These smoky Ancho Chile Shrimp Tacos make an easy and delicious weeknight dinner. They’re made with a combination of four spices and topped with a homemade mango slaw.
Tacos are one of our favorite things to make, and these Ancho Chile Shrimp Tacos are no exception. The shrimp is coated with a simple mix of ancho chile powder, cumin, garlic and onion powder, and salt. They cook quickly on the stove and the crunchy mango slaw is the icing on the cake!
Corn tortillas are the preferred choice for these tacos, and we love topping them with cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, crema (Mexican sour cream), and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. For more Mexican recipes, try our Chipotle Chilaquiles.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: The shrimp takes less than 10 minutes to cook and the mango slaw comes together easily in one bowl.
- Healthy: This dish is full of fresh ingredients as well as protein from the shrimp.
- Lightly Spicy: Depending on how hot your jalapeños are, these have a nice little kick to them.
Ingredient Notes
Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Here you’ll find notes on why we chose certain ingredients as well as any substitutions.
- Shrimp: You’ll need 1 pound (454 g) of peeled and deveined shrimp. We used colossal shrimp since that’s what’s available at our closest grocery store.
- Spices: Ancho chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt are all you need.
- Olive Oil: We use extra-virgin olive oil to cook the shrimp.
- Green Cabbage: For the base of the slaw.
- Mango: We buy the pre-cut mango chunks and dice them into small pieces. It saves a lot of time compared to cutting a whole mango.
- Avocado: Make sure to use a ripe one that’s not overly soft. It should give a little when lightly pressed.
- Red onion: This adds a bit of bite to the slaw.
- Cilantro: For the slaw and topping the finished tacos.
- Jalapeño: Leave the seeds in for a nice touch of spice.
- Lime Juice: Use room temperature limes to get more juice out of them.
- Corn Tortillas: Yellow corn works best for these shrimp tacos.
- Cotija Cheese: You can also use queso fresco or Oaxaca.
- Crema: This is Mexican sour cream which is thinner and less tart than regular sour cream. If you can’t find any at the store, regular will work just fine.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This section provides a general overview as well as any pictures to guide you through the recipe. The full detailed recipe instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
STEP 1: Make the mango slaw. Prep all the ingredients for the mango slaw and toss them together in a large bowl. Set aside in the fridge while you make the shrimp.
STEP 2: Combine the spices. In a small bowl, stir together the ancho chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
STEP 3: Prep the shrimp. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels then transfer to a bowl with the spice mixture. Use food-safe gloves to toss by hand and evenly coat with spices.
STEP 4: Cook the shrimp. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes until cooked through and no longer transparent in the center. Be sure to flip them halfway through.
STEP 5: Assemble the tacos. Heat your corn tortillas and fill with shrimp. Top with the mango slaw and add cotija, crema (or sour cream), cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Make the mango slaw the night before. This takes up most of the recipe time since there’s a lot of chopping involved, but if you do it the night before, you’ll have these ancho chile shrimp tacos done in no time.
- Use food-safe gloves. Anytime you’re mixing things with raw meat and fish, we recommend using food-safe gloves to minimize the spread of bacteria.
- Get pre-cut mango: Using pre-cut mango chunks saves a lot of time compared to slicing up a whole fruit. You’ll still need to dice them, but it’s a huge time saver!
FAQ
Make sure your pan and oil are preheated over medium-high heat before cooking. Spread the shrimp evenly into the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes, flipping halfway through. They’re done when they’re pink on the outside and opaque in the center. Make sure to transfer them immediately to a plate once they’re done so they don’t overcook and become rubbery.
Yes! Heat up the grill and cook them on both sides until cooked through and opaque in the center.
Serving
These tacos are filling on their own, but if you want a side to go with them, here’s a few ideas:
- Mexican rice
- Cilantro lime rice
- Borracho or refried beans
- Black beans
- Elotes (Mexican street corn salad)
Storage
Store the cooked shrimp separately from the slaw and place in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 day.
If you tried this recipe, let us know how it turned out for you! Leave a star rating and review below and tag us on Instagram @fancifuleats so we can see your amazing kitchen creations!
Print📖 Recipe
Ancho Chile Shrimp Tacos with Mango Slaw
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings (8 tacos) 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
These smoky Ancho Chile Shrimp Tacos make an easy and delicious weeknight dinner. They’re made with a combination of spices and topped with a homemade mango slaw.
Ingredients
For the Mango Slaw:
- 2 cups (110 g) shredded cabbage
- 1 cup (160 g) mango, diced
- 1 avocado, diced
- ¼ cup (16 g) cilantro, finely chopped and tightly packed
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
- ¼ cup (35 g) red onion, finely chopped
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
For the Shrimp:
- 2 ½ tsp ancho chile powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 pound (454 g) shrimp, peeled and deveined, we used colossal shrimp
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Serving:
- 8 corn tortillas
- Cotija cheese
- Crema or sour cream
- Cilantro
- Limes
Instructions
- For the mango slaw, add all the ingredients to a large bowl and toss with tongs to combine. Set aside in the fridge while you make the shrimp.
- In a small bowl, combine the ancho chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
- Pat the shrimp dry then add to a large bowl. Sprinkle the spices over top and toss to evenly coat. Use food-safe gloves to toss by hand.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spread the shrimp evenly in the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes, flipping halfway through. They’re done when the outsides are pink and the center is no longer translucent. Immediately transfer to a plate to prevent them from overcooking.
- Heat the corn tortillas then fill with shrimp. Top with the mango slaw, cotija, crema (or sour cream), cilantro, and fresh lime juice.
Notes
Use pre-cut mango chunks to save time. You’ll still need to dice them, but it’s much easier than cutting whole fruit.
If there’s any leftovers, store the shrimp separately in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 day.
If you’re scaling up the recipe, just note that the gram measurement for the shrimp does not automatically update when using the scaling feature.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tacos
- Calories: 338
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 704.7 mg
- Fat: 11.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 35.9 g
- Fiber: 7.9 g
- Protein: 27.6 g
Keywords: ancho chile shrimp tacos, ancho chile shrimp tacos recipe, shrimp tacos with mango slaw
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