Healthy Prawn Tacos

Seasoned king prawns served on mini tortillas with a crunchy salad, avocados and a sour cream dressing. Quick, easy and ideal for lunch or dinner.

This recipe is an updated version of the prawn tacos which I posted last year. I have been working on the recipe and even though the original was yummy, I now feel it is much better and simpler. I’ve also improved on my photography skills and wanted fresh images of this dish which is another reason I decided to go back and work on this recipe.

The changes I made are to season the prawns differently and change the dressings used. The old recipe included guacamole as part of the recipe but I decided to use sliced avocado instead.  It has all definitely changed for the better.

This recipe is quick, easy and you can have this delicious meal whipped up in no time. Prawns or shrimp as they are sometimes known are very low in calories and high in protein which makes this recipe perfect if you're are looking for a nutritionally balanced meal.

Ingredients for Healthy Prawn Tacos

• 160g king prawns – I use large king prawns or large shrimp.
• ½ teaspoon salt – optional.
• ½ teaspoon black pepper – coarse black pepper.
• 1 teaspoon garlic granules – use fine garlic granules or garlic powder.
• 1 teaspoon onion granules – or garlic powder.
• ½ teaspoon paprika – ground paprika.
• ½ teaspoon chilli powder – mild or hot

For the Vegetables

• 30g romaine lettuce – finely slice the lettuce.
• 2 carrots – peeled and cut into matchsticks. I use a julienne peeler.
• 40g red cabbage – finely slice the red cabbage.
• ½ small red onion – finely slice the onions.
• 1 small avocado – slice the avocados.
• Coriander leaves - also known as cilantro.

For the Dressing

• 2 tablespoon sour cream – use fresh sour cream.
• 2 tablespoon mayonnaise – I use reduced fat mayonnaise.
• 1 teaspoon coriander leaves – or cilantro.
• 1 teaspoon lime juice – squeezed from a fresh lime.
• 2 teaspoon sriracha – optional.

Additional Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon butter - for cooking. You can also use cooking oil.
• 4 soft tacos - you can also use mini tortilla wraps.

How to Make Healthy Prawn Tacos

1. Wash, dry and season the prawns with salt, black pepper, garlic granules, onion granules, paprika and chilli powder then place in the fridge for 1 hour. During this time, you can prepare the vegetables and make the dressing. To make the dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl then place in the fridge.

2. Heat the butter in a frying pan on a medium heat until the butter melts and just begins to turn brown then add in the prawns. Cook for 2 minutes then turn each prawn over and cook for another 2 minutes. Ensure the prawns are cooked throughout. Remove from the heat and set aside while you warm your tortillas. See recipe tips below.

3. Assemble the tacos by adding the vegetables to the warmed tortillas in any order you like. Add the cooked prawns then add the sour cream dressing if using. Time to enjoy!

Warming the Tortillas

• You can warm the tortillas in a frying pan. Heat the frying pan on a medium heat and add the tortillas to the dry pan. Warming for 30 seconds on each side.
• You can leave out the frying pan and warm them directly on the stove flames. It is extremely important to use tongs if doing it this way. Place them directly on a low heat and warm for 10 secs. Use the tongs to turn them over and warm the other side. The tortillas will come out more crispy if you warm them this way.
• You can warm them in a microwave. Place the tortillas on a microwavable plate, cover with a damp paper towel and warm for 40 seconds or until warmed to your desired temperature.
• You can also warm them in the oven by wrapping them in aluminium foil and placing them in a preheated oven (gas mark 4/350^oF/180^oC). Warm for 10 minutes.

Nutrition

Nutrition based on 1 taco without dressing - Calories: 203kcal | Fat: 8.4g | Saturates: 2.9g | Carbs: 21.0g | Sugar: 4.5g | Fibre: 3.6g | Protein: 10.7g | Salt: 0.86g

Storage

I usually make these tacos to eat immediately. You can prepare this recipe ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Prepare and store the prawns, salad and dressing then store them in separate containers. Only put the tacos together when you’re ready to eat them.

More Prawn Recipes

• Crispy Prawns with Chilli and Ginger
• Prawn Noodle Stir Fry with Sweet Chilli
• Chilli and Ginger Prawn Fritters