super simple shrimp tacos

Do you need to impress somebody? Say your friends, a date or maybe your in-laws? Well, these shrimp tacos will surely do the trick. They require next to no cooking (a quick 5 minute saute) and they are jammed packed with fresh, vibrant flavor. Serve them with some cilantro lime rice (recipe coming this week), some guacamole salad and you've got the perfect meal to eat out on the patio while enjoying this spring weather. And at only $1.49 per taco, you'll probably have some money left over to spring for a bottle of tequila to make some homemade margaritas... this is beginning to sound like a back yard Cinco de Mayo party. I guess I should post a margarita recipe, huh?

Anyway, I marinated the shrimp in a mojito lime marinade that I found in the seasoning aisle. As the shrimp cooked they let off some juices that mixed with the marinade and created a nice sauce that I drizzled over the tacos. Next, I topped the shrimp with some chopped tomato, mango, cilantro, salad mix (ice berg, red cabbage, carrots) and finally some jalapeno sour cream (directions below). There are plenty of other items that you could put in the tacos so run wild with it!

I am usually against bagged salad mixes because they are just so expensive but this time I saved money by purchasing it. The bag of salad mix was the same price as a head of lettuce and it also contained red cabbage and carrots which give great color and texture to the tacos. If I were to make the salad mix by purchasing all three items (lettuce, cabbage and carrots), I would have spent three times as much and ended up with way more than I could have used. So, this time, it was economical to purchase the small bag of mix.

NOTE: I bought my shrimp when they were on sale for $5.99 / lb. so you may want to save this recipe for when they go on sale in your area.




Total Recipe cost: $11.94
Servings Per Recipe: 8 tacos
Cost per serving: $1.49 per taco
Prep time: 15 min.
Marinate time: 30 min.
Cook time: 5 min.
Total: 50 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1 lb. (31-40 ct.)	peeled shrimp	$5.99
1 pkt	mojito lime seasoning	$0.88
2 Tbsp	olive oil	$0.10
2 Tbsp	red wine vinegar	$0.08
8 small (6 inch)	tortillas	$0.70
2 medium	roma tomatoes	$0.67
1 medium	mango	$1.18
1 bag (6 oz.)	ice berg salad mix	$1.00
8 oz.	light sour cream	$0.68
1 oz.	green (jalapeno) tabasco sauce	$0.49
1/4 bunch	fresh cilantro	$0.17
TOTAL		$11.94

STEP 1: Thaw your shrimp (if purchased frozen) in the refrigerator over night. Place the shrimp in a colander and remove the tails (if still attached, they pull off easily). Briefly rinse and let drain in the colander. Place the shrimp in a small bowl or container and combine with the seasoning packet, 2 Tbsp of olive oil and 2 Tbsp of red wine vinegar (the packet says 4 Tbsp of oil but I didn't find that necessary). Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

STEP 2: While the shrimp is marinating, prepare your other toppings. Chop the tomatoes and mango into small chunks (instructions on how to cut a mango here). To make the jalapeno sour cream, combine the light sour cream with green Tabasco and stir well. Adjust the Tabasco amount to your liking.

STEP 3: Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium/high heat. When it is nice and hot, dump the contents of your shrimp bowl (marinade and all) into the skillet. Cook the shrimp just until it is no longer transparent (about five minutes). Stir and flip the shrimp as they cook. Remove them from the heat as soon as they have all changed color (from transparent/grey to white/pink).

STEP 4: Build the tacos by laying five shrimp in the center of a tortilla. Drizzle a little of the saucy juice from the skillet over the shrimp. Top with diced tomato, mango, cilantro leaves, a handful of salad mix and a dollop of jalapeno Tabasco sour cream. EAT UP!





Step By Step Photos


Mix the thawed shrimp with the contents of the seasoning packet 2 Tbsp of olive oil and 2 Tbsp of red wine vinegar. Cover and let marinate for 30 minutes.


Dice the tomato and mango while the shrimp marinate... fresh produce is so pretty!


Mix the Jalapeno Tabasco in with the sour cream. I used half of a small 2 oz. bottle but taste it as you go. Green Tabasco is not nearly as hot as the red but still very flavorful.


Dump all of the shrimp and the marinade into a hot skillet and cook until the shrimp have turned pink and are no longer transparent. This will only take about five minutes. Stir as you go so both sides of the shrimp touch the heat. This is what they look like when finished.


Start your tacos with a layer of shrimp (about 5). Drizzle a little of the sauce from the pan over top.


Next add your tomatoes, mangoes and cilantro.


Finish off with some salad mix and a dollop of the Jalapeno Tabasco sour cream!