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Tender shrimp tacos topped with a sweet, spicy, and refreshing mango habanero salsa. Perfect for weeknights or entertaining!
Table of Contents
- You’re Gonna Love These Perfectly Balanced Tacos
- How to Season Shrimp for Tacos
- What to Put On Shrimp Tacos
- What to Serve With Shrimp Tacos
- These Pair Wonderfully With a Classic Margarita!
- Ingredient List
- How to Make These Fab Sweet and Spicy Tacos
- Recipe Tips + Tricks
- Have You Made This Recipe?
- More Seafood Taco Recipes You’ll Love:
- Shrimp Tacos with Mango Habanero Salsa Recipe
You’re Gonna Love These Perfectly Balanced Tacos
When it comes to shrimp tacos, a sweet and spicy fruit salsa to accompany it just seems like a given. The sugar, acidity, and heat work wonders together.
Despite the fact that this recipe has you throwing your own salsa together, it’s quick and unfussy and you’ll be so glad you did it.
I like to do an “instant pickle” with my red onions as well. Totally optional, since you can find prepared pickled red onions in your grocer’s produce section, but it’s nice to know how to make your own.
How to Season Shrimp for Tacos
Because our salsa has so much flavor, we keep things super simple with the shrimp. A dusting of chili powder, sea salt, and pepper is all we’re doing.
What to Put On Shrimp Tacos
I’ve been asked this question many times since I’m both a lover of both seafood and tacos.
Shrimp is delicate, so I like to pair it with refreshing flavors—hence the fruity salsa. You’ll love our blackened shrimp tacos with pineapple salsa and our grilled jerk fish taco with peach salsa. These fruits work wonderfully with shrimp.
Avocados are always a nice addition, and pickled vegetables like red onions bring a lovely balance with their tanginess.
And we’ll never deny a spicy mayo!
What to Serve With Shrimp Tacos
- Coconut Ginger Instant Pot Rice
- Honey Lime Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
- Instant Pot Mexican Rice
- Texas Caviar with tortilla chips
These Pair Wonderfully With a Classic Margarita!
Ingredient List
- Small flour tortillas (I like the 4-inch street taco variety)
- Shrimp
- Avocado oil
- Mango
- Habanero
- Lime
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Sea salt + cracked black pepper
- Chili powder
Additional topping suggestions:
- Avocado
- Pickled red onions
- Greek yogurt
- Fresh parsley or cilantro
How to Make These Fab Sweet and Spicy Tacos
- Toss all of the ingredients for the mango and habanero salsa together into a bowl and set it aside.
- Pop the shrimp into a mixing bowl and season with chili powder, salt, and pepper.
- Heat avocado oil in a pan over medium heat, then place each of the shrimp into the pan. Let them cook for about 30 seconds to a minute before flipping them over. Cook for another 30 seconds to a minute, ot until the shrimp is opaque. Shrimp cooks incredibly quickly, so keep a close eye on it. Once it cooked, remove the pan from the heat.
- Lay out the tortilla shells and layer on those ingredients starting with the shrimp, then the salsa, and then whatever else you’re into.
- Serve with lime wedges!
- (And a classic margarita.)
Recipe Tips + Tricks
- You can quickly make your own pickled red onions! Slice red onions very thin—preferably with a mandolin. Place them into a small bowl and cover them with apple cider vinegar and a smidgen of maple syrup or honey. Give them a quick toss and let them sit while you prepare and cook everything else.
- If you can’t find habanero, jalapeño or serrano peppers will work just fine.
- To be sure your shrimp is cooked, only cook it until it is opaque and curls into the shape of a C. If it curls so much it’s making an O, it’s overcooked. Shrimp doesn’t need long, so keep a close eye on them.
- For help on buying sustainable shrimp, click here.
Have You Made This Recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a STAR rating & commenting below with feedback!
You can also show off your creations on Instagram by tagging @killing__thyme
More Seafood Taco Recipes You’ll Love:
- Blackened Shrimp Tacos with Avocado and Pineapple Salsa
- Sweet and Spicy Salmon Tacos with Apple Almond Slaw
- Grilled Jerk Fish Tacos with Tangy Peach Salsa
Shrimp Tacos with Mango Habanero Salsa
Ingredients
- 6 small flour tortilla shells (the 4-inch street taco variety is what I like to use)
MANGO HABANERO SALSA:
- 1 mango, peeled and diced
- 1/4-1/2 habanero, minced, use as much or as little as you like based on your heat preference
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt, to taste
SHRIMP:
- 10 oz uncooked shrimp; peeled, deveined, tail off
- 2 TBSP avocado or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
SUGGESTED TOPPINGS:
- Avocado
- Pickled red onions
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Spicy mayo (Sriracha mayo or yum yum sauce)
- Fresh chopped parsley or cilantro
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Pop all of the ingredients for the mango and habanero salsa into a small mixing bowl; toss well and set aside.
- Transfer the shrimp into a separate mixing bowl. Season them with chili powder, salt, and pepper; toss to coat, ensuring that they are coated evenly.
- In a skillet, heat the avocado oil over medium heat. Place the shrimp into the skillet and let them cook for about 30 seconds to a minute. Flip them over and cook them for another 30 seconds to a minute, or until the shrimp is opaque. Because shrimp cooks quickly, you'll want to keep a close eye on them. When they're done, remove the pan from the heat.
- Lay the tortilla shells down and layer top them with shrimp, salsa, and then whatever else you choose!
- Serve with lime wedges for a fresh spritz.
Notes
!To instant pickle red onions, you will need1/2 red onion, sliced into thin rings
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon of honey
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
Pour the cider, water and honey into a medium saucepan and heat over moderate heat, whisking vigorously until the honey dissolves. Bring to a simmer. Add the salt and stir.
Finally, add the sliced onions and allow them to simmer for approx. 10-15 minutes, or until they turn really soft. They should also turn bright pink.Remove from heat, drain any excess liquid, and allow to sit at room temperature until they are ready for use.
They also keep in the fridge for up to five days.
These shrimp tacos are everything you’ve been waiting for. Let’s be honest. You’ve thought to yourself before, “if only there were shrimp tacos that could fill the hole in my heart,” and this recipe provided the solace that you’ve searched for.
The bonus gem of this recipe is the pickled onions, which one would think are great for these tacos but may not recognize what they actually are, which is a 10 minute recipe to transcendence. These onions go great on tacos, burgers, gyros, and also just straight in your mouth.
“If I could rate this recipe accurately I would personally, it would be 59.5 stars out of 5”
– Someone who looks a lot like Danny Devito, 2021
Quite possibly the best comment I’ve ever received <3
One of our faves, and I’m so glad it’s still one of yours!
These tacos are stunning! Look at all those colors! My family just love seafood tacos, so I will be sure to share this recipe around.
Wow, these look so good! I’ve been craving tacos lately and I wish I could have a couple of these guys in front of me right now with a killer margarita! Just pinned for later. :)
Wow, these tacos looks absolutely divine! I don’t know what else to say really. I never would to think to make instant pickled onions either. Looks just fab and I bet they taste delicious as well. I am going to have to try them out.
Thanks, Julia! I’m thinking I need to do up a little tutorial on making instant pickled onions, because they are oh so convenient when you’re in a pinch. Not many have the time to spend an entire day pickling these days! I hope you love these when you do try them :)
Wow, these look delicious! I was a mission to make some tasty fish tacos but shrimp tacos may be even more exciting! Thanks for the recipe Dana, I look forward to trying it out :)
Kimberley
Thanks so much, Dr.! Fish tacos are so darn good, but I have to admit, I’ll take shrimp tacos first any day. I hope you enjoy this recipe! Let me know how it goes :)
These look delicious! The pickled onion sure does make them look pretty!
Thanks, Cathy! I’ve been thinking of doing a little tutorial on how to make instant pickled onions. It’s so handy in a pinch!
These shrimp tacos look soooo good. I had fish tacos for the first time just last week (gasp! I know.) if these shrimp tacos are anything as good as the fish tacos were. O.M.G. Gorgeous pictures.
Thanks so much, Diana! Fish tacos are SO GOOD, but I definitely love shrimp tacos a little more ;) It’s the texture. They have such a nice crunch, and they are so sweet and yummy.
Also, don’t feel bad. I had my first fish taco in the summer of 2014. I felt like I was behind, too. Here in the Southern US, they are really popular, so it’s hard not to try them. Even if I wasn’t pescetarian, I’d opt for fish/shrimp tacos over the rest any day!
These look amazing! Shrimp tacos are some of my most favourite tacos of all time! There’s a little taco shop in Phoenix that made the most amazing shrimp tacos I’ve ever had, but for some reason I’ve never tried to make them at home! Your recipe looks perfect, so I’m going to try them!
Thanks, Jo-Anna! Shrimp tacos are totally my fave, too. Just the texture of the shrimp mixed with all of those bright flavors. I’m so glad you’re inspired to make these – I hope you love them! Let me know how it goes :)
THese look absolutely amazing! And what beautiful pops of color. Gorgeous.
Thanks, Melanie! I definitely love how colorful these are. Fresh produce is rewarding in so many ways!
YASSS. This is some yummy stuff man. I mean tacos are pretty much always awesome, but these are full-on loaded pescetaco magnificence. AWESOME.
Pescetaco! I love it! Brb, coining that term…. haha.
Thanks, Sean! They are so. friggin’. delicious. I always use monster-sized shrimp too, so the yum factor is through the roof.