Shrimp Fajitas

If you’re in the mood for a restaurant-quality Mexican dish then you can’t get better than shrimp fajita!

The mix of tender marinated plump shrimp with sautéed red, yellow, and green peppers and onions is nothing short of mouth-watering!

Even better is the fact that you get to make this rewarding and flavor-packed dish in the comfort of your own home! Be sure to add this to the list of your favorite Mexican Recipes.

Serve these easy shrimp fajitas and red, yellow, and green peppers with warm tortillas with your favorite toppings such as avocado, guacamole, salsa, Pico de Gallo, or sour cream, and a Mexican-inspired side dish should you wish to serve this as an easy main meal for lunch or dinner or as part of a fajita bar for a Cinco De Mayo Party!

If all you have had are Chili’s shrimp fajitas then you are in for a treat because these are way better!

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Why This Recipe Works
• What You’ll Need To Make This Recipe
• Shrimp Fajita Marinade
• How To Make Shrimp Fajitas
• Recipe Variations
• Pro Recipe Tips
• What To Serve With Shrimp Fajitas
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Recipe
• ⭐ Reviews

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Handheld Meal. It’s a great hand-held meal that can easily be packed or enjoyed at home as a relaxed lunch or dinner!
• Versatile. It’s easy to make and super versatile – simply adapt the filling ingredients to suit your preferences. You can also serve it many different ways, such as wrapped in a tortilla, or as a shrimp fajita bowl over Mexican Rice or Mexican Cauliflower rice. Another option is to wrap it in Bibb lettuce for a shrimp fajita lettuce wrap.
• One Pan Shrimp Fajitas. Making the shrimp and green pepper in one skillet makes the entire cooking process simple with minimal cleanup required later on. 
• Meal Prep. You can easily make the shrimp and vegetables in advance, saving you time and effort for when you do need to whip up a tasty meal for the family.
• Flavor. These shrimp fajitas offer a wholesome meal, loaded with mouth-watering flavors, textures, and spices. I’ve used red shrimp because it’s plump and the flavor also reminds me of lobster! 

Why This Recipe Works

• Step by Step Instructions. This shrimp fajita recipe is a quick recipe that includes step-by-step instructions with photos for making both the shrimp and vegetables, as well as the homemade marinade and homemade fajita seasoning from scratch. This ensures that you don’t get lost along the way but rather end up with tortilla-filled juicy shrimp fajitas. 
• Simple Ingredients. Most of the ingredients used in this simple recipe are likely to already be in your pantry, and if not, are readily accessible in your local grocery store.
• Recipe Tips. You don’t need to scroll too far before coming across helpful recipe tips and tricks to make your cooking experience stress-free and enjoyable. 
• Tried and True Recipe. Shrimp fajita is super easy to make and has been tested in my very own kitchen.  You can trust that I’m guiding you from tried and true techniques and processes. 
• Recipe variations have been included in case you want to mix things up and make them specific to your dietary needs or keep things interesting for yourself and the family. 
• Serving Suggestions. Serving suggestions are provided in this recipe that you can use to bulk up your meal. 

What You’ll Need To Make This Recipe

Equipment

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• Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredient Notes

Below I discuss the ingredients and possible substitutions in case you don’t have a specific ingredient. However, if you are looking for the specific measurements of each ingredient, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this article, just above the comments, for the printable recipe card, which includes all the ingredients and the specific amounts of each one.

Shrimp Fajita Seasoning

In the recipe card below, these ingredients are part of the marinade. However, if you like, double the recipe to keep this Shrimp Fajita Seasoning mix on hand to use for other dishes.

• Cumin. This warm, earthy, smoky flavor is one of the quintessential flavors in Mexican cooking.
• Smoked paprika offers a lovely smoky flavor to the dish. 
• Chili powder. You can add more or reduce the amount to suit your desired level of spice in these fajitas. For a more Tex-Mex flavor, try using Chipotle Chili Powder.
• Cayenne (Optional) – Cayenne adds some spicy heat. You can use as little or as much as you like, or none at all if you don’t want any spicy heat at all.
• Salt and pepper. Add these both to taste.

Shrimp Fajita Marinade

• Olive oil – You could also use canola or vegetable oil but I prefer olive oil for this dish. Just don’t use an oil that has an overpowering flavor. 
• Lime Juice – I always find that juice from limes tastes better for any dish than bottled lime juice. Make sure to have extra on hand for serving purposes.
• Garlic clove. Mince the large garlic clove or use the equivalent of pre-minced garlic. In a pinch, you can use garlic powder, but the minced garlic clove adds much more flavor.
• Shrimp Fajita Seasoning – See the spice mixture above for the ingredients.

Shrimp Fajitas

• Raw shrimp – I’ve used frozen large shrimp for this recipe that are deveined but you could also opt for fresh large shrimp instead. It’s up to you whether you use shrimp with or without tails. If you can find Argentine Red Shrimp, I recommend them as they tend to be sweeter and cook faster than regular shrimp.
• Bell pepper – Cut these into ½ inch thick strips and for a vibrant mix of colors, I usually always opt for 3 different colors but you could use at least 2 different colors if you wish. 
• Onion – Cut your onion into ½ inch thick strips. 

How To Make Shrimp Fajitas

Instructions

1. Slice the onions and bell peppers on a large plate so you have them ready once needed.
2. In a large bowl mix all the marinade ingredients, reserve 2 tablespoons for the veggies later. Add the shrimp and toss until evenly coated. Cover and leave to marinate for 20-30 minutes in the fridge.
3. Toss the onions and bell peppers with the reserved marinade.
4. In a skillet or cast-iron skillet add a little cooking oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions and red, yellow, and green bell peppers until softened but still crisp. Season with salt and pepper if needed in the end. Set aside.
5. Cook the shrimp in the same pan with the marinade liquid. About 1 minute per side, just until you see the shrimp is becoming pink.
6. Return the veggies to the pan and stir until all mixed well and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper again if needed and drizzle with lime juice. Serve hot in tortillas with your favorite fajita toppings.

Recipe Variations

• Vary The Peppers. If you love sweeter tasting bell peppers then you’ll want to stick with red, yellow, and orange. While green bell pepper is less sweet, it’s still a great option to use in this fajita recipe. 
• Poblano Peppers. Get adventurous and consider the use of poblano peppers for a slightly different flavor. They are similar in taste to green bell pepper but with a slight kick to them. 
• Spicy. To make this shrimp fajita pop with added spice, consider including some sliced or minced jalapeno peppers in the mix. You can also increase the amount of chili powder used or add in cayenne pepper. 
• Change up the Spice. Instead of mixing various spices, make use of your favorite brand of premixed taco seasoning or fajita seasoning. You will need about 2-3 tablespoons for this recipe serving. 
• Shrimp Bowl. You can add your shrimp and vegetables to a flour or corn tortilla or ditch the tortilla entirely and enjoy this over rice, quinoa, or pasta. 

Pro Recipe Tips

• Using the largest shrimp is definitely the best for shrimp fajitas. You can choose to leave the tails on or off but personally I find that they can be lovely for presentation.
• You can use frozen raw shrimp or fresh raw shrimp for these fajitas. When using frozen raw shrimp, make sure to thaw them first in a bowl of cold water for about 20 minutes prior to cooking them otherwise you could end up with undercooked shrimp!
• Red shrimp (the kind I used for this recipe) will have a pink color when raw while most other types of shrimp will appear grey in color when raw. Go ahead and use any type that you prefer or have access to. 
• Don’t marinate the shrimp for longer than the recommended 30 minutes. After that, the acidity of the marinade ingredients will start to break the shrimp down resulting in mushy shrimp!

What To Serve With Shrimp Fajitas

These shrimp fajitas are most commonly served in tortillas. When serving your fajitas, consider the following toppings to add or to layout for the family to build their own fajita with:

• Guacamole
• Pico De Gallo or Mango Salsa
• Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
• Flour or Corn Tortillas – Preferably Homemade
• Sour cream
• Shredded cheese
• Shredded crispy lettuce
• Chopped cilantro
• Mexican Rice or Mexican Cauliflower Rice
• Mexican Street Corn Salad
• Cilantro Lime Rice
• Instant Pot Refried Beans

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

WHAT IS A FAJITA?

A fajita is a Tex-Mex dish that consists of meat (usually grilled and stripped) together with sauteed onions and peppers, served on a tortilla. 

Today, there are many variations of fajita, some even ditching the tortilla and cooking the ingredients in a foil packet on the grill! 

CAN I MAKE FAJITAS WITH DIFFERENT MEAT?

Most definitely! Fajitas can use almost any type of meat these days such as beef like in my Tex-Mex Beef Fajitas, pork, or even Chicken like in my Skillet Chicken Fajitas. A fajita is also a great way to use up any leftover meat that’s been stored away from previous meals in the week or from specific holidays. 

CAN I MAKE SHRIMP FAJITA AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes! You can cook the shrimp and vegetables the day before and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator, ready to be reheated and added to flour tortillas the next day for an easy and flavorful meal. 

I don’t suggest adding the marinade to the shrimp if you are going to store this overnight to cook the following day. Extended marinating times could actually cause the shrimp to break down due to the acidic ingredients used in the marinade, resulting in mushy shrimp! 

HOW SHOULD I STORE LEFTOVER SHRIMP AND VEGETABLES?

Cooked shrimp and vegetables can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can then reheat these ingredients in the oven to add to tortillas or to be enjoyed over Spanish rice or even pasta for a slightly different meal. 

I don’t recommend freezing the cooked shrimp and veggie mix since the veggies can become quite mushy once thawed. You can freeze the cooked shrimp on it’s own for up to 3 months, although I always prefer to eat cooked seafood as soon as possible. 

CAN I COOK SHRIMP FAJITA IN THE OVEN RATHER?

Yes, you can. Instead of using a skillet to cook the shrimp and vegetables, simply toss the marinated shrimp and veggies onto a sheet pan and bake in the oven until cooked through. 

HOW CAN I TELL WHETHER THE SHRIMP HAS COOKED THROUGH?

It’s always advisable to be extra cautious in ensuring that seafood is cooked adequately for food safety reasons. Regardless of the type of shrimp used for this recipe, all shrimp will have a slight pinkish hue as an indication that the shrimp is cooked sufficiently for safe consumption.

If the shrimp appears white, it simply means that you have overcooked the shrimp. 

Undercooked Red shrimp will have deeper pink accents to the meat and tail while all other types of shrimp will appear gray in color when raw. Never eat shrimp that appears gray or translucent – that’s a sure sign of it still being raw. 

HOW MANY CALORIES ARE IN SHRIMP FAJITAS?

This Shrimp Fajita recipe with corn tortillas, avocados, and cheese has 402 calories.

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