Shrimp Fajitas
Easy Shrimp Fajitas is one of our all-time favorite dinners. This tasty skillet fajita recipe is tender shrimp cooked with plenty of fresh crisp peppers and sweet onions tossed in an easy homemade Mexican seasoning and piled high in tortillas. This flavorful meal makes the perfect weeknight dinner, the whole family will love!
I love any type of fajitas, but these Shrimp Fajitas might just be my all-time favorite fajita recipe! This recipe makes for the perfect light (yet filling) dish that can quickly be cooked on busy weeknights, yet it’s totally worthy enough to serve when hosting friends for dinner. These Shrimp Fajitas are packed with flavor, made with tons of healthy ingredients, and they’re FAST to whip together. The seasoning mix is super tasty, but so easy with very few ingredients!
Ingredients
- Shrimp: of course this is a given! I like using a medium-sized shrimp for this recipe. You can leave the tail on or take it off. We prefer to take the tail off because it makes the fajitas easier to consume when wrapped in a tortilla.
- Peppers: Red, green, and yellow bell peppers are the ones I chose to use, but feel free to use any combination of peppers you want. You could also add some poblano peppers into the mix for a different flavor. And if you like more spice, add in 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper to the spice blend and/or a finely diced jalapeño to the veggies.
- Onion: Any thinly sliced onion variety works great. Use as much or little as you prefer.
- Seasoning: This homemade fajita seasoning is absolutely wonderful and what makes these shrimp fajitas so tasty! I like making my own to control the ingredients and flavors.
- Tortillas and toppings: This is the fun part! Get creative and use all your favorites.
How Do You Make Shrimp Fajitas?
Making fajitas has never been easier or more delicious with these flavorful skillet shrimp fajitas! You can have these mouth-watering shrimp fajitas on the table in less than 30 minutes, including prep! The shrimp doesn’t even need to be pre-seasoned or marinated, so that’s more time saved!
- Cut peppers and onion.
- Cook peppers and onion in a bit of oil in a skillet.
- Mix seasoning while veggies are cooking.
- Add shrimp and seasoning to cook with the peppers and onion.
- Warm tortillas while the dish finishes cooking. Fill the tortillas up with the shrimp, veggies and other favorite toppings!
How Do You Cook Shrimp Fajitas In The Oven?
You can totally cook your shrimp fajitas in the oven, if you prefer. Use two sheet pans instead of the skillet. Mix the homemade fajita seasoning.
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On one sheet pan add the bell pepper and onion slices. Drizzle veggies with a bit of olive oil and add about half of the seasoning mix. Toss on the sheet pan until veggies are coated and then spread into an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes at 400ºF on the top oven rack.
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On the other sheet pan add the shrimp, a drizzle of olive oil, and the rest of the seasoning mix. Toss until shrimp is evenly coated and then spread in an even layer on the pan. Remove the veggie pan, toss veggies, and return to the bottom rack. Place shrimp pan on the top rack. Bake for 5-6 minutes or until shrimp are opaque and cooked through.
How Do You Know When Shrimp Is Cooked?
Shrimp cooks really fast, so be sure to keep a close eye on it once you get it cooking!
- When shrimp is raw the flesh is a grayish color. As it cooks, it turns to an opaque whitish pink color.
- The shrimp should curl up into a loose “C” shape when properly cooked. If they have curled up into a tight “O” shape, then the shrimp is most likely overcooked. (An undercooked shrimp will still have some grayish spots on them and form more of a flexible “U” shape.)
Tips
- I recommend buying shrimp that’s already been peeled and deveined to make this dish go faster with less prep.
- If you are using frozen shrimp, make sure to let them completely thaw out before cooking.
- You can use either medium-sized or large shrimp for this recipe.
How To Warm Tortillas
Whether you’re using flour or corn tortillas, you’ll want to warm them up following these instructions. It will help them to fold and hold ingredients without breaking. It will also make them more flavorful and the overall dish tastier. Here’s a few ways that you can warm the tortillas:
- Wrap a stack of 5 tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 15-30 seconds at a time until warmed through.
- Place on a gas stovetop over a medium/low flame — place the tortilla right on the flame on the stovetop and flip after 10-15 seconds.
- Cook in a hot, dry skillet, griddle, cooktop, or grill grates — flip after 10-15 seconds.
What Do You Serve With Shrimp Fajitas?
The classic way to serve Shrimp Fajitas is wrapped in tortillas with rice and beans on the side. I always make a batch of my Mexican brown rice whenever we’re enjoying Mexican food. It’s so good and simple! Grilled corn on the cob would be an awesome side with this meal too. If you like sauces, the cilantro ranch sauce or this avocado cream sauce from these salmon tacos would be amazing!
Topping Suggestions:
- Guacamole or Sliced Avocado
- Sour Cream
- Cheese
- Slaw
- Pico De Gallo
- Salsa
- Fresh Cilantro
- Lime Wedges
What I love best about this recipe is that it’s just so easy to make with minimal ingredients! These sizzling Shrimp Fajitas are on my regular dinner menu rotation, and they’re always a hit.
Helpful Tools
Large Cast Iron Skillet – You can really use any large skillet for fajitas, but I prefer using a cast iron skillet because the heavy bottom retains heat. This ensures even cooking and cooks the peppers and shrimp quickly. Lodge is a great budget-friendly brand.
Wüsthof Two Piece Prep Set (Knives) – This is the knife set that I use most often and I can’t say enough great things about these high-quality knives.
More Delicious Mexican Meals
Shrimp Tacos With Pineapple Salsa
If you try this easy shrimp fajita recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Shrimp Fajitas
Ingredients
For the veggies:
- 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper,, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper,, sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper,, sliced
- 1 small white or red onion,, sliced
- salt & pepper to taste
For the shrimp:
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- sea salt & pepper to taste
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined,, tails removed if desired
Optional for serving:
- lime wedges
- flour or corn tortillas
- fresh chopped cilantro
- avocado, salsa, cheese & hot sauce
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet or pan over high heat. Add the peppers and onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and charred on the edges. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile in a small bowl, mix together the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.
- You can remove the peppers and set aside or leave them in the pan and add in the shrimp. Sprinkle the seasoning blend over the shrimp and vegetables. Stir to combine. Cook for about 4-5 min or until shrimp are done. They will be pink and opaque when fully cooked. You do not want to overcook the shrimp.
- Serve with tortillas and any other toppings you desire. Drizzle over fresh lime and enjoy!
Notes
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On one sheet pan add the bell pepper and onion slices. Drizzle veggies with a bit of olive oil and add about half of the seasoning mix. Toss on the sheet pan until veggies are coated and then spread into an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes at 400ºF on the top oven rack.
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On the other sheet pan add the shrimp, a drizzle of olive oil, and the rest of the seasoning mix. Toss until shrimp is evenly coated and then spread in an even layer on the pan. Remove the veggie pan, toss veggies, and return to the bottom rack. Place shrimp pan on the top rack. Bake for 5-6 minutes or until shrimp are opaque and cooked through.
Did you make this recipe?
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Made these today for lunch. WOW, the flavors are like going to an authentic restaurant. My fiance said I have a tip for you, make these again. Thanks so much, this recipe is now apart of our family meal rotation. I also used cut up pea pods because I didn’t want them to waste. To our fajitas we added tomato, shredded lettuce, black olives, and red onion, with a dab of sour cream. YUM
That is so awesome to hear!! I love all of your additions!
These tacos are so fresh and flavorful! Love the seasoning and veggies!
So tasty! We love shrimp fajitas! Love the flavors of the veggies in here! So good!
I could say NO to so many dishes but certainly not to shrimp fajitas. They are just too good, especially if they are made like this. Fantastic recipe!
We love ordering fajitas, but I’ve never made them at home. I can’t wait to try this recipe for dinner tonight!
This is one of my FAVORITE recipes! I could eat it for lunch, dinner… even breakfast!! Great recipe!
I love shrimp fajitas! This recipe was so easy to make and with only a few dishes which I am thankful for! Thanks for sharing.
My daughter just loves shrimp. Thanks for the shrimp fajitas recipe. It will be a fun new way to try them. Plus, it is so pretty everyone is sure to like it!
No need to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant when we can make these delicious shrimp fajitas at home! They are the best!
I haven’t had shrimp fajitas in ages— I saw this on Pinterest and have been dying to make them since I saw them!!
So delicious! Great recipe…Thanks for sharing!
This was so delicious! The spices really helped elevate the sweetness of the shrimp – the whole family thoroughly enjoyed it (even the fussy ones!) Thanks for the recipe x