Name: High Protein Shrimp Tacos
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 6 min
Total time: 21 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 cup fat free cottage cheese; 2 tablespoon mayonnaise; 1/4 cup water; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 4 cups shredded cabbage mix; 1/4 cup cilantro , packed and roughly chopped; 1 fresh lime , zest and juice of; 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined; 8 small tortillas, street taco size; 1 mango, diced; green onions, chopped; 1 avocado, diced; pickled red onions; 2 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1/4 teaspoon salt

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What's going on here is some delicious spicy shrimp tucked in with a cilantro-lime cabbage slaw- all topped with mango and green onions. Pack it all in a low-carb taco shell, squeeze a wedge of lime over it, devour.

Yes, please.

an overhead image of a bowl of shrimp tacos held by two hands on the sides

What you'll need to make these high protein shrimp tacos

The grocery list for these guys is pretty short and sweet!

Shrimp - medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off is your easiest route. If you want to peel/devein/remove tails, you for sure can, but your shrimp are going to take a bit more time!
Coleslaw mix - you're looking for just the bag of red and green cabbage and carrots, all shredded together.
Cottage cheese - fat free or 1% milkfat if you can't find it.
Mayo - I try to avoid the ones with soybean oil. Or you can make your own mayo.
Cilantro - one whole fresh bunch of it.
Lime - one whole fresh lime for the slaw, plus extra wedges for serving.
Spices - you'll season the shrimp with garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
Tortillas - corn or flour, whatever suits your fancy. I like the low net carb ones, but corn will keep it gluten free!
Toppings - I like to hit these with some diced up mango or pineapple, green onions, avocado, more fresh cilantro, pickled red onions - whatever your favorites are!

Why You’ll Love These High Protein Shrimp Tacos

These shrimp tacos check all my boxes:

High protein? ✅ With both shrimp and cottage cheese, these tacos pack a double punch of protein.

Ready in 30 minutes or less? ✅ Pop the shrimp in the air fryer (or the oven if you don't have one), whip up the slaw, and tacos are on the table.

Great for meal prep? ✅ Season and cook your shrimp, mix up your slaw. When you're ready to eat 'em, grab a tortilla, pack it full of that goodness, and you're done.

Customizable? ✅ Don't like shrimp? Use your favorite protein. Load them up with whatever your favorite toppings are and make them all yours!

How to Make High Protein Shrimp Tacos

I like to start with the slaw. You can even make the slaw a day or two ahead of time to let the flavors blend if you want!

Put your cottage cheese, mayo, a pinch of salt, and water into a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Add in your lime juice and your lime zest and pulse a few times to incorporate.

overhead view of a blender with a creamy sauce in it with lime zest on top

Put your coleslaw mix in a bowl, add the cilantro, and pour the sauce over the coleslaw.

bowl of coleslaw mix getting sauce poured onto it from a blender

Toss the coleslaw and cilantro with the sauce until everything is good and coated.

side view of a white serving bowl filled with a creamy coleslaw

Season your shrimp: add all your spices in a small bowl and combine. Toss the shrimp with the seasonings, getting everyone a fair share! Then pop 'em in the air fryer or the oven to cook.

Tip: Be careful when cooking shrimp -they cook really fast because they're so small, and overcooking makes them rubbery and hard. They're not a thing you can walk away from, so stay close - they only take a couple of minutes.

It's go time! Gather all your taco ingredients: tortillas, shrimp, coleslaw, lime slices, and your favorite toppings.

overhead view of bowls of shrimp, coleslaw, mango, green onions, lime slices and some tortillas on a table

Pack a tortilla with shrimp (I can usually fit 3-4 depending on size), top with your coleslaw mix, sprinkle with your toppings, squeeze some fresh lime, and serve 'em up in a bowl - or just stand in your kitchen and eat one, because they're that good.

close up view of the end of shrimp tacos packed in a bowl

What to Serve With Shrimp Tacos

Want to make it a feast? Serve these shrimp tacos alongside some of our favorite recipes to pair tacos with on warm sunny days:

Meal Prep & Storage

Shrimp are fickle friends - they definitely last longer cooked than raw in the fridge, so cook yours quickly. That said, even once cooked, they will only last a few days before they start to get, well, fishy. If you're not going to eat them in a day or two, I would freeze your leftovers.

The slaw will keep in the fridge for up to a week - I might even argue that the flavors blend better after a couple of days. You'll have extra, but it makes a great snack!

FAQ

These are! Low carb tortillas, air fried shrimp, and a cottage cheese based slaw are all great swaps for a healthier, lower calorie shrimp taco.

Well, subbing cottage cheese for the mayo is a great start! You could add additional shrimp, or sub another protein as well. Black beans would be another great option to add some additional protein, too.

Definitely! Defrost according to package directions. We are lucky enough to live near the water, so we get fresh shrimp easily. Buying fresh shrimp at the grocery store and peeling yourself is a great option (our chickens LOOOOVE the shrimp skins!) but I get it 💯 if that is not your jam. Frozen is definitely a time-saver!

Final Thoughts

These shrimp tacos are one of those things I pull out when it's 3pm and I realize I don't have a dinner plan. They come together so quickly and easily, and pack so much flavor in every bite!

If you try them, please let me know in the comments and leave a rating for others! And if you're not ready to make them right now - Pin it for later!

Recipe