Cajun Shrimp Tacos with Grapefruit Pineapple Salsa

Let’s just take a moment to give it up for tacos. This amazing dish that comes in many shapes and sizes but pretty much ALWAYS equals deliciousness (….as long as there is no “bell” in the title, I won’t even go there…). 

Tacos have been one of my favourite go-to meals because they are quick, easy, super fresh tasting, and can most often be quite healthy. I mean really, the basis of a good traditional taco is a tortilla (typically made with corn or another grain), a protein or carb main filling which has been grilled, stewed, roasted, or pulled (I just recently heard of vegan cauliflower tacos which I must try!), and then an array of fresh toppings like salsa, avocado, cilantro, etc.

Over the years I’ve made a few different taco varieties on the blog; simple shrimp tacos, jerk chicken tacos, philly cheese chicken tacos (when I didn’t have a dairy allergy!), heuvos rancheros tacos, and tuna tacos.

So, in honour of the upcoming Cinco De Mayo holiday on Thursday, I’ve got these bad boys; Cajun Shrimp Tacos with Grapefruit Pineapple Salsa and Avocado Crema.

Boom.

The grilled cajun shrimp is spicy, tangy, crispy and chewy, and makes the perfect taco filling. The salsa is sweet from the pineapple and tart from the grapefruit with a burst of fresh lime and cilantro, and the avocado crema… oh, the avocado crema, it’s creamy, limey, rich, and just perfect for drizzling!

The corn tortilla is a great source of fibre and also a nice complex carbohydrate component, the shrimp provides the protein, the salsa is full of antioxidants and vitamins from the fresh fruit, and the avocado crema provides a nice hit of healthy omega-rich fats.

Nicely balanced, superbly delicious.

When it comes to tacos, I also find that they taste even better the next day.

I won’t assemble them, but I’ll keep each component separate and then throw the leftover tacos together the next day once all the flavours in the salsa and avocado crema have had a chance to really meld!

When my hubby and I were on our honeymoon (almost 5 years ago! What?!) we went to Cabo in Mexico and stayed at an amazing resort with a restaurant that served some of the best grilled steak tacos I’ve ever had.

While I chose to make shrimp tacos for this recipe, I’m definitely still keeping those steak tacos on my radar to make them for the blog at some point in the future (do any of you lovely readers like/enjoy steak? I mean good quality organic beef! Let me know in the comments as I know I have an array of readers with different eating styles and I don’t often post red meat on the blog!). 

Do you celebrate Cinco De Mayo? What are your favourite dishes for the celebration? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below! 

P.S. don’t be intimidated by the lengthy ingredients list, it’s mostly spices and each component is incredibly quick and easy to throw together! 

Cajun Shrimp Tacos with Grapefruit Pineapple Salsa & Avocado Crema (GF & DF)

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Serves: 1-2

Ingredients

• Cajun Shrimp:
• 12 large raw prawns, peeled and deveined
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoons paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Grapefruit Pineapple Salsa:
• ½ grapefruit, peeled, segmented, and diced
• ¼ cup finely diced pineapple
• juice of 1 lime
• ½ tablespoon coconut palm sugar or honey
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• Avocado Crema:
• ½ avocado, peeled and pitted
• juice from ½ lime
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tablespoons water
• Tacos & Toppings:
• 4 Soft Corn Tortillas
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• fresh lime

Instructions

1. In a small bowl combine all the spices for the cajun shrimp and mix together.
2. In a larger bowl add the raw shrimp, olive oil, and top with the spices. Toss together with a spoon until the shrimp is well coated with the spices. Set aside.
3. Create the salsa by combining all of the salsa ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Place in the fridge.
4. Create the avocado crema by adding the avocado, lime juice, salt, pepper, almond milk, and water to a small food processor and blend until smooth. Place in the fridge.
5. Fire up the BBQ and grill the shrimp for 5-7 minutes until done then chop into smaller pieces.
6. Grill the tortilla shells to slightly to warm.
7. Divide the chopped shrimp between 4 tacos, top each with 2-3 tablespoons of the salsa and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the avocado crema.
8. Garnish each taco with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime.
9. Enjoy!

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