are delicious! But, the flour tortillas do get a little crispier than the corn tortillas (and don’t have the same tendency to break when folding in half).
The recipe calls for 6-inch tortillas – a standard size for corn tortillas. When using flour tortillas, I cut 8-inch tortillas into 6-inch rounds. It’s probably all in my head, but I think these tacos taste better as 6-inchers.
They’d probably be super tasty (and obviously really cute) made street taco size as well.
Once the tacos are baked, while still warm, carefully fold in half and garnish with whatever your heart desires.
We are kind of partial to shredded lettuce, avocados, lime wedges, cilantro, and salsa.
The tacos aren’t heavily loaded with shrimp. It’s a very subtle balance of crispy shell, bubbly cheese, bits of shrimp and tomatoes. You could easily make less tacos and load them up a bit more.
But I like the delicate crispy taco situation just as they are. They are one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my life, and I promise I’m not making that up.
Alternatives to shrimp?
I’ll head this question off before it gets asked. 🙂 If you are allergic to shrimp or just hate it (sob), you could definitely try subbing in something else for these tacos.
Maybe chicken? Salmon? Tilapia?
I’ve only ever made them with shrimp because I love shrimp more than life. But I’m excited to hear of any other variations that end up being a knockout!
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Baked Crispy Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
Shrimp Mixture:
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 small yellow white or red onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons ketchup or BBQ sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
- 1 teaspoon salt, I use coarse, kosher salt
- Pinch black pepper
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound large shrimp, 26 to 30 per pound, peeled, deveined and tails removed
Tortillas + Cheese:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable, canola or avocado oil
- 10 6-inch corn or flour tortillas (see note)
- 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
Toppings:
- Shredded iceberg lettuce
- Diced avocado
- Lime wedges
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Salsa or hot sauce
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower third of oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, stir together the tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, ketchup (or BBQ sauce), lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Cut shrimp into 1/2-inch pieces.
- In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat until rippling. Add the tomato mixture and cook until the liquid is reduced and the tomatoes start to break down and onion is softened, 5-6 minutes.
- Drain any extra liquid from the shrimp (discard the liquid); stir the shrimp into the skillet and cook until the shrimp just turn pink, 2-3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- Brush two rimmed half sheet pans with the 2 tablespoons oil.
- Place tortillas in a single layer on the oiled baking sheets.
- Divide the cheese evenly among the tortillas. Top with the shrimp/tomato mixture, arranging it mostly down the center of each tortilla.
- Bake the tacos, one sheet at a time (see note for convection bake), until the edges of the tortilla are golden and crispy, 7-10 minutes.
- Use a flat spatula to remove the tacos from the sheet pan. Gently fold tacos in half. Garnish with additional toppings as desired.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Cook’s Country Feb/March 2018
My husband said to make these any time I want! They are delicious!!!
Hi Mel,
Oh my goodness! This recipe sounds utterly amazing! I can’t wait to try it, and thank you so much for sharing!
I wanted to ask this: I have some metal taco holder stands that fit two or three tacos in them, depending on which side is flipped up. Do you think I could just bake the tacos in the taco holder stands if I put them on the baking sheet?
The tacos won’t get as crispy around the edges if you bake that way – they might get soggy in the middle and bottom.
Makes sense. Thanks!
Absolutely delicious!
I’m sharing this with my friends by a link to your site. Thank you!
These were absolutely awesome! Will definitely be making them again!
This is one of my favorite recipes of yours. We usually make it with the flour tortillas and they are so yummy. What is surprising is they are even good reheated the next day in a toaster oven or air fryer. Usually shrimp
Left over is not my fav but I look forward to these left overs. The shredded lettuce and sour cream is a must! Thank you Mel!!!
I had everything to make these except tomatoes, so I used canned diced tomatoes, and it worked great! They were delicious. Even my husband, a very picky eater, liked them
I don’t usually comment on recipes, but this was really tasty! A nice summery recipe for a cold November day, and pretty easy too. There are a few other recipes of yours that I make often.
Super delicious. Will make again for certain! Thank you!!!
Well I can’t wait to make these!! Silly question, but how did you cut your flour tortillas down to six inches? Do you have a 6 inch round cutter?
You can use a pot lid or something similar to kind of cut around or just eyeball it.
Made it. Loved it. Can’t wait to make it again!
Hey Mel, I made these tacos last night! So yummy. Of course! 🙂
Since I’m the only one In my house that eats seafood, I made them again tonight and swapped out the shrimp for chicken. I used a rotisserie chicken and coconut oil on the pan. The coconut oil gave it some sweetness. Anytime I fry up tortillas, coconut oil is my go to! So I wanted to see how it would work for this recipe! Loved it!! 🙂 this is a perfect easy week night or any night dinner!
Made these tonight and OH so good. Used corn tortillas and they were fine but may try flour next time. I used 2 racks in the oven and learned they got much crispier on the bottom rack. Fast and easy beach vacay meal that was a hit with everyone. Will definitely make these again!
These look absolutely wonderful, but my problem is I have a shellfish allergy. Do you think I could follow your recipe and substitute ground beef instead and season with a small amount of taco seasoning. I really want to try these. Thank you!!
These are delicious. Sprinkled cilantro on them right out of the oven. Loved the crispy flour tortilla! My husband said they are restaurant quality.
I have been chomping at the bit to try these, but I have a tomato allergy. I can do ketchup and every so often marinara, but raw tomatoes are not my friend. I read through all of the comments to see if there were any substitutes, but no luck.
I decided to make them tonight anyway. I used one Roma tomato which ended up being a half a cup, and subbed in one cup of chopped roasted red peppers. Then I prayed that the skillet time and oven time would be enough to not make me react to the half cup of tomatoes.
Bad and good news… Bad news is that I still reacted to the tomatoes. But the good news is that you couldn’t tell a flavor or texture difference between the tomatoes and roasted red peppers; they were a great sub!! Next time I’ll use all roasted tomatoes and add a little extra lime juice for acidity.
These are DELICIOUS, and were worth my experiment! I hope those who commented with tomato allergies see this post and give the roasted red peppers a try so they don’t miss out on a great recipe!
Have you tried Harissa Sauce instead of tomato? It’s a red chile pepper paste or sauce from North Africa. You can get it mild or hot, but read ingredients carefully to make sure there is no tomato in it- some commercial versions, esp. the harissa pastes, do include tomato or tomato paste. The spices used in the sauce vary so finding one you like can be a fun experiment, or you can make from scratch. Harissa sauce- at least the one we buy- can get watery with cooking so in a recipe like this I would try draining it with cheesecloth before cooking or the tacos might be a soggy mess. (Disclaimer- I have just found this recipe so have not tried it, but it will be on the menu soon.)
We substitute harissa for tomato in a lot of recipes, but try to add it after all/most of the cooking is done to get the best flavor. Try it on pasta with ground beef (add black beans for chili mac), as a flavorful sauce/dip when mixed with yogurt or ranch dressing, use it in a black bean-corn salsa, etc. I don’t normally like chile peppers but do like the Mina brand mild Moroccan Red Pepper Sauce. (Kroger, Ingles, Amazon carry it.) For more heat that half of us demands we add other seasonings to the mild, like chipotle chile powder, cumin, etc.- we feel the Mina hot version does not have the rich pepper flavor of the mild. YMMV
Hope this product opens up some allergy-free options- a tomato allergy is incredibly sad- and miserable!
Soooo good! Thanks for the great recipe. Better than any restaurant shrimp tacos and easy to make. I used corn tortillas and they crisped up perfectly. I’m sharing this recipe with all my family.
These were amazing!! Going in our rotation for sure!!
I really hate to use my baking sheets without a Silpat or some parchment paper! (because I hate to clean anything burnt off of them). However, I do want them crispy!
I am considering just brushing some oil onto the bottom of my tortillas and hoping they still get crispy.
I think I will try the parchment paper, as other things I bake with the Silpat don’t get very brown on the bottom.
I also love using parchment or a Silpat on my sheet pans for the same reason. Try using DAWN Powerwash Dish Spray, I used it on a pan put in the smoker with cooked on BBQ sauce … came out looking like a brand new pan!
So good!! My whole family enjoyed! My husband said they were restaurant quality and he would order them from a restaurant. My 12 yr old daughter requested them for her birthday dinner. I was nervous about the jalapeño but you said to trust you and not leave it out. So glad I trusted you! Thank you for a quick easy delicious meal!
How is this baked when you cook the shrimp on the stove. Misleading.
The title just indicates that the tacos crisp up in the oven. 🙂
My husband loves these! We are super lucky to live where shrimp come off the boats and I can’t tell you how delicious they are. I’m menu planning now, and I wasn’t planning on these this week, but now I’m distracted by these and I can’t think of anything else.
Just made this and these were delicious! Keeping for a regular. Thanks for posting!
I saw somewhere where someone asked if you could substitute the shrimp with something else. I like beef, chicken and pork. With this recipe, all I can say is Whyyyy?
Smells and tastes just like restaurant tacos, so SO good!
I love how light these taste. They are super yummy!
I had a nesting fail on my first comment attempt…but, filling was great! Just sogged through with the corn tortillas so we had to fork them – not sure if it was too much cheese, being on oiled foil instead of directly on the pan, or corn vs flour, but I’d love any tips for crunch success!
BIG FAN These are so so good. Made as directed and they were mouth watering. Incredible.
We want to have a taco bar for cinco de mayo! How would I bake and prepare them for a taco bar buffet where everybody builds there own? Would I still bake the shrimp, just without the tortillas?
I’m not sure these would be the right fit for a build your own taco bar because they really benefit from that crispy texture that comes from baking everything in the oven. But you could make the tomato/shrimp filling and have that available on the taco bar.
These are amazing! My husband kind of groaned when I told him I was making shrimp tacos until I put these in front of him. So much better than what I had been making. The cheese and crisping the tortillas in the oven is game changing! We now have these on a regular rotation.
Hi Mel,
These tacos are spot on fabulous!!! I used the defrosted cooked shrimp (that’s what I had on hand) the small size, rinsed and pat dry and not ice cold so they would heat through quickly and not over cook. I left them whole and followed the recipe as written. Super delicious, the Hubster loved them too!
My sister and I get to spend a few days together, so we decided to try some new recipes. We opted for this one, even though it was not originally on our list of recipes to try. I am so glad we did. They were absolutely incredible. And, really not that time consuming. We used corn tortillas and folded them immediately when they came out of the oven. I can’t wait to make this for my kids.
Hi Mel,
Have you ever used defrosted cooked shrimp? What would be your suggestions for cooking times, just defrost add to mixture and then bake? I’m worried they might over cook. I’m really looking forward to this meal!
Thanks!
I haven’t, so I’m not sure how it would fare (I’m worried it might get a bit overcooked, too). You could try defrosting and then adding to the tomato mixture and broiling.
Five Stars! (Don’t know why the website doesn’t give me the option to rate it.) My hubby was at the store and decided he was in the mood for shrimp. We’ve been married 25 years and he hasn’t ever done that! No Fear! I knew Mel would bail me out. I smiled and said, “no problem.” So I went onto your site and found Shrimp Scampi and these tacos. He enjoyed both immensely and said this one is company worthy. Now, I am the hero wife you made me to be. 😉 Blessings!
How long do you cook the shrimp in the oven when using thawed out frozen shrimp?
The cooking time would be the same as in the recipe.
Yum! Wished all of my kids liked shrimp! Guess that means more for the rest of us. Very good recipe. I subbed cheddar for the cheddar jack because that’s what I had and used smaller shrimp and street taco flour tortillas. Will definitely make again!
Made this the other night and we all loved it!! I have never baked tacos before. It was delish!
I made this thinking “oh yum, shrimp tacos!” Well, now I am ruined because these are the BEST SHRIMP TACOS EVER! I can never order shrimp tacos at a restaurant/for takeout again because these are the pinnacle of shrimp tacos. My husband was raving about these and asked when I’m making them next. Easy, flavorful, magical, and incredibly delicious.
I used corn tortillas and blues hog Smokey mountain bbq sauce…perfection.
Why did I wait so long to try these?! They were amazing and something I will make again and again! Thank you for a great, easy recipe!
These look AMAZING but we have a tomato allergy in the house. The ketchup is ok but the raw tomatoes aren’t. I’m trying to think of an alternative.
Mel! I am so glad you posted about your hubby’s birthday dinner last week. These were phenomenal! My entire family RAVED about them. So easy & so delicious. Thanks for another amazing recipe!!!!
Delicious! I’ve made these multiple times!
These are amazing! It’s definitely different, more of a barbecue flavor but I love them so much. Also Tortillaland makes 6-in flour and corn tortillas, they are uncooked in the refrigerated section. Best tortillas you’ll ever buy!
I was a little scared to try this recipe as it seemed like a lot of things could go wrong from cutting down the tortillas to baking them in the oven on an oily pan. Boy, am I glad I went for it! Delicious! I used half of the filling last night for dinner for me and my daughter. Today, I gently reheated the filling and made the rest of the tacos for lunch for me and my husband since he missed out last night. Definitely a recipe we will be revisiting soon!
This recipe is DELICIOUS! I made it with salmon instead of shrimp. I cooked it in the Traeger until it was partially done, then cut/pulled it into smaller pieces and tossed it in with tomato mixture. My family said they wanted shrimp next time, but we have lots of salmon from my husband’s Alaska fishing adventures, so…
Thank you so much, Mel! You are a life-saver with recipes and food help!
That sounds amazing, Kjersti!
I love shrimp, but didn’t love this recipe. Sorry. I think I would have like the shrimp browned. 1 tsp Olive oil was not enough for us.
These are AMAZING! I have made them twice and was worried we wouldn’t love them as much the second time, but not so. Once again, we said, “Thank you, Mel” as we ate dinner.
These are so so good! I loved what the ketchup did for the filling and baking the flour tortillas was the best choice! Thanks, Mel
Thanks, Angela!
These are absolutely amazing! We loved them ! Making them tonight for the second time this week!!
Glad to know we’re not the only ones who’ve eaten them twice in a week! Haha. Thanks, Stephanie!
These totally lived up to the hype! Like I’m considering bulk making the shrimp mixture so I can whip up a taco daily ♀️ And the perfect crispiness of the tortilla?! I died. It’s the little things Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much, Jasmine! Love the idea of making the filling in bulk to make a taco whenever you want it!
Absolutely the BEST taco I’ve ever made. Knocked it out of the park. Cried when I couldn’t eat another one. The taco shell folded perfectly around 4 shrimp. YUMMO!!!!!
Thanks, Dayna!
🙂 Thanks, Dayna!
Okay… those were really good! We both liked the A LOT!!
Thanks, Jeannie!
These are our all time favorite shrimp tacos. Holy cow they are yummy! Flavor is to die for. Thank you for the recipes!
Thanks, Julie!