These shrimp tacos with mango salsa are a quick and easy dinner option that features tender shrimp, sweet and tangy mango salsa, and creamy cilantro lime sauce, all inside warm corn tortillas.
This is the ultimate way to do taco night! The fresh mango salsa is the perfect counterpart to the spiced shrimp and creamy sauce. Not a mango fan? Try pineapple salsa instead!
If I ask the girls what they want for dinner the answer is always tacos. They are on a major taco kick right now which I don’t mind because it’s a quick and easy meal to make. I too love tacos and I was looking for something a little more grown up than the ground turkey/cheese/hard shell tacos that the kids love. Enter these shrimp tacos with mango salsa – chile seasoned shrimp, crunchy cabbage, sweet and tangy mango salsa and creamy cilantro lime sauce makes for an awesome flavor combination that everyone will love.
How do you make shrimp tacos?
This recipe starts with shrimp which get coated in chili powder and are seared until golden brown. While the shrimp are cooking, I dice up the ingredients for the mango salsa and make my creamy sauce. The final step is to assemble your tacos with corn tortillas, shredded cabbage, shrimp, mango salsa and cilantro sauce.
HOW TO PEEL SHRIMP
This recipe calls for raw shrimp which are cooked in a sizzling hot pan. I typically buy my raw shrimp with just the tail attached, but many shrimp also come still in the shell. If your shrimp have shells on them, you can easily remove them by pulling the main part of the shell off with your fingers, then removing the tail end of the shell. You may also need to devein your shrimp. If you see a dark line running across the top of the the shrimp, you can remove it by using a paring knife to cut a slit along the top of the shrimp, then use a knife or wooden skewer to remove the vein.
Tips for shrimp tacos
- I like to use larger shrimp, I go for the 21-25 jumbo size. You can make this with smaller shrimp too and have great results.
- You can leave the tails on your shrimp for a nicer presentation, or remove them before cooking. While it looks prettier to have the tails, it’s a bit more difficult to eat, so it’s totally up to you!
- The mango salsa and cilantro lime sauce can both be made up to 8 hours in advance.
- I typically use corn tortillas for these tacos, but flour tortillas are also a great choice.
- I use a mandoline to get finely shredded cabbage, if you’re short on time, you can but a bag of pre-shredded cabbage.
How do you make mango salsa?
This fruit salsa features fresh mango, red bell pepper, lime juice and chopped cilantro. The mango salsa includes a little bit of fresh jalapeno for a kick – if you’re sensitive to spicy foods, make sure to take the ribs and seeds out of the pepper to considerably tone the spice level down. Use ripe mangoes for the best results!
Shrimp taco variations
I typically make this recipe as written, but sometimes I switch things up a bit depending on the ingredients I have on hand.
- Protein: Instead of shrimp try a different type of seafood. I’ve used tilapia and salmon for a fun twist.
- Salsa: No mango on hand? You can use another fruit such as peaches, pineapple, papaya or even kiwi. Another great option is to add a diced avocado to the salsa.
- Toppings: Add some different toppings such as jalapeno slices, grated cotija cheese or pickled red onion.
The whole meal can be made in about 25 minutes, not too bad for such a delicious end result. The next time the girls ask for tacos, I’m making them their usual favorite and throwing together these shrimp tacos with mango salsa for the adults in the house. Don’t forget to make my mexican rice and cantina beans to serve on the side!
More taco recipes you’ll love
Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
Ingredients
For the shrimp
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 1/4 pounds shrimp peeled, deveined and tails removed
- chili powder and salt to taste
For the mango salsa
- 1 cup mango finely diced
- ½ cup red bell pepper finely diced
- 1/2 jalapeno pepper minced (remove seeds and ribs to make it milder)
- juice of 1 lime
- ½ cup cilantro leaves finely chopped
For the creamy cilantro lime sauce
- 1 cup sour cream (can use light)
- ½ cup cilantro leaves roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
- ¼ cup prepared green salsa
- salt and pepper to taste
For assembly
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
- 8 corn or flour tortillas
Instructions
- For the shrimp: Heat the olive oil over high heat in a large pan. Season both sides of the shrimp with chili powder and salt to taste. Place the shrimp in a single layer in the pan and sear for 2-3 minutes per side, until shrimp are pink and cooked through.
- For the mango salsa: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, add salt to taste. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, up to 4 hours.
- For the creamy cilantro sauce: Place all ingredients in the food processor; process until sauce is smooth and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve: Warm the tortillas. Add a spoonful of sauce, a handful of cabbage and place the shrimp on top of the cabbage. Top with mango salsa and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on August 25, 2015 and was updated June 2, 2019 with new content.
What can I use instead of cilantro? Cilantro tastes horribly bitter and gross to me (I’m not sure what “fresh and citrus” flavor it’s supposed to have according to most people) and the last time I made this recipe, I had to throw out the mango salsa and cilantro sauce because the cilantro in them ruined the whole taco.
I’ve heard boiling the cilantro can greatly cut the flavor in half so it’s not so pungent? But I don’t want to make another batch of mango salsa and cilantro sauce for it to be gross again
I’d use green onions instead, just cut the amount in half!
Oh my goodness, it’s just cilantro, drama queen 🤣🤣🤣
Delicious!!! This recipe has even won over my difficult to change meat and potatoes hubby! Will definitely be adding these to my mealtime rotation. Absolutely loved them!
I made these tacos today and they were fantastic!
Made these for lunch today inspired by Sara’s recipe. Didn’t make the cream sauce, but the mango salsa was to-live-for! Since we’re a little sensitive to spice, I used Old ElPaso’s original taco seasoning spice mix that I’ve had for quite a while. It was the perfect amount of spice; used as a dry rub for shrimp. The seasoning burned a bit on the bottom of my pan, but when I poured in about a half cup of water, the deglazed bits made a great sauce. DELICIOUS and easy. I would have made the pinto beans and rice, but as I’m not too speedy in the kitchen, we’d have been eating our lunch at 5 today!
I’m obsessed with these. This mango salsa is so much better than anything you can buy premade. What a gem of a recipe.
Just made these and they were really terrific!
Made these last night, for lunch today, planning to have them tonight again…oh my gosh, they are DELICIOUS. I had mercy and gave one to my boss and he thought is was absolutely delicious as well. I did add a little extra lime juice to the cream and the 1 cup was 1 large mango. I only had cooked shrimp, but that worked fine as well. This will be a GO-TO recipe for me and I’ll be back to this blog for me recipes if this is the caliber of simple, utterly delicious food this lady makes!
How do I make the green salsa for this recipe?
I use store bought green salsa but here’s my homemade version: https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/salsa-verde-recipe/
Made these tonight absolutely amazing. Made mango salsa with Roma tomato and red onion instead of red bell pepper! Soooo good!!
These are so good!! Ever tried it with cooked shrimp? Just realized I didn’t have raw.
That should be fine but you’ll want to just quickly warm the pre-cooked shrimp so that they don’t get tough!
Made this with lettuce wraps & still came out delicious !! 😋😋
Made this for my family for dinner and it was a massive hit! Thank you!
What is the serving amount? The cal count is high so just wondering what the serving size was.
2 tacos!
I make my salsa and refrigerate it overnight. It’s better than ever and is used for dipping as well. Is that ok? You say to only refrigerate it for up to 4 hours. What is the reason for this? There’s only two of us so I thought I was real smart for making it and using it when we want. Probably not more than a couple of days tho!
It’s fine to refrigerate it overnight, the only reason I don’t suggest longer is it tends to get a bit watery after a while!
So simple and yummy! I added fresh tomatoes instead of red bell peppers in the salsa and it was still delicious. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
I have made these numerous times – always a crowd pleaser!!! Keep the great recipes coming! ❤️
Hi
Just wondering what substitute could be used instead of the shrimps as I don’t eat fish ?
Thanks
Karen
You can use diced cooked chicken!
You could do shredded Chicken & a Shredded Pork too. Steak is also not a terrible choice, as a matter of fact it’s perfect for the Steak Lover. How about the salty meat, is there any meat left on that Ham Bone before it is boiled in the Bean Soup Broth.
Be Creative & use foods you like, then you will enjoy it maybe even more. It is a Great Idea to try the Original Recipe First so you have something to compare to maybe just one bite than pass the dish on to a Seafood Eater. You would be surprised how you might love that one dish that has that one Item in it that you have never liked in anything before, Just Saying lol.
Better than Rubio’s so now I make my own! Love the mango!
This looks absolutely delicious! Your recipes always make me drool! I have been making at least three new recipes of yours ever since I found your website about one month ago and I’m hooked! Your recipes are so flavorful and truly restaurant quality. Thank you, Sara, for sharing your talent and for all your hard work! Pinned!