Shrimp Tacos with Pico de Gallo and Chipotle Crema
The fastest, freshest taco night there is. Chili-lime shrimp sear in five minutes while the pico, crema, and cabbage come together, then everyone builds their own. Flour tortillas - from scratch if you want a project, store-bought on a Tuesday.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 8 min
- Total
- 23 min
- Serves
- 4
- Method
- Skillet
Shrimp go from perfect to rubbery in seconds - two minutes a side, until just pink and curled, then off the heat. They keep cooking on the way to the table. Fast is the whole point of a Tuesday taco.
What actually matters here
- Pat the shrimp dry and get the pan hot so they sear, not steam.
- Do not overcook - 2 minutes a side, just until pink and curled.
- Warm the tortillas so they fold without cracking.
Ingredients
Serves 4.
Chili-Lime Shrimp
- 1 1/2 lblarge shrimp, peeled
- 1 tbspoil
- 1 tspchili powder
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- 1/2 tspcumin
- 2garlic cloves, grated
- 1lime, juiced
- salt
Chipotle Crema
- 1/2 cupsour cream
- 1chipotle in adobo, minced
- 1lime, juiced
- salt
Pico de Gallo
- 3Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/2onion, diced
- 1jalapeno, minced
- 1/4 cupcilantro
- 1lime, juiced
- salt
To Build
- warm flour tortillas
- 2 cupsshredded cabbage tossed with a splash of vinegar and salt
- extra lime and cilantro
Before you start
- Whisk the chipotle crema.
- Make the pico de gallo.
- Toss the cabbage with a splash of vinegar and salt.
- Toss the shrimp with oil, spices, garlic, and lime.
Method
- Heat a skillet over medium-high.
- Sear the shrimp 2 minutes a side until just pink and curled; do not overcook.
- Warm the tortillas in a dry pan or over the flame.
- Build: shrimp, crisp cabbage, pico.
- Drizzle with chipotle crema.
- Finish with cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
How you know it is right
- The shrimp are just-cooked and juicy.
- The cabbage is crisp and bright.
- The crema is smoky and cool.
- Everyone builds their own.
How to serve it
Serve with cilantro-lime rice and black beans, or just more tacos.
If you want it simpler
- Store-bought flour tortillas make this a 20-minute dinner; scratch tortillas are a weekend treat.
- A good jarred pico and pre-shredded cabbage cut the prep to nothing.
Sear the shrimp fast, build with cabbage and pico, finish with smoky crema.
This dish came from the SEASON plan for July 20 - 26, 2026, alongside nine other dinners and one shopping list.
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Written and tested by Chef Michael Rossi, who has spent thirty years in professional kitchens including Napa Rose, THE RANCH, The Masters at Augusta National, and The Beach Club. Every SEASON recipe is one he has cooked on a real line before it reaches a home kitchen.