Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos With Slaw & Creamy Jalapeno Sauce
These Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos get tons of flavor from a simple homemade shrimp taco marinade, a grilled char and finish with a creamy jalapeno sauce.
You don’t have to miss Taco Tuesday when you make camping dinner recipes from your favorite Mexican restaurants.
Recipe Prep
I use shredded cabbage slaw and peeled and deveined shrimp to eliminate a lot of work for myself. If you choose to buy a head of green cabbage, you’ll need to shred it. If you purchase un-prepped shrimp, you’ll need to devein them and remove the shells and tails.
You’ll also need to mince garlic, dice jalapeno, chop cilantro, zest and juice a lime.
Cooking Methods & Equipment
- If you are making this as one of our easy campfire recipes, you’ll need to get your fire going in order to cook over coals. You can place the shrimp in a grilling basket or on skewers for fast grilling.
- To make these shrimp tacos as one of our camping grill recipes, you’ll want to use a grill basket or skewers if your grill grate has large gaps where the shrimp can fall through. I like using our little Smokey Joe grill because it is convenient to carry and the grate openings are small enough to keep the shrimp from falling into the charcoal. You can also use your Blackstone.
- If you are making this as one of our camp stove recipes, the shrimp can be grilled on a grill-style skillet frying pan with ridges or on the grill side of a cast iron reversible grill/griddle.
Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Reversible Grill-Griddle
Recipe Steps
Step 1. Marinate the shrimp. Mix the marinade ingredients in a plastic bag, add shrimp and refrigerate for about 1/2 hour.
Step 2. Make the sauce. While the shrimp is marinating, mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside in cooler or refrigerator.
Step 3. Prepare your ingredients, heat source and equipment as directed.
Step 4. Warm the tortillas. Place a pan over medium heat, warm the tortillas on both sides.
Camp Cooking Tip: Warm tortillas to make them pliable before you fill them.
Step 5. Grill the shrimp. Use a grill pan, grill basket, small grill grate or skewers to cook the shrimp.
Step 6. Assemble the tacos. Layer 2 tortillas, shredded cabbage, 4 shrimp, cilantro and drizzle with sauce. Serve hot.
Substitutions
I know it is tempting to use dried herbs and spices when cooking in the wilderness but you really want to use fresh garlic, fresh lime juice and fresh lime zest for maximum flavor. I do not recommend substituting garlic powder or bottled lime juice here.
Pairings
When I’m making tacos as a main dish, I like starting the meal with some of our favorite camping snacks.
I want "5 Secrets To Successful Camping Trips" plus weekly camping tips & recipes.
- This Sweet Onion Salsa combines fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno pepper and lemon juice to make a wonderful chunky salsa to serve with chips.
- This awesomely Fresh Guacamole makes a great appetizer but it’s also a fabulous spread on veggie wraps and is a great substitute for mayo in sandwiches. It is so versatile, that’s why it’s one of my favorite vegetarian camping recipes.
- We love making Dutch oven camping recipes on our trips. We use cheddar cheese but often swap out with cotija cheese for a more traditional flavor profile when making these loaded Dutch oven nachos. They can be served as a starter or a main course when you don’t feel like eating a big meal.
Meal Planning
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Leftovers
If you have leftover shrimp, place it in an airtight container and keep refrigerated. Sprinkle them over a big bowl of lettuce for a healthy and refreshing lunch.
Similar Meals
If you like Mexican or shrimp dishes, here are several more recipes you may want to try:
- Make Creamy Tacos when you want an easy, tasty & fun one-pot camping meal that uses simple ingredients and requires minimal prep work
- We’ve got tons of different camping sandwich ideas. This Diablo Sandwich is a Tex-Mex style sloppy joe that is slightly spicy and totally delicious!
- We have so many easy camping meals that are quick to prep and cook. These Camping Tacos are made with ground beef.
- Basil is the secret ingredient in this super-tasty Asian Inspired Dutch Oven Shrimp dinner.
- You can make an expensive protein like shrimp go far to feed lots of hungry campers when you make one pot camping meals that use pasta. This Garlicky Shrimp Alfredo Bake is always a crowd-pleaser.
- Shrimp is a great ingredient when making gluten free camping food like this fresh Avocado Spinach Salad With Grilled Shrimp. The marinated and grilled shrimp pair perfectly with spinach, ruby red grapefruit segments, orange segments, avocado slices and a simple homemade dressing.
Recipe
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Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos With Slaw & Jalapeno Lime Sauce
Equipment
- Grill with basket, Cast iron griddle over campfire or stove, or Blackstone
Ingredients
For the shrimp marinade
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 28 medium shrimp tails off and deveined
For the chili lime sauce
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 lime zest and juice
- 1 small jalapeno finely diced
For cooking, assembly and serving
- 16 corn tortillas
- 3 cups shredded cabbage slaw
- 1 bunch cilantro roughly chopped
- 2 limes quartered
- Your favorite hot sauce or peppers (if desired)
Instructions
- Measure marinade ingredients into large resealable plastic bag, “squish” the bag until all of the ingredients are incorporated, then add the shrimp, seal the bag and “toss” to coat.
- Refrigerate the shrimp in the marinade for about 30 minutes.
- While the shrimp is marinating, make the sauce. Measure all ingredients into small resealable plastic bag, let the air out and seal the bag. “Squish” the bag until all the ingredients are incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Slightly warm each side of the tortillas in a pan over medium heat to make them pliable before you fill them.
- Using a grill pan, grill basket, small grill grate or skewers, cook the shrimp over medium high heat until no longer translucent, about 3-5 minutes per side.
- Build the tacos: Layer 2 tortillas for each taco. Top with a little shredded cabbage, 4 shrimp, cilantro and sauce. (see Note 1)
- Serve with lime wedge, hot sauce and extra peppers, if desired.
Notes
- Sauce can be drizzled with a spoon or squeezed from bag. Cut the corner off of the plastic bag containing the sauce and use it like a squirt bottle to apply the sauce. Camp Cooking Tip: Only cut a small corner off of the plastic bag. If the hole is too large, the sauce will glob out instead of float out in a cute little gourmet-looking stream.
Nutrition
As Seen On TV Making Camping Shrimp Taco Recipe
If you watch 3TV in Phoenix, you may have seen me make these tacos on Good Morning Arizona. I had 3.5 minutes to do the segment and was excited to spread my message to the masses! As a recipe developer, photographer and blogger, I’m on a mission to let outdoor enthusiasts know they can permanently remove the dreaded hot dogs and beans from their camp menus!
For this special television appearance, I wanted to create a new meal that would demonstrate techniques and secrets that make cooking while camping easy, creative, fast and flavorful. And, with a nod of gratitude for the invitation to appear on the show, I named this dish 3TV Camping Shrimp Tacos aka Chili Lime Grilled Shrimp Tacos With Jalapeno Lime Sauce.
Do you use the corn tortillas right out of the bag? How do you soften them up?
Hi Julie, I use packaged tortillas fresh from the grocery store and keep them in a cool place till ready to use. Let them get to room temperature before eating. We have used them straight out of the package as well as heated them on a grill or a dry pan (no oil required.) They have a tendency to break if you only use one shell (especially after stuffing them with the shrimp and other delish ingredients), so that’s why I stack two for extra strength. Hope you enjoy them! And, thanks for stopping by!
Sounds like a great taco recipe. Can those of us that missed your 3tv segment catch it on you tube?
Hi Rick, It is a great taco recipe and super easy too! I’ve posted the video on my website. Have fun on your next camp trip!