Air Fryer, Easy Air Fried Shrimp Tacos

Air Fryer, Easy Air Fried Shrimp Tacos

Being from Boston, my uncles were all fishermen. Therefore, I was treated to an abundance of seafood, over the years. There was really nothing better than my uncles dropping off the days’ catch to my mom, who would almost make something unbelievable. I look back at my uncle’s dropping off baby lobsters because no one would purchase them, now we all recognize them as chicken lobsters, and if they were free, there would be a line around the block, to obtain them.

This is the perfect shirt for any shrimp lover!

My husband grew up as a respectable midwestern boy, but he vacationed every summer in Cape Cod, where he devoured his share of great seafood.

When I moved to Ohio after we became married, I recognized that the seafood was strange; they didn’t have lobsters; They had crab legs, and I literally remember passing through the grocery store and saying, to myself, what are those? They just looked like something that came from outer space. Instead of cod, they sold salmon. I have never had salmon, so it was an acquired taste, my mother-in-law prepared the finest salmon that I have ever had. I will probably make it in the next couple of weeks, as we finish up Lent. She served it with a creamy dill dip, that even my son would eat (granted he would eat, the sauce without the salmon.)

Seafood is important, it’s an excellent source of protein without a lot of fat. It touches most of the marks, gluten-free, low carb, and other diets.

Here are some hints when buying shrimp at the grocery store:

1. Know your size of the shrimp: In the United States shrimp are sold by the size, which is the count per pound.  The shrimp’s size is measured by the number of shrimp it takes to make 1 pound.  You will often see other markings on a shrimp bag, with a U10, so it takes less than 10 shrimp to make 1 pound. Sometimes they also have terms such as medium, or jumbo, which are also on the bag

The common counts are:

U-10 (Under 10)–Extra Colossal

U-12 (Under 12) Super Colossal

13/15-Colossal

16/20-Extra Jumbo

26/30-Extra Large

31/35-Large

41/50-Medium

51/60-Small

61/70-Extra Small

2. The freshness of the Shrimp: Freshness of shrimp is important, they are highly perishable, and for safety reasons, you should always purchase fresh shrimp.  One key when purchasing shrimp is that there should be no smell. Rotton shrimp smells a lot like ammonia, which means the shrimp has spoiled. Any sign of slime, avoid as it is a sign of rotten shrimp. Black spots also show that the shrimp is not fresh, they call this melanosis, which means that the shrimp is old. (Think about an apple turning brown)

1. In your seafood department, most shrimp is actually frozen or has been frozen, and the seafood counter just thawed if for you. Since you can easily thaw your own shrimp at home, I consider it safer (since you don’t know how long they have been in the seafood case) to purchase frozen.
2. Shrimp is frozen in two ways, block and IQF, IQF means that it has individually quick frozen.  About 90% of the shrimp frozen in supermarkets are IQF, they tend to have better flavor and texture.

How to Thaw Shrimp:

For best results with any shrimp dish, all shrimp should be defrosted before cooking. Since, all you need to do, is place the frozen shrimp in a bowl of cold water, they should be defrosted within a matter of minutes. If you are looking for a faster method, put your shrimp into a large bowl, filled with cold water and have the faucet run, directly into the bowl. Once the shrimp is defrosted the shrimp will be more translucent and pliable.

They sell shrimp in a variety of ways, including head-on, tails on, and shell on, here is a breakdown on the different types sold in the United States.

1. Shell-on shrimp: This just means that the shell is still on the shrimp.
2. EZ-Peel Shrimp: They have already removed the head of the shrimp, the shrimp is split and deveined. This type of shrimp is generally more expensive since they did the work for you.
3. Pre-Peeled Shrimp:  These are already peeled for you and they are ready to go with any recipe. There is no prep that you need to do.

Here are the simple steps, so you can make it in your very own air fryer,

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the shrimp, lime juice, salt and pepper,  and mix, so all of the shrimp are coated.

Place the shrimp in the air fryer tray or in the air fryer basket.

set the air fryer to 400 degrees F, for 5 minutes. (air fryer setting)

Meanwhile, dice the cilantro.

Mix together the cooked shrimp with the diced cilantro, and add a couple of more teaspoons of lime juice.

Add some shredded cabbage, source cream, and diced yellow bell peppers. Plate, serve and enjoy!

Kitchen Items Used: (Note: Affiliate links are included in this post)

Instant Pot Vortex, Air Fryer

J.A. Henckels 6-Inch High Carbon Stainless Steel Chef’s Kitchen Knife

Anchor Glass Measuring Set–This is one of the handiest tools in the Kitchen 

Italian Olive Wood Spatula

OXO Good Grips 12 Inch Stainless-Steel Locking Tongs

EVOO Air Fryer, Best Friend

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Air Fryer, Easy Air Fried Shrimp Tacos

Air Fryer, Easy Air Fried Shrimp Tacos

This is a really easy way to have taco night, anytime at your house. Feel free to add any garnishes that you like, today I kept it simple by adding shredded red cabbage, sour cream and diced yellow bell peppers, but add your favorites.

• Author: ForkToSpoon.com
• Prep Time: 5
• Cook Time: 5
• Total Time: 10
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Seafood
• Method: Air Fryer
• Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 12 ounces of small shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2–3 tablespoons lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 diced cilantro
• Optional: Flour Tortillas, shredded cabbage, sour cream, lime wedges, diced bell pepper, salsa, etc.

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the shrimp, lime juice, salt and pepper,  and mix, so all of the shrimp are coated.
2. Place the shrimp in the air fryer tray or in the air fryer basket.
3. Set the air fryer to 400 degrees F, for 5 minutes. (air fryer setting)
4. Dice the cilantro.
5. Mix together the cooked shrimp with the diced cilantro, and add a couple of more teaspoons of lime juice.
6. Add some shredded cabbage, source cream and diced yellow bell peppers. Plate, serve and enjoy!

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