What makes these Shrimp Tostadas so irresistible? It’s the combination you might not expect. Smoky chipotle shrimp meet a cool, creamy Southwestern slaw made with sour cream instead of mayonnaise, creating layers of flavor and texture in every crunchy bite.
What Is A Tostada?
Tostadas are basically an open-faced taco, with endless possibilities for toppings. Pronounced “toe-staa-duh”, it’s referred to Mexican dishes made using flat crispy corn tortillas.
What Is Adobo Sauce
If you’ve never opened a can of chipotle peppers in adobo, you’re in for a treat.
Chipotle peppers are simply ripe jalapeños that have been smoked and dried. They’re packed into a rich tomato-based adobo sauce seasoned with vinegar, garlic, and spices. The peppers bring most of the heat. The sauce carries smoky, earthy flavor that works beautifully with seafood.
You only need a spoonful or two for this recipe. I freeze the rest in small portions, and it’s ready whenever I need a quick shot of smoky chile flavor.
What You Can Expect From This Recipe
- These shrimp tostadas are easy, fresh, delicious and with the addition of adobo sauce, addicting in flavor.
- The base of creamy coleslaw dressing made with sour cream rather than mayo is a refreshing surprise. And with Chimayo Chile Powder, and a squeeze of lime, a Southwestern version of coleslaw to compliment the adobo sauced shrimp.
- Coating the shrimp with adobo sauce before cooking, makes this a just right spicy shrimp tostada.
- This recipe is naturally gluten free.
- This is a fairly quick fix, on the dinner table in around 30 minutes.
My Culinary School Take on Building Better Tostadas
One thing culinary school drilled into me was balance. A great dish isn’t just about seasoning. It’s about contrast.
In this case, a tostada should crack when you bite into it. The slaw should be cool and creamy. The shrimp should be warm, smoky, and just a little spicy. Fresh cilantro and lime wake everything up at the end. Skip one of those pieces and the whole thing falls a little flat.
Honestly, that’s why I don’t believe in stacking ingredients just because they look pretty. Every layer should earn its place. Take a look at the article I posted on How To Make A Great Tostada.
Why I Skip Mayonnaise in the Slaw
You’ll find plenty of slaws built around mayonnaise. This recipe isn’t one of them.
Sour cream has a fresher, tangier flavor that feels right at home with Southwestern cooking. It coats the cabbage without making it heavy, and it doesn’t compete with the smoky adobo shrimp. The shrimp stay front and center, exactly where they belong.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For The Homemade Tostada Shells
- Soft Corn Tortillas: I like using sturdier yellow corn tortillas, they’re easier to fry. But feel free to use white corn.
- Oil: To fry tortillas: Vegetable or Canola oil is good for frying. Avoid olive oil, as it doesn’t have as high of a smoke point to crisp the tortillas properly.
Note: You can purchase tostada shells at your local grocer on the Mexican Food aisle. I like to make my own, but the packaged version is a time saver and they’re good.
The Best Shrimp For Tostadas
- Large: I almost always reach for large shrimp. They’re substantial enough to stand up to all the toppings, yet they still cook in just a few minutes.
- Frozen shrimp work beautifully. Honestly, that’s what I buy most of the time. Just thaw them well and pat them completely dry before seasoning.
- If you can find wild-caught shrimp, even better. I think they have a sweeter flavor and a firmer texture after cooking. They’re shrimp that actually taste like shrimp. Purchase peeled and deveined to save time. All you have to do is remove the tails.
To Season the Shrimp: Adobo Sauce; Purchase a can of chipotle peppers in adobo at the store. You’ll use only the sauce for this recipe.
For The Creamy Southwestern Slaw
- Cabbage: Shredded
- Limes
- Sour Cream
- Green Onion
- Tomato
- Chile Powder: A single ground chile powder such as New Mexico Red, Chimayo Chile Powder preferred or Ancho. Chili powder (with an “i”) is a blend of spices used to make chili soup. To learn more about chili, chile and chilli, take a look at my article, Chili vs. Chile.
Tostada Toppings, Don’t Go Overboard
- Radish, thinly sliced.
- Avocado, chopped or thin sliced
- Cilantro, chopped
- Lime wedges
Ingredient Substitutions
- Corn Tortillas: You can purchase pre-made tostada shells to make this an easier fix. You’ll find them on the Mexican food aisle at the grocery store.
- Cabbage: Purchase a bag of cole-slaw mix to save time.
- Sour Cream: Mexican Crema is a great substitute, and an even more authentic than our sour cream. Mexican crema is a thinner and tangier version of our American sour cream.
Chef Tip: I like to purchase Cherub brand tomatoes. Cherubs are a variety of grape tomatoes which have a stronger outer skin and meatier, less watery flesh. They are easier to slice for salads, hold up better during cooking or roasting and are reliable year round with their mild, sweet flavor.
Step by Step Instructions, It’s Easy!
- Step 1: Make The Southwestern Slaw: In a medium bowl, toss the cabbage with the tomato, green onions, sour cream, chile powder and lime juice. Season with salt and set aside. Letting the slaw sit for about 15 minutes before proceeding with this recipe will allow the flavors to marry.
- Step 2: Make Homemade Tostada Shells: Heat a medium deep skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, fry one tortilla at a time.
- Step 3: Fry each tortilla one minute per side, turning, until lightly golden on both sides, about 1 minute per side.
- Step 4: Transfer each fried tortilla to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Sprinkle each lightly with salt as you’re stacking them.
- Step 5: Season the Shrimp: Place peeled, deveined and tails removed shrimp in a bowl. Add the chipotle sauce and stir well.
- Step 6: Cook The Chipotle Shrimp: Drain the grease from the pan that you fried the corn tortillas. You’ll have enough oil coating the pan to cook the shrimp. Get the pan hot, add the shrimp and cook about 1 – 2 minutes per side. They’ll cook quickly.
How To Build Shrimp Tostadas
- Step 7: Add a scoop of the Southwestern Slaw to the tostada shell.
- Step 8: Add 4-5 adobe shrimp on top of the slaw.
Add The Toppings
- Step 9: Sprinkle on sliced radishes, sliced or chopped avocado and chopped cilantro.
- Step 10: Finish with a squeeze of lime. The lime juice finishes the whole tostada with bright flavor.
Tips For Success
- Pat the shrimp dry before frying.
- Assemble the tostadas right before serving.
- Don’t pile on too much slaw.
- Keep wetter ingredients away from the edges.
- If purchasing pre-made tostada shells from the store, warm them for a few minutes before building them. They taste fresher and crisp up beautifully. A few minutes in the oven or a few seconds in the microwave.
What To Serve With Shrimp Tostadas
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- Leftover Shrimp: Cooked shrimp keep well in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
- Make Ahead: The slaw can be prepared a few hours ahead.
- Homemade Tostada Shells: Don’t assemble the tostadas until you’re ready to eat. Those crispy shells don’t wait around very long before they start softening. And as far as storage, they simply won’t store well. Discard any unused shells.
A Colorado Take on Southwestern Flavor
Living and cooking in Colorado means Southwestern flavors are always finding their way into my kitchen.
Everyone talks about Hatch chiles, and I love cooking with them. But when Pueblo chile peppers are in season, they’re every bit as exciting. I often slice a few over these tostadas for another layer of fresh and spicy chile flavor. To learn more about the two chile pepper options, take a look at my article Pueblo Chile vs. Hatch Chile.
Summer farmers markets are another bonus. Colorado-grown cabbage, sweet corn, cilantro, and tomatoes all make these tostadas even better.
That’s one of the things I enjoy most about cooking here. Southwestern recipes naturally blend with Colorado’s incredible produce.
FAQ’s
There’s no doubt about it, tostadas can be messy to eat. Because of the crispy shell, using a knife and fork simply won’t work. The best way to dig in is to eat a tostada with your hands. Like you would a slice of pizza.
Yes, and the method works very well. Place corn tortillas on a large baking sheet. Using a basting brush, spread each side of the tortilla with a bit of oil. Sprinkle each side with a pinch of salt and a pinch of chile powder if you’d like. Bake at 400 degrees until crispy. For a step by step tutorial check out my article on How To Make a Great Tostada.
Absolutely. Once thawed, you’ll find a lot of moisture. Drain it off and use paper towels to pat dry before coating with the adobo sauce and frying.
You could, but I’d advise against it. Pre-cooked shrimp will most certainly save you time, but shrimp only takes a couple of minutes to cook. And cooking shrimp coated in the adobo sauce will bring more flavor. Purchase peeled and deveined shrimp to make this recipe super easy.
Make sure the oil is hot before frying. Use a digital real thermometer to test temperature. 350 degrees is a good temp. If they cook too slow, the’ll absorb the oil and become soggy. And don’t add the slaw until ready to eat. The sauce will absorb into the shell and could cause it to become soggy.
Recipe for Shrimp Tostadas with Lime Slaw
I’ve tested these shrimp tostadas more times than I can count, tweaking little things here and there until they landed exactly where I wanted them. They’re fresh, colorful, a little messy, and completely worth it. Honestly, once you take that first crunchy bite, you’ll understand why they keep showing up on my dinner table all summer long.
Explore More Southwestern Shrimp Recipes
And if you love Mexican Food as much as we do, don’t miss my Mexican/Southwest Category. You’ll find lots of great recipes, including the most popular Mexican shrimp recipe on my site Shrimp Campechana, Mexican shrimp cocktail.
If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.
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Adobo Shrimp Tostadas with Southwestern Lime Slaw
Ingredients
- For The Southwestern Lime Slaw
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 medium tomato rough chopped, about 1 cup
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon Chimayo Chile Powder or Ancho chile powder.
- 1 ½ teaspoon fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- For The Tostada Shells
- ⅛ Cup Neutral Oil Canola or vegetable oil work well here.
- 4 corn tortillas
- For The Shrimp
- 20 large shrimp enough for 4 – 5 shrimp per tostada
- 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce from canned chilies in adobo sauce
- Shrimp Tostada Garnish
- 1 Avocado sliced
- 2 medium radishes thinly sliced
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves chopped
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, toss the cabbage with the tomato, green onions, sour cream, Chimayo chile powder and lime juice. Season with salt and set aside. Letting the slaw sit for about 15 minutes before proceeding with this recipe will allow the flavors to marry.
- In a medium skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Fry one tortilla at a time over moderately high heat until lightly golden on both sides, about 2 minutes per side or until starting to brown. As you fry each tortilla, remove to a plate with paper towel to drain. Top with a paper towel to keep them warm.
- Peel and devein the shrimp. Toss with the adobo sauce and cook either by frying, roasting, or grilling. Whatever your preference. I like to use a skillet and fast fry the shrimp. Drain the oil from cooking the tortillas. You'll have a nice coating of oil left and enough to fry the the shrimp. Once the skillet is hot, using tongs, add the shrimp and cook each side for a couple of minutes. Remove to a paper towel and build the shrimp tostadas.
- Set the tortillas on plates and top with the cabbage slaw, shrimp, avocado, radishes and sprinkle with some cilantro leaves. Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
- Pat the shrimp dry before frying.
- Assemble the tostadas right before serving.
- Don’t pile on too much slaw.
- Keep wetter ingredients away from the edges.
- If purchasing pre-made tostada shells from the store, warm them for a few minutes before building them. They taste fresher and crisp up beautifully. A few minutes in the oven or a few seconds in the microwave.
Nutrition
Shrimp Tostadas …They’re What’s For Dinner
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
I made this last night and it was fabulous. Followed the recipe with the exception of using Guajillo powder for the Chimayo. I added some Mexican Black Beans as a side using the Rancho Gordo beans we bought. The slaw was delicious.
The toastadas reminded of some we had years back at Las Brisas off of Arapahoe & I-25 when we lived in Parker. The next time I think we will try them as tacos.
Good Morning Guy
And thanks so much for taking the time to let me know about the tostadas. So glad you enjoyed them.
And what a blast from the past to be reminded about Las Brisas. When I worked in the tech center area, we ate lunch at Las Brisas on a very regular basis. I assume it’s still open?
Great place. And many many years ago, it was the first time I’d ever been served black beans.
Again, thanks for the positive review of the recipe, make it a delicious day.
Your creamy coleslaw dressing sounds like the perfect paring with the flavorful shrimp.
Now this looks really good. I will have to try this.
These look very tasty . . . and with a weekend starting, I’m in the mood for a new recipe to try. Thanks! (and good luck with the pickles)
I know what you mean about the corn tortillas. I wish we had a Whole Foods in my area. Not that this is going to stop me from making this, I’m just sayin’ 😀
It looked good, but it wasn’t until the adobo sauce kicked in at the bottom of the page that I was hooked. Ready to invite myself over.
I love your blog.