Street-Style Shrimp Tacos with Corn, Bacon and Lime Crema
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These street-style shrimp tacos with corn, bacon, and lime crema make a fast, fun, family-pleasing feast.
The inspiration for these crazy-good shrimp tacos comes from a fabulous cookbook called Taqueria: New-Style Fun and Friendly Mexican Cooking by Australian chef Paul Wilson (Hardie Grant Books, 2017). Wilson writes, “This is one of the most popular summer dishes in my kitchens. It’s fast, simple to prepare, and the three main ingredients work very well together in a warm tortilla.” My family literally devours these.
What You’ll Need To Make Shrimp Tacos with Corn and Bacon
I use large shrimp for this recipe, which you may find labeled 31 to 35 shrimp per pound. When cooked, they are a perfect size to pile into a tortilla.
For the best results, use good quality thick-cut bacon; Wright or Smithfield are both good brands that are easy to find.
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, cut the kernels off of the corn cobs. The best way to do this is to this (without having the kernels fly all over the kitchen) is to invert a small bowl inside a larger bowl. Hold the cob upright on top of the inverted small bowl, with the flatter end of the cob down, and use a sharp knife to slice downward as close to the cob as possible.
Next, place the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Fry, stirring frequently, until crispy and golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the bacon fat in the skillet.
Add the corn to the fat in the skillet.
Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until crisp, about 2 minutes.
Spoon the corn into a bowl and set aside. Add the shrimp, scallions, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and 1/8 teaspoon salt to the skillet.
Cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the corn, bacon, cilantro, and lime juice to the shrimp.
Stir to combine, then remove from the heat and cover to keep warm while you heat the tortillas and make the lime crema.
How to Make Lime Crema
Simply stir together the sour cream, fresh lime juice, and salt.
How to Serve Shrimp Tacos with Corn, Bacon, and Lime Crema
Warm the tortillas according to the package instructions. Place the tortillas on serving plates and top with the shrimp mixture and generous spoonfuls of the lime crema. Serve immediately with the rest of the crema on the side.
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Street-Style Shrimp Tacos with Corn, Bacon and Lime Crema
These street-style shrimp tacos with corn, bacon, and lime crema make a fast, fun, family-pleasing feast.
Ingredients
For the Lime Crema
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
- Pinch salt
For the Shrimp Tacos with Corn and Bacon
- 4 slices (6 oz) thick-cut bacon, diced
- 4 corn cobs, uncooked kernels removed
- 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 lbs large (31/35) shrimp, peeled, de-veined, and tail removed, thawed if frozen
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- Salt
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
- 12 small corn tortillas
Instructions
For the Lime Crema
- In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, fresh lime juice and salt.
For the Shrimp Tacos with Corn and Bacon
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, fry the bacon, stirring frequently, until crispy and golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the bacon fat in the skillet.
- Add the corn to the fat in the skillet and season with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook the corn, stirring frequently, until crisp, about 2 minutes. Spoon the corn into a bowl and set aside.
- Add the shrimp, scallions, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and ⅛ teaspoon salt to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the corn, bacon, cilantro, and 1 tablespoon lime juice to the shrimp. Stir to combine, then taste and adjust the seasoning with more lime juice or salt, if necessary. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm while you heat the tortillas.
- Warm the tortillas in the microwave or in a skillet according to the package instructions. Place the tortillas on serving plates and top with the shrimp mixture and generous spoonfuls of the lime crema. Serve the rest of the crema on the side.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The lime crema can be made up to four days ahead of time and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator. The shrimp mixture can be made one day ahead of time and refrigerated; just keep the cooked bacon and cilantro separate until you reheat the dish. Reheat the shrimp mixture in a skillet over medium heat until just heated through.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 taco
- Calories: 245
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 16 g
- Sodium: 636 mg
- Cholesterol: 115 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Delicious change. The sweetness of the corn worked well with the shrimp. Cilantro & lime cream elevated flavors.
Made this recipe for dinner tonight and WOW so delicious – amazing flavour! The whole family loved them and we will make again for sure. I highly recommend avocado be added as well. Thanks for another great recipe!
Jenn, Made these for some friends we had over last night. I served it with your tomato, pesto and burrata salad that was on the cover of your cookbook. Rave reviews from adult and kiddie guests alike. (even though I missed a step or two after drinking a glass of wine) 🙂
Ha! Glad everyone enjoyed, Laura! 😊
These tacos were spectacular and so easy. Didn’t have sour cream and didn’t miss it, but will use it next time.
Thanks Jenn for another “keeper.” Your recipes are the best.
Susan
I saw this recipe in today’s newsletter and I immediately knew what I was making for dinner – SO tasty! The flavors are perfect and we added avocado slices for the cherry on top. The husband loved them. This recipe is definitely going in our rotation. 🙂
Sounds tasty! I’m going to try this recipe this weekend! it’s a big group and I’d be grateful for any suggestions for other dishes to serve with these tacos that would complement the meal?
Hi Jan, If you’re looking for an additional main dish, the Carne Asada would be a great choice. In terms of sides or starters, the tacos would be delicious with my Mexican Rice, Black Bean and Corn Salad, Guacamole, and margaritas to help wash everything down. 🙂
I saw this recipe today and made them for supper. My local grocery did not have fresh corn so I used 3 cups of frozen And they were amazing. Wonderful flavours and easy enough to make for a weekday dinner. My boys loved them.
The only thing I changed was I added extra lime juice to the sour cream I also had to add a bit of butter and extra lime juice to the shrimp cause the pan was dry once the corn came out and I couldnt get the spices to coat evenly with out some added oil.
This dish is being added to our regular rotation. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Could you make this without the cumin or is there a substitution that you recommend?
Hi Kaylie, I like the depth of flavor that the cumin adds here, but if you’re not a fan, you could use more ancho chili powder or a teaspoon of regular chili powder in its place. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
I made this this evening and was out of cumin, so I searched online and found a suggestion to substitute with half the amount of coriander. It tasted really good, but next time (and there will be a next time!), I’ll make sure to have cumin on hand.
My husband said they were the best shrimp tacos he’s ever had. Since it’s now in our taco Tuesday rotation, I’m thankful it is so easy to make! Your recipes are delicious Jenn!
So delicious did add avocados slices, just because I love them. Sent recipe to sister in CA and they loved also. Only thing I would change is to use a flour tortilla versus corn. I used corn but switched to flour with leftovers. Jen, thanks so much for all your delicious recipes. This one is guest worthy.
This sounds amazing! Can it be made with frozen shrimp? any recommended tweaks for using frozen shrimp?
Definitely, Francesca – I use frozen (defrosted) shrimp for this, so no modifications necessary. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi – This recipe sounds so good! Fresh corn is not in season where I live so would it be OK to substitute frozen corn? If so, about how many cups of corn would I need? Thanks!
Hi Sandra, I do like this best with fresh corn, but in a pinch, frozen corn will work. You’ll need approximately 3 cups. Enjoy!
Can you suggesst a substitution for a person who doesn’t like sour cream? Thanks.
Hi Barbara, plain Greek yogurt or Creme fraiche would work. Also, you could just skip the crema and squeeze some fresh lime juice over the tacos. (They’d also be delicious topped with some guac.) Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Omg!! This was so delicious! I used frozen corn and added avocado slices to the top. I also added a bit of olive oil to the pan to help the spices coat the shrimp. I have honestly never eaten a better shrimp taco!
Oooh, avocado! That sounds good too! Thanks for the suggestion!