Tacos are a family favorite at my house. We like to keep things fun by mixing up the fillings and toppings. But I think our favorite version is a fajita-style shrimp filling that helps get dinner on the table in about 20 minutes. After all, when it never seems like there are enough hours in the day, a meal like this is beyond a gift!
If you want to save even more time for yourself, consider peeling and deveining the shrimp in advance, tossing them with the seasonings, and storing them covered in the refrigerator until it's time for you to cook them. You can also cut the onions and pepper in advance, although I prefer to leave slicing the tomatoes until right before they get added to the pan. It keeps them from losing more of their juicy goodness.
Since this is such a fun meal, I like to pair it with fresh pineapple, black beans and rice, and - if I can - some fruity summer drinks. After all, we might be busy, but we definitely want to have fun!
Quick Shrimp Fajitas
- 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. granulated garlic
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground chipotle pepper
- 2 T. cooking fat (I used olive oil)
- 1 red onion, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
- 1 sweet pepper, cored and sliced into strips
- 8 oz. grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- Splash of lime juice
- Flour tortillas, warmed
In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with all of the seasonings until well coated.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the cooking fat of your choice over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onion and pepper to the skillet and fry for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly softened. Add the shrimp and tomatoes and continue frying until the shrimp is fully pink and the tomatoes are softened and warmed throughout. Remove the skillet from the heat and splash a bit of lime juice into the pan and stir lightly to coat.
Serve the shrimp and vegetables in warmed flour tortillas immediately.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes