Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa

Shrimp Tacos – Do I believe in love at first sight?… EVERY TIME I SEE A TACO I DO… You are the twinkle in my eye… you bring that smile to my lips… colorful taco platters cause my heart to flutter… Literally, the ways to my heart are:

1. Buy me Tacos 2. Make me Tacos 3. BE Tacos!!!

Seriously, you have to agree that no one on this whole planet can be sad with a taco in his or her hand. Don’t you think? It’s an instant mood changer… CLICK!! No matter what life throws at you, more often than not, tacos are the answer. So lets Taco ‘Bout tacos…

Why shrimp tacos today? I am delirious with any taco most of the time. Whatever meat, I am game!! But today I feel seafoody and want something super fast. That’s where shrimp comes in.

They cook super fast, and only taste good if you cook them super fast. I also feel like something spicy and sweet… you might say what’s new when it comes to spicy… but sweet, why?

Those devilish mangoes are killing me every time I see them. It is the season, summer time, and I must buy those every time I go grocery shopping… Oh, how I miss my Alphanso mango… miss miss… sigh!! I wonder if Alphanso misses me?

How great Alphanso would go in my collection of 30 favorite mango recipes…

Easy Shrimp Taco Recipe

My mango salsa is juicy, zingy, crunchy, zesty, spicy and tangy… yes it is. All that in a jiffy. It’s so super easy to make, anyone who can handle a knife and cutting board can make this mango salsa. Just follow this link and it will be in your bowl in no time.

On to the shrimp. I need those infused with spices, not just on the surface level but deep into the flesh. Solution, marinate them for at least a couple of hours. I experiment a lot when marinating my meats or seafood.

This time I am using a little finely chopped garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and a dash of crushed red pepper for that zingyness. You can omit the crushed red pepper, but I like my kick there, as it balances so well with the sweetness of mango salsa.

Here is how to cook the perfect shrimp. Melt butter along with oil in your pan. Add garlic and shrimp, in a single layer, and cook for 1 minute without disturbing them on high heat. Then stir for 3-4 minutes or juuuust until they are opaque and cooked through.

Scrape them along with the garlic onto a plate and toss with cilantro and fresh lime juice. Mmmm, they are so irresistible. I know you want to toss one in your mouth at this time… go ahead… you’re allowed to do that!

Can I grill my shrimp? Absolutely! Go ahead and fire up your barbie… You can grill them approximately 1.5-2 minutes per side.

Finally, I like to drizzle some kind of sauce on my tacos. Anyone who likes their tacos likes a piece or two of avocado. How about turn them into a delicious sauce?

Just put avocado, sour cream, lime juice, salt and pepper in the blender and blend it into smooth creamy godliness. Add some milk to keep it from being too thick. And if you don’t feel like making this sauce, that’s fine, just slice up your avocado and put it on your shrimp tacos… DONE!!

My favorite way to warm up tortillas is by charring them. They look awesome, have an added smoky flavor, and it gives them a bit of a texture.

So guys, this is an ultra quick meal. But I recommend, sometime in the morning after your breakfast, marinate those shrimps. And make that mango salsa, that won’t take more than 10 minutes. Sometime after lunch, do the avocado sauce, another 10 minutes.

And then at dinner time, all you have to do is quickly cook your shrimp and assemble this amazing looking taco. Add some cotija cheese, maybe some hot sauce if you like…

Shrimp Taco Tips

1. Shrimp Choice: When buying shrimp, try to get large, fresh, and deveined shrimps for best results. If only frozen shrimp is available, ensure they are thoroughly thawed before marinating.
2. Marinating Shrimp: It’s important not to over-marinate the shrimp, as the acid from the lime can start to ‘cook’ it. A 15 to 30-minute marinade should be enough.
3. Cooking Shrimp: Shrimp cook very quickly – usually 2-3 minutes per side is sufficient. Overcooking shrimp can make them rubbery, so keep a close eye on them.
4. Chili Heat: If you prefer less heat, you can reduce or remove the chili. Conversely, if you like it spicy, feel free to add extra!
5. Mango Ripeness: For the mango salsa, make sure to use ripe mangoes. They should give slightly when gently pressed and have a sweet aroma.
6. Fresh Ingredients: Using fresh lime juice, cilantro, and other ingredients in your salsa can greatly improve the flavor profile of this dish.
7. Resting the Salsa: Allow the mango salsa to rest for about 15 minutes before serving. This gives the flavors time to meld together.
8. Serving: Serve the tacos immediately after assembling to prevent the tortillas from getting soggy.
9. Customization: This recipe is very flexible. You can add other ingredients like black beans, corn, avocado, or switch out the protein for something like grilled chicken or fish.

Conclusion

So my working friends, you can cook this up after coming home in well under hour… FANTASTICO!!!

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Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa, on our Gypsy Plate… Enjoy!

Want more tacos? We have them!
Beer Battered Fish Tacos
Ground Turkey Tacos
Tacos Gobernador
Korean Beef Tacos
Ground Beef Tacos
Chicken Tacos
Birria Tacos
Baja Fish Tacos
Steak Tacos
Breakfast Tacos

Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa

Yield: 6 Tacos

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Sweet and savory, these Shrimp Tacos are so tasty you will want to go back for seconds, maybe thirds! And they are so quick, they just might become a weeknight staple. Whenever you see a mango, think about these colorful tacos!

Print

Ingredients

Shrimp

• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 Tbsp cooking oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1.5 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Avocado Sauce

• 1 avocado
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Mango Salsa

• 2 cups Mango Salsa

Tacos

• 6 corn or flour tortillas
• 1/4 cup cotija cheese

Instructions

1. Marinate shrimp with all shrimp ingredients except oil, butter and cilantro in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, preferably several hours.
2. Heat oil and butter in pan over medium high heat. Add shrimp, cook 1 minute undisturbed, then toss for 3-4 minutes, until shrimp are cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, add all ingredients for avocado sauce into food processor and blend until smooth.
4. Make mango salsa according to recipe.
5. Assemble tacos by adding mango salsa, shrimp, avocado sauce and cheese. Garnish with cilantro and lime.

Notes

For added kick, use your favorite hot sauce!

We like to slightly char our tortillas. Get a flat nonstick pan nice and hot, add tortillas and watch them closely to avoid burning. If you have a gas stove, put them directly over low flame, again watching closely.

Nutrition Information

Yield 6 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 373Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 171mgSodium 1764mgCarbohydrates 41gFiber 8gSugar 9gProtein 26g

Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.

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Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.