Mouths water when a sizzling platter of fajitas makes its way through a Tex-Mex restaurant. The trail of aromatic smoke is dramatic enough to turn heads, and anyone who hasn’t already ordered will be tempted to make fajitas the order of the day. You can capture that moment at home with this easy shrimp fajitas recipe. Like most shrimp recipes, these fajitas come together in less than 30 minutes. And the dish cooks in a single skillet, making cleanup a breeze.
This shrimp fajita recipe would be good with a store-bought seasoning packet, but it’s even better with our homemade fajita seasoning. The blend gets its smoky essence from ground cumin, its earthiness from oregano, its savory flavor from garlic powder and its hint of spice from chili powder. Just put it together with juicy shrimp and colorful, tender-crisp vegetables to create a warming family meal.
Shrimp Fajita Ingredients
- Shrimp: You can use shrimp of any size, but we generally like to use small shrimp (31-40 per pound) for fajitas. They cook quickly, and the bite-sized shrimp are easy to spoon into tortillas when it’s time to eat.
- Onion: What’s the best type of onion for fajitas? It all depends on your preference. Use white onions for a bold taste, yellow onions for a mellow flavor or red onions for a peppery bite. If you prefer sweet flavors, look to sweet onions like Vidalias or Walla Wallas.
- Bell peppers: Bell peppers maintain a crisp-yet-juicy texture as they cook in a hot skillet. Use a combination of yellow, red and orange peppers for color. Green bell peppers work as well, but they’re not as sweet. In a pinch you can use frozen peppers, but the fajitas will have a much softer texture.
- Fajita seasonings: Our easy homemade fajita seasoning combines chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, dried oregano and ground cumin.
- Olive oil: We don’t marinate the shrimp for this fajita recipe, but we do toss them in oil when adding the seasonings. The oil helps the herbs and spices cling to the surfaces of the shrimp for better flavor absorption.
- Cilantro and lime: This classic combination gives the shrimp a bright, herbaceous finish.
- Flour tortillas: If you’re feeling adventurous, try making homemade tortillas.
- Optional toppings: Dress up your fajitas with toppings like sour cream, pico de gallo and sliced avocado.
Directions
Step 1: Season the shrimp
In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with 2 tablespoons oil as well as the chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano and cumin.
Step 2: Cook the fajita vegetables
In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the onion and peppers. Cook and stir until the vegetables are crisp-tender, five to seven minutes. Remove the vegetables from the pan.
Step 3: Cook the shrimp
In the same pan, cook and stir the shrimp over medium heat until the shrimp turn pink, two to three minutes.
Step 4: Finish the fajitas
Add the cilantro and onion mixture to the pan, and heat through. Remove the pan from the heat.
Cut one of the limes in half. Squeeze one lime half over the shrimp mixture. Cut the remaining 1-1/2 limes into wedges for serving. Serve the shrimp mixture with tortillas and, if desired, the optional toppings.
Editor’s Tip: Before serving, warm the tortillas in the microwave or toast them in a dry skillet to make them more pliable. Or, try this viral tortilla toaster hack to turn the tortillas into poofed tortilla pockets.
Recipe Variations
- Oven-baked sheet-pan shrimp fajitas: If you don’t want to mess with a sizzling skillet, make sheet-pan fajitas. Combine the shrimp, onions, peppers and seasonings in a bowl. Then spread them out on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking. Then, broil the shrimp and veggies 3 to 4 inches from the heat until the shrimp turn pink and the vegetables are lightly browned, four to five minutes.
- Grilled shrimp fajitas: For grilled fajitas, skewer the seasoned shrimp and grill them over medium heat for three to five minutes per side, as we do in this grilled shrimp recipe. For the veggies, cut the onions crosswise into 1/2-inch slices and halve the peppers, similar to how we prep fajita veggies for grilled steak fajitas. Grill the vegetables for four to six minutes per side or until tender. Then, slice them into strips before serving.
- Spicy shrimp fajitas: Cook spicy peppers like jalapeno or poblano peppers alongside the bell peppers. You can also add cayenne pepper to the fajita seasoning.
- Gluten-free shrimp fajitas: There are several ways to turn this into a gluten-free recipe. Substitute corn tortillas for flour tortillas, use Bibb lettuce leaves to turn the fajitas into shrimp lettuce wraps, or serve the shrimp and veggies on salad greens for a fajita in a bowl.
How to Store Shrimp Fajitas
Store leftover shrimp fajitas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat the fajita mixture in a skillet on the stovetop until warmed through.
Shrimp Fajita Tips
Can you make shrimp fajitas with frozen shrimp?
You can use fresh or frozen shrimp to make our shrimp fajitas recipe. Let frozen shrimp thaw in the refrigerator overnight before seasoning them with the fajita seasoning. If your shrimp aren’t already peeled and deveined, check out the step-by-step photos in our guide for how to clean shrimp.
What do you serve with shrimp fajitas?
Serve this shrimp fajita recipe with warm tortillas and a variety of toppings. Try sour cream, pico de gallo, sliced avocado, homemade guacamole or jalapeno ranch dip to add a spicy kick. If you’re looking for a side dish, serve shrimp fajitas with black beans, Spanish rice or a Mexican street corn bake.
