The Sinaloan Secrets for the Best Shrimp Tacos

Some dishes evolve over eons, so gradually that it’s impossible to pinpoint when or where they came into being. Tacos gobernador—tacos that are filled with shrimp stew and cheese before being folded and griddled until crispy on the outside and warm and melty on the inside—is not one of those dishes. It was created—or at least named—in 1987 in Mazatlán, Sinaloa. According to Sinaloan sociologist Arturo Santamaría Gómez, the recipe came about after the chef at Los Arcos, a high-end chain of Sinaloan restaurants, decided to prepare something special to welcome the new governor, Francisco Labastida, to his restaurant. 

The result was tacos gobernador. The crispy, cheesy shrimp tacos were a hit, and Los Arcos (and nearly every other seafood restaurant in the city) still offers them to this day. Since its creation, this popular dish has spread through northwest Mexico to Sonora, Baja California, and beyond.

The base of tacos gobernador is stewed shrimp, prepared with a ranchera-style salsa—a simple preparation of onion, tomato, and chile, the essential trio that's the base of much Mexican cooking. The original tacos gobernador were cooked directly on an outdoor grill. The tortilla shell would turn crisp and crunchy from drying out over the high dry heat of the grill’s flames. Nowadays the tacos are just as often griddled on the stovetop, which can result in a soft and overly oily tortilla if not cooked correctly. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, I made sure my recipe captures the cracker-crisp style of the original grilled tacos gobernador, but with the convenience of griddling indoors in a skillet. Here’s how to cook tacos gobernador with the winning combination of a crunchy exterior with a melty, cheesy filling.

Tips for Cooking Satisfyingly Crisp Sinaloan Shrimp Tacos

Prep the shrimp properly. You can use any size shrimp in this recipe, but it’s important the shrimp pieces are around one-inch in size. Anything larger and the tacos become cumbersome to eat, and smaller pieces of shrimp tend to dry out and overcook when griddled.

I prefer to use small or extra-small shrimp that are about one-inch in size, which require less prep since they can be left whole. But larger shrimp are a great option as well—just make sure to roughly chop them. Whatever size shrimp you select, just remember that shrimp cook quickly and should be removed from the heat as soon as they begin to turn pink and opaque.

Before cooking, the shrimp should be peeled and optionally deveined. I tried the recipe with and without the vein and, honestly, did not notice a significant difference. I always devein shrimp for ceviche or aguachile to avoid hints of odd flavors or textures. But there's so much flavor from the thick tomato-based sauce that I didn’t register the difference between deveined or not. It’s a matter of personal preference—there’s no difference in hygiene or food safety—so it’s your call!

Create a flavorful sauce for cooking the shrimp. The first step is preparing a salsa ranchera for the shrimp. In Mexican cuisine, salsa ranchera is a general term, referring to a sauce with cooked (often grilled or griddle-blackened) tomatoes. I started out keeping the tomato-based sauce very simple, with just tomato, onion, chile, a little garlic, salt, and pepper, but I found it needed more flavor. Adding more garlic and a heaping handful of cilantro instantly intensified the sauce’s flavor. Reducing the sauce until thickened for about 10 minutes before adding the shrimp is critical to ensure the shrimp filling is saucy without being too soupy, since an overly liquidy shrimp filling would turn the tacos soggy. 

Start with warmed tortillas and don’t overfill the tacos. To assemble the tacos, it’s key to first warm your tortillas on a griddle, a heavy skillet ,or (if you’ve got one) a comal—a flat, round cast-iron plate used in Mexican cooking. This ensures they will be pliable and won’t tear when filled and folded over. A skim of mayonnaise is the “glue” that anchors the layer of grated cheese and shrimp filling in place once the tortillas are folded and griddled. The layer of cheese should cover the tortilla evenly, but make sure it’s not too thick to avoid it spilling out of the taco when it melts. 

Avoid adding too much sauce to each taco. When adding spoonfuls of the stewed shrimp to each taco, I recommend draining some of the sauce from the shrimp by leaning a spoonful of it against the side of the skillet to let excess liquid drain back into the skillet. I initially prepared it with too much sauce, aiming for a saucy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside result. But the extra sauce prevented the taco from crisping up properly. Turns out it wasn’t necessary or helpful; and without it, the filling was still juicy and flavorful.

Crank up the heat. After filling the tacos, turn up the heat on your pan. Toasting the tacos takes about five minutes of watching and turning the tacos as needed to avoid burning. The preparation and time spent is well worth it once you bite into the crunchy shell and through the cheesy shrimp inside.

Serve immediately with your favorite hot sauce. I like it with a fresh serrano salsa, but any hot sauce would work. In restaurants in Sinaloa, they usually offer five or more options, including Valentina, Salsa Huichol, and local brands with red, green, and habanero chiles. A squeeze of lime juice or a sprinkle of fresh cilantro are the perfect finish.