With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, I thought we could all use a healthy & delicious taco recipe to pair with our margaritas and my Diablo Shrimp Tacos are just that! They’re spicy and fresh and are super easy to whip up for this festive holiday.
Seriously, friends, Diablo Shrimp Tacos have been on repeat in our household for the past few months. Yes, months, because they’re THAT delicious and SO easy to make. I’ve been meaning to post about them for a while but haven’t taken the time to photograph the meal until now.
The tacos star a homemade Diablo sauce which is a spicy, tomato-based sauce. The Diablo sauce is super easy to make. You simply rough chop a few veggies, sautée, then puree! In all, it takes about 20 minutes.
The Diablo sauce can also be made ahead of time and it will last for a couple weeks if refrigerated. <3M and I have been so obsessed with this homemade Diablo sauce that we’ve been subbing it in for our regular salsa. I top my eggs with it in the morning, use it as a dressing on kale salad, and mix it in to quinoa with beans for a spicy vegetarian meal. It’s really so versatile.
As for the tacos, you sauté the shrimp then finish them off by simmering the shrimp in the Diablo sauce. The tacos are then topped with sautéed veggies, salty feta cheese and a simple slaw made with apple cider vinegar, lime juice, and cilantro. Snuggle everything into your 
Combined, the flavors are just plain addicting. These Diablo Shrimp Tacos are spicy, citrusy, and fresh. Throw in a margarita and a side of chips + guac and you have your self the perfect Cinco de Mayo fiesta.
Looking for other Cinco de Mayo inspiration? Check out my Asian Duck Confit Tacos, Chipotle Glazed Sweet Potatoes, or Coconut Cake with Lime Curd.
- For the slaw:
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- For the tacos:
- 1 red bell pepper sliced into thin strips
- ½ yellow onion sliced into thin strips
- ⅓ cup Diablo sauce, recipe below
- 30 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and patted dry
- 6 tortilla of choice (corn or flour)
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbles
- Optional toppings:
- sliced jalapenos
- cilantro
- sliced scallions
- lime wedges
- additional diablo sauce
- Make the slaw:
- In a medium-sized bowl stir together the cabbage, vinegar, lime juice, and chopped cilantro
- Season to taste with salt and pepper
- Set aside while you prep the tacos
- Make the tacos:
- Spray a medium-sized skillet with olive oil and over medium heat, add the bell peppers and onion
- Season to taste with salt and pepper
- Cook until onions are golden and peppers begin to blister, stirring occasionally about 5-7 minutes
- Once cooked, removed peppers and onions from pan and set aside
- Wipe pan clean, return to heat and spray again with olive oil spray
- Add the shrimp to the pan and cook 2-3 minutes
- Once partly cooked, add the diablo sauce and a 2 tablespoons water
- Stir to coat the shrimp and simmer 2-3 minutes until shrimp are cooked through*
- To assemble:
- Warm tortillas over a medium-high flame until they begin to brown slightly
- Place 5 shrimp in each taco shell, adding a bit of the Diablo sauce from the pan
- Top with slaw and feta cheese crumbles
- Serve with additional toppings and extra diablo sauce on the side
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 large cloves of garlic, roughly minced
- ½ serrano chile, stemmed and roughly diced
- ½ small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 14.5-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
- juice of half a lemon
- Melt butter with the oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat
- Once melted, add garlic, serrano chile, and onions
- Cook until onions have turned golden in color
- Stir in chili powder, brown sugar, paprika, tomatoes and salt to taste
- Bring everything to a boil then reduce to simmer, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes
- Transfer to a food processor and add lemon juice
- Process until pureé is smooth
- Store in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks
This is perfect for Cinco de Mayo! Loving all of the flavors!!
Mmm…I love tacos! That diablo sauce sounds delicious and I bet these disappear pretty fast from the table 🙂
Yum, that diablo sauce sounds awesome! I like hot sauce on my eggs, too- will have to try this so I can sneak some in in the mornings!
what a delicious idea for a taco! The slaw sounds great!
Such a great combination of flavors. Love the sound of the diablo sauce along with the crispy slaw.