These Crispy Prawn Tacos are made with fresh juicy plump prawns (or shrimp), covered in breadcrumbs and lightly fried till golden and crunchy. They’re tasty, super easy to make, and are the perfect combination of soft, crunchy and crispy all rolled into one. With a little bit of spicy mayo, a drizzle of zesty lime and fresh herbs to boot.
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I love making tacos, and my husband and I eat a lot of them in all the different variations. Apart from these crispy prawn tacos, my second favourite type of taco, definitely has to be these Fish tacos with Pineapple Salsa.
Followed closely by these Calamari Tacos with Tangy Slaw. Seriously the coating on these babies it super crisp.
How to Make Crispy Prawn Tacos
First you need to start with preparing to crumb the prawns. To do this you’ll need three separate bowls.
- In the first bowl you’ll need ½ cup of plain flour
- In the second bowl, add 1 medium egg, ¼ cup milk and a pinch of salt and whisk to combine
- In the third bowl, add the breadcrumbs. I prefer to use wholemeal breadcrumbs for this recipe, but you could certainly use Panko Breadcrumbs as well to achieve that golden crunchy effect.
Make sure to use Green Uncooked Prawns with the head, tail and shell removed. One at a time, dip the prawns into the plain flour (shake off the excess), then dip into the egg wash, and finally, press into the crumbs on both side.
Set aside the prawns a you do them onto a separate plate.
Once all the prawns are done, heat your oil. I used olive oil, which I don’t normally use for light frying, but it worked a treat with these crispy prawns.
Add two prawns to the oil at a time and then drain on paper towel to remove excess oil. Repeat until done. The prawns will cook very quickly, so make sure to stay close and not get distracted.
Two prawns cooking in hot oil will take about 10 to 20 seconds each side, depending on the size of your prawns. Remember to flip them to ensure they cook evenly on both sides.
TIP: I tend to buy green uncooked prawns ready to go as it saves on prep time.
Love prawns? Check out my Thai Prawn Salad with Chilli Lime Dressing, and these spicy Korean Gochujang Prawns.
How to Grill Tortillas
I use a heavy cast iron griddle pan on high heat, no oil. Place one tortilla onto the grill for 30 to 50 seconds, and turn and repeat. The aim is to get those nice dark char lines on the tortilla. Do this for all the tortillas and wrap them in a tea towel to keep warm.
If you don’t have a grill pan, you can heat a non stick pan on high heat and “warm” tortilla for 10 to 20 seconds each side. The only downside is you won’t get the char marks.
Using soft tortillas is what makes these tacos extra special and I like to think of these as both a soft prawn taco, and a crispy prawn taco. The best of both tacos in one!
Other seafood recipes you might like:
- Juicy Calamari Tacos
- Garlic Prawn Fettuccine Pasta
- Lightly Spiced Creamy Seafood Chowder
- Crispy Salmon Burrito Bowl
- Fish Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
- Salt & Pepper Squid Salad
What Goes With Mexican Prawn Tacos
An easy slaw is an absolute must for any type of tacos, but especially tacos. My most basic version of prawn and slaw tacos, has a slaw with just four ingredients:
- Red cabbage
- Baby spinach leaves
- Grated Carrot
- Rough chopped coriander/cilantro
If you’re feeling fancy, you could also add a little red onion and capsicums/red peppers.
Or for a more unusual twist, add some finely sliced (matchstick like) green apple into your slaw. It’s complete winner with subtle heat of the sriracha mayo.
Easy Prawn Taco Sauce
This easy sauce is a combination of 4 key ingredients and you want it to be rich and creamy to add to the overall texture of this Mexican dinner. So, this means no low fat mayo or sour creams.
To make it: Equal parts sour cream, mayonnaise, coriander/cilantro (finely chopped) and sriracha. I use 2 tablespoons of each.
To bump up the flavour, ½ a teaspoon of garlic salt and the same of lime juice. Whisk it all together, add half to the slaw and keep the other half to drizzle over the tacos just before serving.
Not only do these look delicious, they are a flavour explosion an let’s face it, who could resist quick and easy prawn mini tacos.
These mexican prawn tacos serve 3 people as a light dinner, or 2 very hungry people. You’ve got crispy, you’ve got crunchy, you’ve got creamy, spicy, and soft. All the Mexican goodness you love with less then 10 minutes of prep, and just 10 minutes of cooking.
Crispy Prawn Tacos
Ingredients
PRAWNS
- 200 grams uncooked green prawns (heads and tails removed)
- ½ cup wholemeal/panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup plain flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
FOR THE SLAW
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- ½ cup spinach leaves (lightly packed)
- ½ cup carrot (cut into matchsticks)
- ¼ cup Coriander/Cilantro (lightly packed)
FOR THE SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander/cilantro leaves (roughly chopped)
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- Juice of ½ lime
- 2 tablespoons sriracha/hot sauce
Other
- 6 wholemeal tortillas
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 Lime wedges
Instructions
- Make Sauce: Add 2 tablespoons sour cream, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons sriracha/hot sauce, ½ teaspoon garlic salt, Juice of ½ lime, and 2 tablespoons fresh coriander/cilantro leaves (roughly chopped) into a small bowl and stir with a spoon. Make the slaw and use 1 tablespoon of the sauce to mix through. Cover and set aside.
- Make Slaw: Add 1 cup shredded red cabbage, ½ cup spinach leaves (lightly packed), ½ cup carrot (cut into matchsticks) and ¼ cup Coriander/Cilantro (lightly packed) and toss. Add 1 tablespoon of the dressing to the slaw and stir through. Cover and set aside.
- Prepare Breading Stations: Lay out 3 bowls. In the first bowl, add ½ cup plain flour. In the second bowl add 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and ¼ cup milk and whisk together, and in the third bowl, add ½ cup wholemeal/panko breadcrumbs and ½ teaspoon salt mixed together. Have a separate plate off to the side to place the prawns once they have been coated with the crumbs.
- Breading: Dip 200 grams uncooked green prawns (heads and tails removed) one at a time, into plain flour, followed by egg wash, and finally pressing into the crumbs. Then, set aside on a clean plate and repeat until all are done.
- Cook Prawns: Preheat a wok or pot with ⅓ cup vegetable oil. Gently add breaded prawns into the oil with tongs or a spoon, two at a time. Cook for 10 seconds on each die, then flip over. Remove when golden brown and place onto absorbent paper towel. Repeat until all prawns are cooked, doing 2 or 3 at t time. (Prawns will cook very quickly; don’t walk away and leave them or they will burn)
- Warm the Tortillas: Heat a skillet/grill pan on high and lightly toast 6 wholemeal tortillas one at a time.
- Assembly: place a couple of spoons of sauce onto the base of a tortilla, add a layer of slaw, followed by 2 or 3 prawns, then sauce and a few fresh coriander leaves. A drizzle of fresh lime squeezed over also adds a little zing.
Notes
- I generally find 2 tacos is enough for a light dinner, and 3 tacos is good for a substantial (or regular) dinner
- Try and use up all the prawns – I would avoid storing them as with any fried food, they tend to go soggy and are not that great when reheated.
Nutrition
Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.
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terry atkins says
These prawn tacos are the bomb