Jicama shell cilantro and lime fried shrimp tacos, y’all. Need I say more? If you’re unfamiliar with jicama it is a root vegetable native to Mexican and Central American cuisine. It’s packed with nutrients, high in antioxidants, low calorie and heart healthy making it a great addition to your diet. The crunch and very soft flavor in the jicama root pairs perfectly with shrimp and cilantro lime flavors used in this recipe.
I first tried a jicama shell & crispy shrimp taco last year while in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico at Pueblo Viejo (La Azotea). While researching what to do on that particular trip I kept seeing this taco pop up as a must do “activity”. For one taco to get that much hype I knew I had to try it while in town, and yes, it was worth it! While the toppings here vary, it was certainly the inspiration behind this recipe. It is on my to do list to try to tackle their version a little closer some day!
I found the jicama shells that I used for these tacos at Trader Joe’s and they were SO good. Shocker, right? Not sure if it’s just me but I find pretty much everything I try from TJs addicting. I seriously can’t say enough about how they held up. I double shelled the tacos thinking they would break easy similar to small corn street taco style tortillas and definitely did not need to!
Jicama Shell Crispy Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
- 6 Jicama taco shells
- 18 raw shrimp medium sized
- Seafood fry batter I used 1/4 cup Zatarain’s Shrimp Fri
- Vegatable oil for frying enough for it to be about one inch deep in your pan
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage loosely packed
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 limes
- 1/4 white onion diced
- 1/2 cup cilantro diced
- Cilantro lime sour cream for drizzle I used Cacique squeeze bottle.
Instructions
- Pour vegetable oil into frying pan, enough for it to be about 1 inch deep. Star to heat over medium heat.
- While oil is heating mix your frying batter, per instructions on box of whichever batter you are using. Mine was 1/4 cup Zatarain’s whisked with 1/4 cup water.
- Dice onion, mince cilantro, halve one lime and quarter the other.
- Add mayo and juice of one lime (the lime you halved) to cabbage. Mix until evenly combined and set aside
- Prepare shrimp to be fried per instructions on your batter. Zatarains was to coat shrimp in mix and then add a little more powder to coat.
- Fry shrimp per instructions — they will cook fast, remember to flip shrimp over midway. Remove when fully cooked and place on a paper towel lined plate to soak up extra oil.
- Lay out jicama shells, single or doubled.
- Top with cabbage, followed by shrimp (3 per taco), cilantro lime sour cream drizzle, onion and cilantro.
- Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over tacos.
Notes
- If jicama isn’t your thing, use small flour or corn tortillas!
- Use any frying batter you like or have on hand!
- Have green cabbage at home? Will also taste great! I like red for color but both taste great with this recipe.
- Don’t like onion? Skip it!
- Cilantro lime sour cream drizzle – you can make your own by just squeezing a little lime juice and adding minced cilantro and a pinch of salt to some sour cream you have on hand.
Leave a Reply