Shrimp Tacos with Margarita Slaw

Carb-free tacos, anyway.  I’ve been in love with fish tacos since first trying them while I in LA for the first time a couple of months ago.  Let’s just say that I’m harboring a not-so-secret love affair with them and have been testing them out wherever I go.  So naturally, when I came across this recipe on the Foodie Bride’s blog, I had to try them.  I wasted no time and picked up the ingredients I needed the first weekend after the recipe was posted.

And holy freaking moly.  This was seriously one of the best recipes I’ve tried in AGES.  The slaw was perfectly limey with just a hint of tequila and the grilled shrimp was quite literally finger-licking good.  I made my own marinade (recipe below) then grilled the shrimp for a couple of minutes on each side.  You can’t go wrong with this marinade – it’s fantastic!!  I served the shrimp directly over the slaw without the tortilla.  If you’re thinking “Wait, shrimp tacos without the tortilla?  Not happening…”  well, the slaw stands up on it’s own and doesn’t need anything else helping it to be better than it already is.  So I ate the slaw more like a salad sans avocado, chipotle mayo, and tortilla.  And it was goooood.

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One Year Ago: Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake

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Honey Lime Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Margarita Slaw

  • Prep Time: 1hr (inactive marinating time) + 10 minutes (active prep)
  • Cook Time: about 5min
  • Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the margarita slaw:
12 oz (about 7 cups) rainbow salad mix (or coleslaw mix)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup vegetable oil
Dash of sesame oil
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
½ tsp lime zest
1 shot Tequila
Dash of Tobasco sauce or other hot sauce
Salt and black pepper, to taste

For the honey lime marinade and shrimp:
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp honey
Juice of 2 limes
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
chili powder
ground cumin
ground coriander
garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (uncooked)

Instructions

  • 01

    To make the slaw: Place cabbage and cilantro in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the oils, lime and orange juices, lime zest, tequila, and Tobasco. Pour over cabbage and toss to coat completely. Season with salt and pepper. Serve cold.

  • 02

    To make the marinade and shrimp: In a large zipper bag, combine first 4 ingredients.  Add a few sprinkles each of the spices, salt and pepper.  Mix well to incorporate the honey into the oil and lime juice.  Add the shrimp and toss well to coat.  Allow shrimp to marinate 1 hour in the refrigerator.

  • 03

    Allow the shrimp to come to room temperature before grilling to avoid the shrimp from shrinking drastically on the grill.  Over a hot grill, grill the shrimp for 1 ½ to 2 minutes on the first side then flip and grill for another 30 seconds.  Remove from grill and serve hot over the cool margarita slaw.

Honey Lime Grilled Shrimp is a Smells Like Home original | Margarita Slaw: adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride which was heavily revised from Bon Appetit

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Leave a Comment

  • May 2, 2009 at 5:24 PM

    How fitting this is for Cinco De Mayo. I am going to save this recipe to try later. Thank you so much for posting it.

  • Annie
    May 2, 2009 at 8:20 PM

    Tara, seriously, I think I star practically every post from your blog. You rock. Also, SO glad to hear your review of these – I was on the fence when I saw them on Foodie Bride’s blog but ended up not starring them. Since I hear how much you love them though, I’m definitely going to give them a try. Thanks!

  • May 3, 2009 at 9:32 AM

    This sounds delicious! I bet the honey lends a nice sweetness to the shrimp to contrast with the margarita slaw.

  • insanelygoodfood
    May 4, 2009 at 10:34 AM

    Wowsa! That looks so good! And the picture is so professional looking… it looks like the cover of Gourmet or something! I’ll have to add it into the rotation! :o)

  • May 4, 2009 at 7:26 PM

    Wow, this looks fabulous. How do you deal with the honey on a carb-free diet?

    • smellslikehome
      May 4, 2009 at 8:15 PM

      Ninette, there is a good amount of marinade left in the bottom of the bag after putting the shrimp on the grill so I figure that from 2 tbsp of honey over 1 lb of shrimp, there really isn’t a whole lot left on the shrimp – just enough to lend a wee bit of sweetness and help with the char-factor on the grill.

  • May 4, 2009 at 8:40 PM

    Thanks, Tara. My hubbie is an Atkins guy so I thought I would ask. I use agave nectar which is great if you’re trying to avoid sugar but want the sweetness.

  • May 5, 2009 at 11:56 AM

    this sounds absolutely amazing! Beautiful presentation also!

  • May 5, 2009 at 12:46 PM

    Ooh looks great! I love coleslaws of all sorts. This one sounds really good. I’ll probably make something similar and add jicama.

  • Jasmine
    May 5, 2009 at 7:39 PM

    I tried this recipe for dinner tonight and it was great! I added some onion and jalepeno to the slaw and served it all with some slices of avocado. The highlight was the honey on the shrimp and the tequila was perfect in the slaw! Thanks for the delicious recipe.

  • May 8, 2009 at 9:27 AM

    Ooooh, I love the sound of that shrimp marinade. I’m making tacos as part of Mother’s Day dinner and we’re sooo doing the shrimp your way!

    Glad you enjoyed the Margarita Slaw!

  • jan garrison
    July 3, 2009 at 11:37 AM

    I am looking forward to making this today. Im confused about the slaw though. Do I or dont I use orange juice and if so how much. My guess its the same as the lime juice.

    • smellslikehome
      July 3, 2009 at 2:26 PM

      Foodie Bride’s slaw recipe calls for 1 tbsp orange juice – I skipped the OJ.

  • Sherri
    August 27, 2009 at 7:48 AM

    I LOVED the slaw , although I was confused about the orange juice , but I justed added until it tasted good . We had a small gatherin of “picky eaters” and I told them I wanted everyone to try it, and they all liked it . Thanks for the recipe .

  • December 7, 2009 at 8:34 PM

    Just made these a few minutes ago. We had them sans cilantro, and plus guacamole made in our new mojacate! I didnt have time to marinade the shrimp, but they were amazing anyway. I would stick to marinating them next time. Thanks for the great recipe.

  • Gayle
    December 9, 2009 at 4:50 PM

    The shrimp was awesome and the coleslaw made these tacos. I did a little variation by adding some chopped red onions to the coleslaw and a bit more hot sauce as we like things spicy. (Dec. 2009)

  • February 1, 2010 at 11:28 PM

    I tried the shrimp last night and skewered it. It was really tasty. Thanks!

  • Laura
    May 1, 2010 at 12:40 PM

    The recipe in the directions mentions Orange juice, however it’s not listed in the ingredients. Can you tell me how much Orange juice to add?

    • smellslikehome
      May 6, 2010 at 8:34 AM

      Laura, I’m sorry for the typo – I don’t think I used the orange juice when I made it since I just didn’t have it on hand. If you’re going to use it, I’d say a few tablespoons will be enough.

    • Jeanne
      May 22, 2011 at 11:46 AM

      I used the juice of one whole orange and it was fantastic.

  • Jeanne
    May 22, 2011 at 11:45 AM

    I stumbled upon this recipe yesterday when searching for shrimp taco recipes, and I have to say the Margarita Cole Slaw was freaking outstanding! I used a similar variation of the shrimp maraniade, but followed the cole slaw recipe exactly and my husband I loved it!! I am still thinking about it today. I plan on making this often.