Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Corn Salad (Elote / Esquite Inspired)
These spicy shrimp tacos with creamy corn salad are seriously delicious. Easy to make, loaded with flavor and perfect any night of the week, your entire family will love these tasty tacos. I like to add freshly chopped cilantro and fresh squeezed lime juice to mine, but you can add whatever you enjoy most.
About this Elote / Esquite Inspired Creamy Corn Salad
This corn salad recipe is a hybrid between elote and esquite style corn. Traditional elote is well known Mexican street food. It consists of corn on the cob charred on the grill, then brushed with a spicy creamy mayonnaise, dusted in chili powder, and topped with Cotija cheese.
Where as esquite, is roasted or boiled corn that has been removed from the cob, then sautéed with onions, chili peppers and lime juice. Esquite is served warm, in an easy to hold cup and topped with elote style toppings. So, this creamy corn salad is truly a hybrid of both elote and esquites style corn! Either way, it’s delicious.
Ingredients Needed for Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Corn Salad
Shrimp – For this recipe, I used thawed raw jumbo shrimp. You can thaw the shrimp in the refrigerator overnight. Be sure to peel and devein the shrimp. You’ll also want to remove the tails for easy eating. There are about 24 jumbo shrimp per pound, which yields between 6-8 medium-sized tacos. Roughly 3-4 shrimp per taco.
Blackening Spice – Combine dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt and black pepper in a mixing bowl. Toss it with the shrimp making sure they are well coated.
Avocado Oil – Heat avocado oil in a non-stick skillet and sauté the shrimp. Make sure they are fully cooked through, about 1-2 minutes per side.
Tortillas – Heat 6-8 medium sized tortillas for this recipe.
Corn Salad – Combine grilled corn kernels, diced jalapeno, mayonnaise, light sour cream, lime juice and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix until well combined.
Cilantro – Option to add fresh cilantro on top of your tacos. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, you could use scallions instead.
Lime – Option to add a squeeze of fresh lime juice over the tacos. It really enhances the flavor.
How to Make Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Corn Salad.
Thaw the shrimp in the refrigerator overnight. Peel and devein them. Remove the tails. Add the shrimp to a mixing bowl and toss them with the blackening spice. (dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt and black pepper)
Heat avocado oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the seasoned shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp from the heat.
Grill the corn on the cob and carefully remove the kernels. Option to use canned corn instead but be sure to drain it.
In a mixing bowl, combine the charred corn kernels, finely diced jalapeno, mayonnaise, light sour cream, lime juice and salt. Mix until well combined.
Carefully heat the tortillas over the stovetop and assemble the tacos. Add the crispy shrimp, followed by creamy corn salad, fresh cilantro and some fresh squeezed lime juice.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. Reheat in the microwave.
Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Corn Salad
Ingredients
Blackened Shrimp
- 1 lb. jumbo shrimp, peel and devein – remove tail
- 1-2 tablespoons avocado oil, for pan searing the seasoned shrimp
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Creamy Corn Salad
- 2 cups corn kernels, lightly grilled, remove kernels from cob
- ¼ cup jalapeno, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons light sour cream
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, fresh squeezed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Tortillas / Garnishes
- 6-8 medium tortillas
- pinch cilantro, remove stems
- lime wedges
Equipment
- 2 mixing bowls
- 1 non-stick skillet
Instructions
- Thaw the shrimp in the refrigerator overnight. Peel and devein them. Remove the tails. Add the shrimp to a mixing bowl and toss them with the blackening spice. (dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt and black pepper)
- Heat avocado oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the seasoned shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp from the heat.
- Grill your corn and carefully remove the kernels. Option to use canned corn instead but be sure to drain it first.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the grilled corn kernels, finely diced jalapeno, mayonnaise, light sour cream, lime juice and salt. Mix until well combined.
- Carefully heat the tortillas over the stovetop and assemble the tacos. Add the crispy shrimp, followed by creamy corn salad, fresh cilantro and some fresh squeezed lime juice.
13 Comments on “Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Corn Salad (Elote / Esquite Inspired)”
My new favourite shrimp taco recipe. Delicious!
These are amazing! I’ll be making these again and again!
So easy and so tasty! We made them dairy-free by swapping the sour cream for vegan sour cream. The perfect summer recipe!
AMAZING! Even my husband who doesn’t *love* shrimp, devoured these and said he wants them again soon! Perfect summer meal!
Light, delicious, and seems elevated but it’s actually so easy. I substituted the sour cream for Greek yogurt, used low fat mayo. Ives also down a low broil with frozen corn on a sheet pan for the charring. Love this dish!
These were amazing! Super quick and easy to make. This is now on our Friday rotation during Lent. Homerun!!!
Have made these 3 times now. So easy and delicious! Spice mix takes a second, and the sweet and creamy corn complements the shrimp perfectly. So satisfying! Made some slaw as a side.
This recipe immediately caught my eye while searching for fish recipes for Lent. For something that requires minimal prep this was delicious! Thanks Sarah for making my life easier!
This was such a simple, delicious recipe to make! I love shrimp tacos and the corn salad was a nice change from the norm! I will 100% make this one again!
These were so easy to make and absolutely delicious! I love the corn salad paired with the spicy shrimp!
These are amazing!!! I didn’t change a thing! Delicious!!
So good!
thank you!