These Shrimp Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa are great not only on Taco Tuesday but any given day.

Taco Tuesday, anyone? Here in Cali the weather has been great and on any given day when you go outside around dinner time you will smell some barbeque. But no worries, the shrimp for these tacos can be cooked on a stove, too. We love shrimp tacos and we find them to have much more flavor than the fish ones. Pair them with a fruity salsa, squeeze some lime juice and voila… Don’t forget the Margarita! Do you feel the summer is almost here? With these sunny and refreshing tacos you will be transported into the middle of summer!

Who likes crunchy taco shells? Me! Who likes the soft ones? Jud. I’m not suggesting which one is better so just pick your favorite one. Or try one of each kind. Or two. Don’t forget to squeeze some lime juice. It brings a nice balance to the fruity, slightly spicy flavor of the salsa. Enjoy!

Start with salsa first so the flavors can blend. I love how fruity yet slightly spicy it is. You can totally control the spiciness by either removing the jalapeno seeds or keeping them. It’s all up to you. In the summer, when the peaches and nectarines are in season I switch to either one and it’s equally delicious. I like to make a bigger batch of this salsa so I can munch on it with some chips. After you add all of the ingredients stir gently but not too much, otherwise it will turn into mush. Make the salsa about 20-30 minutes prior to serving.

While the salsa is resting, prepare the marinade for the shrimp. Simply mix some cumin with lime zest and juice, then add extra virgin olive oil. Shell and devein the shrimp (remove the black vein if visible) and remove the tails. Add the shrimp to the marinade and mix well. Don’t keep the shrimp in it too long as it will make the shrimp too rubbery. 10 minutes is about right.

Heat up the barbeque or grilling skillet. Discard the marinade and add the shrimp. Cook quickly, about 2 minutes per side. Set aside and keep warm. Heat up the tortillas on a barbeque, broiler or microwave. Chop some romaine lettuce thinly. Serve the warm tortillas and/or taco shells with chopped romaine lettuce, shrimp, Mango Avocado salsa, some hot sauce if desired and a good squeeze of lime juice. Don’t forget the Margaritas!

Serves: 4     Prep time: 35 minutes     Ready in: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

Mango Avocado Salsa:

• 2 ripe mangoes, peeled, finely diced
• 2 ripe avocados, peeled, finely diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, finely diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded (optional) and finely chopped
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup lime juice (about 3 juicy limes)
• salt
• pepper
• drizzle of honey (optional)

Shrimp:

• 1- 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
• zest and juice of 2 limes ( or 1 lemon)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper

To serve: taco shells, corn/flour tortillas, chopped romaine lettuce, hot sauce, lime juice.

Directions:

1.  Salsa: peel and finely dice mangoes and avocados. Dice tomatoes and the shallot. De-seed the jalapeno pepper and dice it. Chop the cilantro. Add the lime juice, salt and pepper. Gently stir. Drizzle with honey if desired. Adjust the seasonings. Set aside.
2. Shrimp: peel, devein and remove the tails. Grate and juice 2 limes and add into a bowl, then add cumin and olive oil. Stir and add the shrimp. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Set aside. Best if marinaded 10 minutes or less.
   
3. Chop the romaine lettuce and start warming up the tortillas (broil, microwave, barbeque). Heat up the grilling skillet and add the shrimp discarding the marinade. Cook quickly, about 2 minutes per side until they turn pink.
4. Have everyone assemble their tacos. Serve with Mango Avocado Salsa, shredded romaine lettuce, hot sauce and lime juice.

 

Enjoy!