Street-Style Shrimp Tacos with Corn, Bacon and Lime Crema
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These street-style shrimp tacos with corn, bacon, and lime crema make a fast, fun, family-pleasing feast.
The inspiration for these crazy-good shrimp tacos comes from a fabulous cookbook called Taqueria: New-Style Fun and Friendly Mexican Cooking by Australian chef Paul Wilson (Hardie Grant Books, 2017). Wilson writes, “This is one of the most popular summer dishes in my kitchens. It’s fast, simple to prepare, and the three main ingredients work very well together in a warm tortilla.” My family literally devours these.
What You’ll Need To Make Shrimp Tacos with Corn and Bacon
I use large shrimp for this recipe, which you may find labeled 31 to 35 shrimp per pound. When cooked, they are a perfect size to pile into a tortilla.
For the best results, use good quality thick-cut bacon; Wright or Smithfield are both good brands that are easy to find.
How To Make Shrimp Tacos with Corn and Bacon
To begin, cut the kernels off of the corn cobs. The best way to do this is to this (without having the kernels fly all over the kitchen) is to invert a small bowl inside a larger bowl. Hold the cob upright on top of the inverted small bowl, with the flatter end of the cob down, and use a sharp knife to slice downward as close to the cob as possible.
Next, place the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Fry, stirring frequently, until crispy and golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the bacon fat in the skillet.
Add the corn to the fat in the skillet.
Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until crisp, about 2 minutes.
Spoon the corn into a bowl and set aside. Add the shrimp, scallions, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and 1/8 teaspoon salt to the skillet.
Cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the corn, bacon, cilantro, and lime juice to the shrimp.
Stir to combine, then remove from the heat and cover to keep warm while you heat the tortillas and make the lime crema.
How To Make the Lime Crema
Simply stir together the sour cream, fresh lime juice and salt.
How To Serve Shrimp Tacos with Corn, Bacon and Lime Crema
Warm the tortillas according to the package instructions. Place the tortillas on serving plates and top with the shrimp mixture and generous spoonfuls of the lime crema. Serve immediately with the rest of the crema on the side.
More Taco Recipes
Street-Style Shrimp Tacos with Corn, Bacon and Lime Crema
These street-style shrimp tacos with corn, bacon, and lime crema make a fast, fun, family-pleasing feast.
Ingredients
For the Lime Crema
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
- Pinch salt
For the Shrimp Tacos with Corn and Bacon
- 4 slices (6 oz) thick-cut bacon, diced
- 4 corn cobs, uncooked kernels removed
- 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 lbs large (31/35) shrimp, peeled, de-veined, and tail removed, thawed if frozen
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- Salt
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
- 12 small corn tortillas
Instructions
For the Lime Crema
- In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, fresh lime juice and salt.
For the Shrimp Tacos with Corn and Bacon
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, fry the bacon, stirring frequently, until crispy and golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the bacon fat in the skillet.
- Add the corn to the fat in the skillet and season with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook the corn, stirring frequently, until crisp, about 2 minutes. Spoon the corn into a bowl and set aside.
- Add the shrimp, scallions, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and ⅛ teaspoon salt to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the corn, bacon, cilantro, and 1 tablespoon lime juice to the shrimp. Stir to combine, then taste and adjust the seasoning with more lime juice or salt, if necessary. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm while you heat the tortillas.
- Warm the tortillas in the microwave or in a skillet according to the package instructions. Place the tortillas on serving plates and top with the shrimp mixture and generous spoonfuls of the lime crema. Serve the rest of the crema on the side.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The lime crema can be made up to four days ahead of time and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator. The shrimp mixture can be made one day ahead of time and refrigerated; just keep the cooked bacon and cilantro separate until you reheat the dish. Reheat the shrimp mixture in a skillet over medium heat until just heated through.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 taco
- Calories: 245
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 16 g
- Sodium: 636 mg
- Cholesterol: 115 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I really like that so many of your recipes are so simple to make, yet they impart such a depth of flavor. The tacos are delicious, thank you!
My family went crazy over these tacos. They were easy to make and I will definitely be making them again 🌮
This recipe was absolutely DELICIOUS!! I made some slight adjustments to it. I omitted the scallions and garlic, because I get heartburn when I eat this and no one in my family seemed to have missed these ingredients/flavors; however, I added a diced jalapeno to the corn and cilantro. Then as a topping, aside from the lime crema, I cut a ripe mango into small cubes, added some lime juice and salt to it and then used as a topping along with small cubes of avocado, and some cotija cheese. The plates looked like we were eating at a fancy Mexican restaurant even though the name of the recipe was street tacos! I had my mom and my adult son visiting and everyone raved about them. Easy and delicious. It is a keeper. Thanks for always sharing great recipes.
Hi Jenn,
Do you think the chipotle sauce from Baja Fish Tacos would be a good substitute for the lime crema?
Greatly appreciate your work!
Mark J.
Sure! I’d love to hear what you think. 🙂
Wonderful flavors Jenn! Thanks for another great recipe!!!
These are so delicious and easy to make and taste great the next day. A new favorite.
Wanted something different for supper. Had a bunch of shrimp and found this recipe. My wife absolutely loved it as did I. We used fresh corn, garlic and onions from our garden. The lime crema really made it. Apparently, according to my wife, I will be making this frequently from now on!
Hello a couple of questions
We dont eat pork. Can I sub with turkey bacon OR just leave it out altogether (which would be best?)
I plan to use sweet frozen or canned corn. How many cups would equal to your suggested 4 cobs?
Thanks so much!
Hi Asra, It’s fine to use turkey bacon as it will still add a little smokey flavor. And I’d suggest 3 cups of corn kernels. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Such an easy recipe. The flavor was perfect. This will be part of our regular easy meal rotation. Thanks Jen, you never disappoint.
This is a family favorite! I have to double the recipe so we don’t run out! Thank you!
WOW!
Delicious! Don’t miss these shrimp tacos!
Really good tacos! Next day shrimp/corn leftovers served over green salad with Chipotle dressing.,.. delicious twist to the shrimp mixture. Thank you!
Simply delicious! Perfectly balanced and so easy to put together. Thank you for another winner, Jenn! Husband requested it multiple times and even asked to have it with white rice as a ‘remix’. One night I also added chopped avocado…Yum!
Oh Wow!
These are delicious!
Everyone raved about them!
These tacos were delicious! I didn’t have sour cream on hand but in had plain yogurt:) (we also didn’t use cilantro;) but I served with avocado:) all of us loved it and we will be making it again!
I also used 2 cans of canned corn, drained, as corn isn’t in season right now:)
Hi Jenn! I’m having a hard time finding ancho chili powder. Do you have a substitution recommendation? Thank you!
Hi Theresa, You can just use regular chili powder – it will still be delish. 🙂
Thanks, Jenn!
I have made these three times and they are wonderful!! I use frozen, defrosted corn and also add some canned black beans (about 3/4 of a cup). So yummy! My guests fight over the left overs.
This was SO good! Tasted like summer without standing over a hot grill in the hot and humid
August heat. I shredded some cabbage and added chipotle with adobo to the crema to add a little more spice. Thanks for another great recipe. 🙂
The whole family loved this recipe! It was helpful to know that it should be 3 cups of corn. How many scallions? A bunch can mean a lot of things.
Thank you for letting me become a better cook!
Will make again!!
Glad you liked them! I’d guesstimate that one bunch of sliced scallions would give you about 3/4 cup.
Thanks Jenn. Aldi’s has humongous bunches of scallions, but Wegman’s has little bitty bunches, so a measurement really helps.
Use your judgement and add until you think it looks good to your liking or tastes right.
Absolutely delicious! Would be a quick meal to put together if I wasn’t so fastidious about my shrimp cleaning but a simply delicious meal with complex flavors! Thanks for another winner to add to the repertoire, Jen!
Yummy! This is a keeper especially with fresh summer corn available now. I halved the recipe and there’s still enough for another dinner. Unable to locate ancho chili powder in my local market, I mixed regular chili powder and cayenne. Delicious and easy.
Yes I made the street tacos! They were amazing!! Making them again this evening. Everyone in my family that had a taco thought they were delicious! What’s not tasty with bacon😊
So Delicious! We made this and everyone gobbled it up without any leftover. I would love to make it again for company. Can this recipe be doubled or would you need to make two batches?
Glad you liked it (and, yes, you can definitely double it)!
We loved this recipe. I increased the bacon to 6 strips, used frozen, defrosted corn (2 cups) and added 1 cup of rinsed, canned black beans. We substituted avocado crema for the lime crema, but I am sure it would have been just as good with the latter. We served the tacos with Jenny’s recipe for Mexican Rice….YUM!
Made this last night with my 15yr old son helping. It turned out fantastic, super flavourful and quite easy too!
My daughter, with her trademark seriousness looks at me and says, “Dad, you can make this again”, which is high praise indeed. She loves to cook and also is artistic so her standards and expectations are stringent to say the least.
Thanks for the yummy recipe!
I absolutely love this recipe! The flavours from the bacon gives this dish a perfect smokiness. The crema is bang on! A little squeeze of lime on top and a perfect drizzle of my favourite hot sauce, Valentina……..my hubby and I are happy campers 😊Thank you for another fantastic recipe!!!
Chef Jenn,
What brand /size corn tortillas do you use?
Your tortillas in your photos looks so fresh…
Hi JooJoo, they a Mission 6-inch super soft. 🙂
Hi Jenn,
Thinking of making this. Can you recommend a brand of bacon that you like? I tried the Peter Luger one and although it was thick, it was very fatty. Thank you!
You are the best!!
-Jackie
Hi Jackie, It depends on the store I’m shopping in, but I’ve generally bought Smithfield or Wright brands. Hope that helps and that you enjoy the tacos!
Hi Jenn,
I made this last night I used corn in the can because that’s what I had and it was really good I even double the recipe just for me and my husband we finished them all. Next time I will triple the recipe . Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Rose🌹
I enjoy cooking and am constantly trying out new recipes for our family. This one, however, was a real stand out. The flavors were scrumptious and perfectly balanced, and the recipe itself was easy to follow. I followed the recipe exactly as written, and it came out perfect. Looked & tasted like a dish you would see on a high-end menu. All guests were incredibly impressed, and couldn’t stop saying how delicious they thought it was. Will definitely be making again!
I made this and instead of using the lime creama, I made the avocado salsa from your other shrimp taco recipe. The combination was delicious.
I am allergic to shrimp so I made mine with scallops which worked great!
Yummy!
We love the street style shrimp tacos. The Le Crema topping adds to the distinct flavors of the bacon and corn and rich Mexican taste. The first time I made these, my husband said the only thing missing was the Margarita and the seaside table in Puerto Penesco, Mexico.
Kim COoper
Scottsdale, AZ
These tacos are so delicious and yet so simple. The flavors all work so well together and the lime crema is like the cherry on top!
I tried this recipe on a whim. My husband loves it and asks for it frequently. We both love the combination of flavors and I especially love the lime. Great fresh tasting dinner option!
After I found this recipe, I made it 3 times in 2 weeks! So delicious and easy.