Quite possibly, the best thing about summer is being able to enjoy tacos on the patio of your favorite restaurant with something ice cold to drink. These Baja Shrimp tacos are inspired by a local restaurant, Torchy’s Tacos! And it doesn’t help that they’re about 5 minutes from home. Hubby and I are obsessed! I think I can speak for a majority of us when I say homemade crispy shrimp tacos are worth drooling over! Colossal shrimp that are soaked in buttermilk and coated in crunchy panko. I find soaking them for a bit helps get them tender and flavorful. There were a few casualties while I was putting these Baja Shrimp tacos together. But that’s to be expected when you’re frying up hot and crispy panko-crusted shrimp.
What is ‘baja-style’?
Baja-style refers to the type of tacos that originated in Baja California, Mexico. It usually involves shrimp or white fish, deep-fried with a batter or coating, inside a warm tortilla topped with shredded cabbage and a creamy sauce.
What do you need to make restaurant-style Baja shrimp tacos at home?
Large shrimp: I like to use large shrimp in this recipe so that you can put 2-3 in a taco and call it a day! I’ve tried the recipe with small shrimp as well, and though the recipe works just fine, I find that it takes close to double the time to prep because there are so many time shrimp that you need to dip in the flour, buttermilk, and panko individually.Buttermilk: plays a two-part role. First, we soak the shrimp in buttermilk to help tenderize and flavor them. Then, we’ll drain, coat them in flour, and then dip them in more buttermilk. The second dipping is so that the panko adheres to the shrimp and stays in place.Seasonings: I use garlic powder, smoked paprika, and kosher salt to season the flour that we dip the shrimp in.All-purpose flour: once the shrimp are soaked in buttermilk, You’ll drain and toss them in flour before tossing them again in buttermilk. This two-step process makes the shrimp extra crunchy and keeps the coating from pulling away from the shrimp.Panko: the shrimp are coated in panko as the last step for extra crunch before going into the fryer.Chipotle peppers + adobo sauce: You’ll need anywhere from 2-4 chipotle peppers with a couple of tablespoons of adobo sauce. You can find chipotle peppers in the sauce or international aisle of your grocery store. You can store any leftover peppers in a freezer-safe bag/box for later!Mayonnaise: is the base of our chipotle mayo. I like to use this mayo; it’s my absolute favorite brand!Butter: Just a knob to saute the veggies in before adding them to the tacos.Veggies: I like to use angel hair cabbage, and matchstick carrots to pair with the crispy shrimp. The veggies add tons of color and texture to the tacos!
How to make Baja shrimp tacos at home:
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Blackened Shrimp Tacos with Smashed AvocadosHomemade Crunchwrap SupremeMexican Street Corn Chicken TacosAncho Chicken Street TacosBlackened Salmon Tacos with Jalapeno Lime Crema
This Baja shrimp taco recipe was originally shared in June 2014. It has been updated with new pictures, easier directions, and minor recipe tweaks in May 2021.
