One of the first blogger meet and greets I attended was held at Chuy’s with a group of Charlotte area bloggers. We had the most fun tasting food and drinks, not to mention chatting and laughing all night.
The minute I read the description for the Baja Shrimp Tacos I knew I had to order them. “Baja Tacos – Freshly made flour tortillas with your choice of lightly battered and fried fish or shrimp, cilantro, red cabbage and Creamy Jalapeno sauce”. So simple, yet it appealed to me right away.
My mouth watered when the plate was delivered. They looked so yummy!
And they didn’t disappoint! The tacos were excellent. I wanted to go back for lunch the next day, and the day after that and the day after that! But that wasn’t an option. Chuy’s is easily 30-40 minutes away from my home, so no quick takeout for me! Finally, a few weeks later I was able to take my husband to Chuy’s for lunch and once again, the Baja Shrimp Tacos were just amazing. And once again, I was craving them the very next day… my stomach is growling right now as I type this!
I started playing around with some recipes trying to create a similar Baja Shrimp Taco at home and I think this is a good substitute when I am craving Chuy’s but can’t get out to enjoy it.
Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Jalapeno Sauce
Ingredients
Fried Shrimp:
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1/2 cup of buttermilk
- 48 medium shrimp (1 1/2 to 2 pounds), shelled and deveined
- 2 1/2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste (I like a lot of pepper)
- Optional: ground chipotle pepper, to taste
Shrimp Tacos:
- 12 flour tortillas, warmed
- 4 pickled jalapenos, thinly sliced
- 8 oz queso fresco or mild feta, crumbled
- Small red cabbage, shredded
- Shredded lettuce
- Chuy's Creamy Jalapeno Lime Sauce (make ahead, recipe below)
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
Prepare the fried shrimp:
- In a large saucepan, heat 2 1/2 inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with 1/2 cup of buttermilk.
- Put the panko, fresh ground & chipotle pepper in another bowl.
- Coat each shrimp with the panko mixture and fry in batches until golden, about 2 minutes per batch.
- Drain on paper towels. Do not overcook!
To assemble the tacos:
- Spoon some of the cabbage and lettuce into the center of each tortilla and top with 4 fried shrimp.
- Drizzle with the Jalapeno Cream Sauce and sprinkle with some of the pickled jalapenos and queso fresco.
- Serve with lime wedges.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 506Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 949mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 17g
Chuy's Creamy Jalapeno Lime Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups ranch dressing
- 1/8 cup green chile, roasted, peeled and seeded (canned is fine)
- 1/2 cup pickled jalapenos
- 3/4 tablespoon lime juice, fresh
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped [I only used 1/2 a tablespoon because I'm not a fan (Team cilantro tastes like soap)]
- 1 Roma tomato, diced, seeded
Instructions
- Pulse all ingredients in a blender, until smooth.
- Chill and use as needed.
- Keeps in fridge for up to two weeks.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
2 tablespoonsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 48Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 102mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 0g
These look great, wish I wasn't allergic to shellfish, but hubby would LOVE them! thanks for posting the Chuys recipe too, love that sauce!
This sounds fantastic! I keep wanting to get a deep fryer so I can make more battered and breaded goodies like that fish! Def. will have to try the lime sauce recipe too.
Oh yum! That sounds so good. I wish there was a Chuy's in the Midwest. Will definitely have to try this!
Okay… I crave that creamy jalapeño sauce on a daily basis!! The shrimp taco’s are my favorite there too!.. Except lately, I’ve been doing a salad I made up on my own using the shrimp from the taco’s 😉
oh YUMMM!!! This seriously looks and sounds amazing!!! Thank you for sharing!! I am Pinning this!
YUM! We just started making fish tacos, this would be a great swap! Thanks!
This looks yummy. I was just recently trying seafood tacos and now I wonder why did I wait so long.
Oh, I want to try the lime sauce. Thanks for including the recipe, as we don’t have a Chuy’s here where I live.
I am so bummed that I didn't get to come out and meet up with you guys! I hope to try this place soon, and in the mean time I'll just have to try your version.
This sounds like such a good dish! I think it'd be quite refreshing too and not super heavy.
We don't eat fish but this looks good!
My mouth is definitely watering now! Holy yum! I could eat their menu every night!
Oh yum!
Holy yum that sounds good!!
It’s so tasty! Just made these tacos! I Had to make a last minute dish for a party… this was so tasty!