Grilled Shrimp Tacos Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Published on July 7, 2022

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Grilled Shrimp Tacos is a quick and easy dinner idea. Shrimp is seasoned and grilled on skewers then added to warm tortillas for a tasty meal.

Easy Grilled Shrimp Tacos Recipe:

Shrimp is an easy fish to cook on the grill. It just takes a few minutes and the shrimp comes out flavorful and cooked to perfection. We love adding the shrimp to warm flour tortillas for amazing Grilled Shrimp Tacos.

Tacos are our favorite recipe to make. We love making chicken, beef, and salmon tacos and now these grilled shrimp tacos. We love topping them with an easy avocado salsa to add so much flavor.

Shrimp Tacos are light, refreshing and seasoned to perfection. Adding the fresh red cabbage and the cotija cheese makes for an amazing weeknight meal.

If you love shrimp, you might also like Grilled Shrimp Skewers Recipe or Grilled Shrimp Scampi Recipe.

Grilled Shrimp Tacos topped with avocado salsa on a plate

How to Thaw Frozen Shrimp:

When making this recipe, you can use fresh shrimp that you get at the meat counter or purchase frozen shrimp. If you purchase frozen shrimp, make sure to let it thaw before cooking. It will take about 20 minutes to thaw out.

To let it thaw, place shrimp in a colander and let it run cold water until thaw. You can also put the frozen shrimp bag in the refrigerator and let it thaw overnight.

What Type of Shrimp do you use?

The perfect shrimp to grill is the large, jumbo or colossal size shrimp. We buy the shrimp that is already peeled and deveined. But you can grill shrimp with the peel on. I like to keep things easy, so I look for the shrimp that is already peeled.

We prefer to buy shrimp that is uncooked, but you can also heat cooked shrimp on the grill. This recipe can be made with raw or pre-cooked shrimp. If you use pre-cook shrimp, cook the shrimp for 1-2 minutes per side to heat them through.

Ingredients:

For the Marinade:

Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
Olive Oil
Chili Powder
Cumin
Garlic Powder
Lime, juiced

Ingredients for Avocado Salsa:

For the Avocado Salsa:

Ripe Avocado, diced
Red Onion, diced
Jalapeño, deseeded and diced
Cilantro, finely chopped
Lime, juiced
Olive Oil
Garlic Salt
Pepper

For the Tacos:

Wooden Skewers
Flour Tortillas (6 inch)
Red Cabbage, chopped
Crumbled Cojita Cheese (or Feta)

How to Make Grilled Shrimp Tacos:

Combine Marinade Ingredients – In a large bowl, add the shrimp and toss in the marinade while the grill is preheating. Refrigerator until ready to serve.

Prepare Grill – Preheat the grill over medium high heat (approximately 400 degrees F).

Add shrimp skewers on grill – Place the shrimp on the wooden skewers and grill the shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side until the shrimp is cooked through.

Make Avocado Salsa – In a separate bowl, combine all the avocado salsa ingredients.
Assemble Shrimp Tacos – Then it’s time to assemble the tacos. Warm the tortillas by heating them in the microwave or place them on the grill for a few seconds to heat them through.
Add Toppings – Place cabbage on the bottom of each tortilla. Top it with the shrimp, avocado salad and cheese. We love topping with sour cream and salsa.
Serve and Enjoy – Serve warm and then enjoy.

How to Make Avocado Salsa:

We love making this Avocado Salsa. It is not only perfect on these Grilled Shrimp Tacos but you can use it over many different meats. We even use it as a dip. It is so light and refreshing that it what makes these Grilled Shrimp Tacos so tasty.

Add the following ingredients in a medium bowl and combine:

Ripe Avocado
Diced Red Onion
Diced Jalapeño
Fresh Cilantro
Lime Wedges
Olive Oil
Garlic
Salt
Pepper

These ingredients can be changed to what you have on hand. We have even added in some chopped jalapeno’s for some extra spice.

What to Serve with Shrimp Tacos:

There are so many sides to serve with these shrimp tacos. These are our favorites:

Crock Pot Mexican Queso
Homemade Salsa Recipe
Spanish Rice Recipe
Refried Beans or Black Beans

Other ways to Serve Grilled Shrimp:

Grilled Shrimp is a delicious dinner option. Not only does it taste amazing but it cooks very quickly. You can have this on the table in literally minutes.

When we grill out Shrimp we like to give our kids different ways to eat it. Here are some of our favorite:

Low Carb Option – You can make grilled shrimp bowls with Cauliflower Rice. The shrimp and the avocado salsa makes a healthy low carb choice.
Serve over Rice – After cooking the shrimp serve over rice. The combination of the shrimp and the avocado salsa is tasty over white rice or brown rice. This is my favorite way to eat shrimp.
Top a Salad – We love to add shrimp to our salad. The seasoning that we put on this shrimp combined with the avocado salsa is perfect on a salad.

Grilled Shrimp Taco Tips:

You can use a grill basket or cast iron skillet. I love grilling the shrimp directly on the grill gates. However, if your shrimp is smaller and you’re concerned that it will fall through the grate, you can cook the shrimp on a cast iron skillet on the grill.
Do not overcook the shrimp. It does not take long for shrimp to cook. Be careful that you do not cook it too long or it will be tough.
Fresh lime juice is best. While bottled will do in a pinch, fresh is always best.
Place the shrimp in a single layer on the grill. This will ensure even cooking and that each shrimp has those gorgeous grill marks.

What Tortilla do you use for Shrimp Tacos?

When we make these tacos we love to use corn tortillas or soft flour tortillas. My favorite thing to do is heat them on the grill to give it that charred taste to them.

But you can easily use crunchy taco shells or any type of tortillas that fit into your diet.

Quick and Easy Dinner Idea:

We love that these Grilled Shrimp Tacos are a quick and easy dinner idea. When we are running in different directions with kids activities, I know that I can easily throw this shrimp recipe together.

Add a side of rice and black beans and dinner is done. Healthy and delicious dinner idea that your family will love.