Get ready to elevate your taco game with my irresistible grilled Baja shrimp tacos recipe! Bursting with vibrant flavors and delightful textures, these tacos are a celebration of fresh ingredients and bold spices. Succulent shrimp, marinated to perfection and grilled to crispy perfection, take center stage in a warm corn tortilla.
If you know me, you know that I love a good taco night. I try out a lot of Tex-Mex restaurants such as Superica. However, this taco recipe is inspired by this Mexican spot that I had the pleasure of devouring shrimp and kale tacos. These are probably the healthiest tacos Iâve ever had. Now intrigued, I never thought of putting kale in a taco, I thought to make it at home and it was phenomenal! So now, you get to enjoy this Baja shrimp taco recipe.
Why You’ll Love this Baja Shrimp Tacos Recipe:
- Healthy option that is compliant with your diet as well as Taco Tuesday
- Extremely easy weeknight dinner
- Great Recipe for Seafood Tacos on busy weeknights
- All ingredients can be stored separately in an airtight container
Other Toppings You can include:
- Cilantro Lime Slaw
- Homemade or store-bought guacamole
- Mango Salsa
- Pico de Gallo
- Cotija cheese
- Red Cabbage
Corn tortilla v. Soft Tortilla (Flour)
Corn Tortillas: Corn is typically used in Mexican cuisine and is perfect for individuals with gluten intolerance. Corn tortillas was used in this recipe to keep this on the healthier side.
Soft Tortilla: Flour tortillas are normally used in Tex-Mex and Southwestern cuisine. Flour tortillas are larger and contain gluten.
Ingredients for Grilled Baja Shrimp Tacos:
- Shrimp
- Pinch of Garlic powder, lemon pepper seasoning, chili powder, ground cumin & salt
- Olive oil
- Corn tortilla
- Handful of kale
- Shredded carrots
- Orange juice
- Yellow tomato, diced
- Cilantro
Shrimp Taco Sauce (Avocado Ranch):
- Mayo and Greek yogurt
- Herbs- chives, dill, thyme, parsley
- Juice of half of lemon
- Half of an avocado, cut into slices
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic cloves, minced
- Apple cider vinegar
Brief Instructions for Baja Shrimp Tacos Recipe:
1. First, mix kale, carrots, and orange juice in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Mix all wet ingredients first in a large bowl. Cut half of an avocado and mush using a fork in a separate bowl. Add to the ranch mixture. Note that you may use a food processor for this step as well.
Clean shrimp and pat to dry using paper towels.
3. In a small bowl, Season fresh shrimp with salt, chili powder, garlic, and lemon pepper seasoning. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil ad toss to evenly coat all the shrimp.
4. In a medium skillet, drizzle a bit of olive oil and then cook the marinated shrimp on each side for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp because it will taste rubbery! Once each side is cooked, set to the side in a plate or bowl to assemble later.
5. In the same skillet or pan, drizzle vegetable oil and warm tortillas on medium heat for about 1 minute on each side.
6. No need to wipe the skillet, I think itâs best to have all the seasonings cooked into the tortilla.
7. Once you cook the desired amount, set aside in a tortilla warmer or aluminum foil (but keep it covered).
8. Now its time to assemble the tacos! Take one tortilla add the kale mixture. Then, add shrimp and tomatoes. Top it with the avocado ranch. Then garnish with cilantro and side of lime wedges.
9. Squeeze of lime juice before devouring and enjoy!
Please review recipe card below for detailed instructions.
For more taco recipes, check out my Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa recipe.
Grilled Baja Shrimp Tacos
Crispy, but grilled healthy tacos with kale and avocado ranch sauce!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of Shrimp
- 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Lemon pepper seasoning
- 1/2 tsp ancho Chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- Olive Oil
- Corn Tortillas
- Kale (handful)
- 1/2 shreddded carrots
- 1/4 cup Orange Juice
- 1 Yellow tomato, diced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, diced
Shrimp Taco Sauce (Avocado Sauce)
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1 tbl greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup of herbs - Chives, Dill, Thyme, Parsley combined
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1/2 of an avocado
- 1 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 3-4 garlic cloves, freshly minced
- 1 cap full of apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- First, mix kale, carrots, and orange juice in a large bowl and set aside in the refrigerator for later use.
- Mix all wet ingredients first in a large bowl, including the avocado. Using a fork mush the avocado slices into the wet ingredients. ( see note 2 below)
- Add to the wet mixture to the avocado slices.
- For the shrimp, clean shrimp and pat for dry with paper towel.
- Using a small or medium bowl, season raw shrimp with salt, chili powder, garlic, and lemon pepper seasoning.
- Drizzle with a bit of olive oil ad toss to evenly coat all the shrimp.
- In a medium skillet, drizzle a bit of olive oil and then use tongs to cook the seasoned shrimp on each side for 1-2 minutes on medium high heat.
- Remove the cooked shrimp, but be careful not to overcook the shrimp because it will taste rubbery! Once each side is cooked, set to the side in a plate or bowl to assemble later.
- In the same skillet or pan, cook the corn tortillas in the hot oil on medium heat for about 1 minute and flip to cook second side.
- Once you cook the desired amount, set aside in a tortilla warmer or aluminum foil (but keep it covered).
- Now its time to assemble the tacos! Take one tortilla add the kale mixture. Then, add shrimp and tomatoes.
- Top it with the avocado ranch. Then garnish with cilantro.
- Serve with wedges of lime
Notes
- Note 1: Flour tortillas are optional for this recipe.
- Note 2: To make this easier, you may use a food processor to that all ingredients are blended.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 230Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 634mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 14g