Shrimp Fajitas
Shrimp fajitas are the perfect sizzling skillet meal! Just sauté bell peppers and onion in a hot pan, then toss with jump shrimp and homemade fajita seasoning. Before serving, add a squeeze of zesty lime juice for a punch of flavor!
When it comes to popular recipes on this website, chicken fajitas are always tops on that list. They’re quick, easy, flavorful, and filling – which is always a winning combination. But variety is the spice of life, so today, we’re swapping chicken for plump, and juicy jumbo shrimp to make the best shrimp fajitas.
Bell peppers, onions, and shrimp are sautéed in one pan, until slightly caramelized, then coated with a homemade fajita seasoning that’s loaded with bold, Mexican spices. It’s a seriously easy one-pan meal, and then all you have to do is serve with tortillas, cilantro, and your favorite toppings. So if you’ve been looking to add more shrimp or seafood into your routine – this is an easy and delicious way to do it.
What You’ll Need For Shrimp Fajitas
There’s really just four main ingredients, plus the seasoning mix:
- Jumbo Shrimp: Fresh catches of the day are great, but can be expensive. So opt for a bag of wild frozen shrimp instead. It’s reasonably priced and maintains its freshness over time.
- Bell Pepper: Any color will work, so pick two your two favorites to get the fajita party started.
- Onion: Yellow, white, or red onions all work in this recipe. I’ve chosen to use white this time around.
- Tortillas: I’m using my homemade cassava flour tortillas, but any store-bought tortillas work as well.
Now that you have your base ingredients, the secret sauce to this whole dish is the shrimp fajita marinade. It’s bold, earthy, and zesty!
- Fajita Seasoning: A flavorful blend of chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Olive Oil: Helps the seasoning stick to the shrimp, while giving it extra moisture for a juicy texture.
- Lime Juice: Skip the bottled juice and use fresh limes instead! Trust me, it will make all the difference for maximum zesty flavors.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make The Best Shrimp Fajitas
Grab your favorite cast-iron or stainless steel skillet, then get ready, because this entire recipe takes less than 25 minutes! Here’s what to do:
- Marinate the shrimp. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the fajita seasoning, oil, and lime juice, then toss until they’re nicely coated.
- Sauté the peppers and onion. Cut each of them into thin slices and sauté in a large skillet with the remaining oil to turn them into fajita veggies. Then transfer them to a plate.
- In goes the shrimp. Cook the shrimp on each side for about 2-3 minutes. Don’t overcook them or they’ll go rubbery!
- Toss it all together! Add the bell peppers and onion back into the skillet, sauté for another minute, and add one extra squeeze of lime juice.
Make Fajita Night Exciting!
While shrimp fajitas taste amazing on their own, there’s so many easy ways to amp up fajita night. Just whip up a few condiments, one or two sides, lay it all out on the table, and let the building begin! Here’s a few ideas to get you started:
- Guacamole: This one’s a no-brainer! Dollop onto the fajitas or serve as a pre-meal appetizer.
- Pico De Gallo: Another topping essential for chunky freshness and a little heat.
- Lime Crema: Drizzle this on your fajitas for a creamy, zesty addition.
- Red Salsa: If you don’t like chunky pico de gallo, this smooth, blended salsa will be your go-to.
- Chipotle Sauce: A drizzle of this will add a creamy, smoky heat to your meal.
- Mexican Rice or Cilantro Lime Rice: These are the perfect side dish with complementary flavors.
Storing And Reheating Tips
If you’ve got shrimp fajita leftovers, count yourself lucky (they always seem to magically disappear). But the good news is that they reheat easily and you can switch up the toppings to keep them interesting. Here’s how to store them:
- Store leftovers: Pack them in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- How to reheat: Just microwave a bowl or plate of the fajitas for a minute or until warmed through.
More Delicious Shrimp Recipes
You can always count on shrimp for an easy, healthy meal. Here’s a few favorites you won’t want to miss.
- Creamy Chipotle Shrimp
- Garlic Grilled Shrimp Skewers
- Shrimp Tacos (with cilantro lime bacon slaw!)
- Zucchini Noodles With Lemon Garlic Shrimp
- Shrimp, Asparagus, and Avocado Salad
- Citrus Shrimp Ceviche
If you make this recipe, let me know how it turned out! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.
Shrimp Fajitas
Ingredients
Shrimp Fajitas
- 1 1/2 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled, and deveined
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 bell peppers , thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup olive oil (divided)
- 1 lime
- 8 tortillas
Fajita Seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Toppings
- avocado (or guacamole), sour cream, and salsa
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the fajita seasoning ingredients.
- In a large bowl, add the shrimp, two tablespoons of olive oil, the juice from half a lime, and the fajita seasoning. Toss it all together until the shrimp is well coated and set it aside to marinate.
- Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bell peppers and onions, and saute for 4-5 minutes or until softened and the onions have started to caramelize. Transfer to a plate.
- In the same skillet, add the shrimp and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until they turn pink.
- Add the bell peppers and onions back into the skillet, give everything a toss, and squeeze more lime juice on top. Serve immediately with tortillas and extra toppings such as sour cream, pico de gallo and guacamole.
Lisa's Tips
- You can use either a cast iron pan or stainless steel pan - either works! To see my favorite cookware, check out my Shop page.
Incredible! Authentic fajita taste. I didn’t add salt, but I did add mushrooms. Absolutely delicious.
Happy to hear you’re loving this shrimp fajitas recipe Lauren!
Wondering if the 1 and half pound of shrimp is after tails removed ? Using frozen shrimp which have been deveined and tails removed
Yes, it’s after the tails have been removed!
I don’t usually make comments but this recipe is exceptional! The flavor is authentic and my husband and I really enjoyed this very easily prepared dinner.
Thanks so much for leaving a review Liz! Glad both you and your husband enjoyed this fajitas recipe :)
OMG…those was SO GOOD!
I added half of a jalapeño. I’m from Texas and adding it to my monthly rotation!
This was a delicious weeknight meal! I followed the recipe exactly. My family loved it.
This recipe is fabulous!! Really easy and delicious. I am loving your website.Thanks for all the great ideas <3
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it!! Thank you!!
Hope you love it Laurie!
This was absolutely delicious!! Loved all the seasonings and it was so easy And quick to make! Loved it! Ole!
Happy to hear you enjoyed this shrimp fajitas!
I printed this out…. thinking about how yummy this would be. Then I saw the sodium content… 2046mg per serving??? Is that a typo?? That’s like 1500 more than I usually eat per meal!!
Hi Carol – it did look like an error on the nutrition auto calculation. I’ve fixed it! And you can further reduce the sodium by eliminating the salt. Enjoy!
Delicious and oh so easy!!! Thank you Lisa for your AMAZING recipes, we love them
All.
Glad you enjoyed this shrimp fajitas Lana :)
Simple but very nice tasty dish
Simple and delicious. It’s so easy to make the spice mix and way healthier than the salty store bought packaged stuff. I made a few tweaks to the spice mix, using chipotle chili powder instead of regular chili powder and added 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and 1/4 tsp of adobo seasoning. I served it with homemade quac, sour cream, Mexican cheese mix and pickled jalapeños. Really good!
Glad you enjoyed these shrimp fajitas Shelley!
I’m making it for the second time. I love it and make enough for leftovers. I have a gas cooktop and char thin corn tortillas over the flame, for the wrap. I also do a pico de Gallo, chopped avocado, and cilantro. So delicious. Always on my list of regulars now. Thank you!
Love toasting tortillas over an open flame! Glad you enjoyed this shrimp fajita recipe Rosalind.
Very easy to make. I like it, but my husband gave it a very lukewarm “it was good”. He says he wanted it to have more flavor. Would love suggestions for how to amp up the flavor.
Thank you!! I made this recipe tonight for dinner and it was a success, as it’s the case with all of your recipes. This, too, will surely become a must in our house!
Wonderful! Glad this was a hit Giulia!
Thanks for another great recipe! I had a 1 pound bag of shrimp with shells on (and I didn’t know how many ounces of actual shrimp it would end up being after removing the shells) so I used half of the seasoning mixture amounts and it worked very well. Next time I will use half of the salt. I substituted Baby Bok Choy chopped for the bell peppers and it worked well.
Love the veggie substitution idea Deb!
I prepped the taco mix the night before so this dish did not take me more than 15 minutes to put together. Again a very easy, healthy and delicious meal. And I got thumbs up from the family. Just love it!
Amazing! Glad everyone enjoyed this recipe Babette :)
Wonderful! Tasted better than a restaurant. I’ve been intimidated to cook shrimp in the past, but this was so easy!
Cooking shrimp couldn’t be any easier! Happy to hear you enjoyed this shrimp fajitas Richard :)
Ahhhmazing! Another delicious dish from Downshiftology. I served this with fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, and almond flour tortillas.
So glad you enjoyed these shrimp fajitas Alan!
Hi Lisa,
This is just a quick note to correct a tiny mistake in your recipe. I also love your chicken fajitas. Your recipe has a header that displays Chicken Fajitas instead of Shrimp Fajitas. I use Paprika Recipe Manager and spotted the mistake there. I absolutely adore all the recipes I have made of yours. I have lost 110+ pounds a lot of it based on your citrus ginger scallops. I use the exact same recipe for shrimp. It is divine and super light calorie wise. All your efforts on all fronts are spectacular. It’s hard to find someone who blogs who also loves some heat in their recipes. I also have an older set of All-Clad stainless cookware. Your sense of quality is very visible in every thing you do. Thank you for your wonderful site!😋🤗
Mark Rossi
Hi Mark – Thanks for catching that mistake! Also, I’m glad you’ve been enjoying all my recipes so far and that they’ve had a positive impact :)
Had to swap the cumin and let the peppers cook for longer, as I like them more tender, but this was SO tasty! I had fallen in love by looking at your IG already, but now I am definitely bookmarking this recipe for future use.
Thank you!
Excited to hear this shrimp fajitas was a win Cristina! Can’t wait to hear about what you make next :)
My 10 year old son and I made this tonight for dinner and he loved it. Can you share some kids friendly meals to make together? Thank you!
Happy to hear both of you enjoyed these shrimp fajitas! Will be sure to keep in mind of more family-friendly recipes :)
I love the flavours that you’ve used and this is such a great family meal too.
Thanks Amanda! It really is a family favorite.
You had me at ‘simple’! Love this dish for a weeknight dinner but I can whip up a large portion and serve it at parties too. Yum!
It truly is one of the best dinner recipes! :)
Love that this dish is Sea Food. One of my favorite meal. This dish looks spicy and flavorful and easy and quick to make too.
It sure is a weeknight favorite :)
shrimp fajitas are definitely my fav – the smell of cumin is the best! i just sniff it for a few minutes before i add it to any recipe! yum – can’t wait to make this
The spices definitely make this recipe!
I don’t cook with shrimp nearly enough. Such a wonderful, flavorful meal! I love all those spices and how easily it comes together.
This is a delicious and easy way to incorporate more shrimp into your routine!
Lisa,
Thank you for all you do!!! This is so helpful to all of us that are on a journey back to health.
I am writing to better understand the nutrition information. For example on the shrimp fajita, it’s four servings. So the protein is listed as 41g, do I divide that by 4? is that the case with fiber/fat/sugar/etc.
Thank you for taking the time to help me understand this.
Hi Alinda – The nutritional information will always be per serving :)