July 8, 2026

60 Grams of Protein in Two Tacos: Blackened Shrimp with Chipotle Crema

Smoky charred shrimp out of a hot cast iron, a cool cabbage-lime slaw, and a chipotle-yogurt crema that adds creaminess and protein instead of just fat. Twenty minutes, and it reads like the taco shop, not the diet aisle.

This is the taco to make when you want big flavor and a real protein hit without a heavy fried Baja batter. Shrimp is about the most protein-dense food per calorie you can keep in the freezer, roughly 20 grams of protein and 85 calories per 100 grams raw according to the USDA FoodData Central database, so a generous eight-ounce portion does most of the lifting on this plate. The real move is treating the crema as a protein source, not just a condiment. Swapping full-fat sour cream for nonfat Greek yogurt (about 9.5 grams of protein and 54 calories per 100 grams) turns the sauce into a quiet seven-gram protein booster while keeping it cool and tangy against the spicy shrimp. The cabbage slaw is the satiety layer: volume and fiber for almost no calories, and the crunch is what stops the whole thing from feeling like soft food.

Per serving (2 tacos): about 560 calories, 61 g protein, 38 g carbs, 20 g fat, ~10 g fiber. Computed here from USDA FoodData Central and myfooddata values for each ingredient; the math is independent of the source recipe. (The optional butter baste in the pro tip below adds about 50 calories and 6 g fat per serving.)

Ingredients (serves 2)

Blackening seasoning (mix in a small bowl):

• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne (drop to 1/4 tsp if you want less heat)

Shrimp:

• 1 lb (16 oz) raw large shrimp, 31-40 count, peeled and deveined, patted very dry
• 2 tsp avocado oil (a thin film; add a third teaspoon if your pan sticks)

Chipotle-yogurt crema (whisk in a small bowl):

• 2/3 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tsp adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo (mince in a chipotle if you want more fire)
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• Optional: 1/2 tsp honey to round the heat

Cabbage-lime slaw:

• 3 cups shredded green cabbage (about a quarter head, or half a bag of coleslaw mix)
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• A pinch of kosher salt

To assemble:

• 4 small (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1/2 medium avocado, sliced
• 1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese
• Fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and pickled red onion (optional)

Steps

1. Whisk the crema. Combine the Greek yogurt, adobo sauce, 1 tbsp lime juice, and salt in a small bowl. Taste and adjust, more adobo for smoke, more lime for brightness. Set aside so the flavors meld while you cook.
2. Make the slaw. Toss the shredded cabbage with 1 tbsp lime juice and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Let it sit and soften while the shrimp cook.
3. Season the shrimp. Pat the shrimp completely dry with paper towels. This is the step that decides whether you get a crust or a steam. Toss them with the blackening blend until every shrimp is coated.
4. Sear. Heat the avocado oil in a large cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add the shrimp in a single layer and do not crowd the pan, cook in two batches if you need to. Leave them alone for 2 to 3 minutes so the spices char on the bottom.
5. Flip and finish. Turn the shrimp and cook 1 to 2 more minutes, until they curl into a loose C and are opaque through. Pull them off the heat immediately and hit them with a squeeze of lime. Overcooked shrimp get rubbery fast, so err on the side of early.
6. Char the tortillas. Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet or directly over a gas flame, about 20 seconds per side, until blistered in spots. Stack them under a clean towel to stay soft.
7. Build. Slaw down first, then shrimp, then a generous drizzle of crema, avocado slices, cotija, and cilantro. Finish with a lime squeeze and eat while the shrimp are still warm.

Make it better: the butter baste

When you flip the shrimp in step 5, drop 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter straight into the pan and swirl the pan so it foams and coats each shrimp for the last 90 seconds. The butter browns the spices into a glossy, taco-shop crust that dry-seared shrimp never quite reach. It is the one move that separates a good home taco from a great one, and it costs about 50 calories and 6 grams of fat per serving. If you are watching calories tightly, skip it and you still have a 560-calorie taco with 61 grams of protein. If you have room, take the butter.

Batch prep

This scales cleanly to four. Double everything and sear the shrimp in two batches so the pan stays hot. The crema holds for three days in the fridge, the slaw stays crisp for about 24 hours, and the blackening blend keeps for weeks in a jar, so you can prep all three ahead and have tacos on the table in the time it takes to char the shrimp. Cooked shrimp reheats gently in a dry skillet for about a minute, but they are best cooked to order.

Adapted from Molly Thompson's "Blackened Shrimp Tacos with Chipotle Crema" on What Molly Made (published April 22, 2026). The dry-shrimp sear and butter-baste technique come from her method; the nonfat Greek yogurt swap for sour cream (a higher-protein shortcut she and others including The Girl on Bloor note) and the macro math are ours.

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