It is truly a special occasion when my fiancé Kevin goes grocery shopping alone….without me. Anytime he does go alone, he makes sure to get all of the staples along with 20 very off-the-wall items that have me laughing as I pull them out of the grocery bag. “What exactly is this?!” I’ll ask him. “Frozen slices of gyro meat,” He’ll tell me looking proud. “And THIS?!!?” I’ll ask. “That’s a Danish kringle…they were handing out samples of…” He’ll say. Right. What exactly am I supposed to make with a giant Danish Kringle and frozen gyro?!
To say that he doesn’t come home with any cohesive meal components wouldn’t be giving him enough credit though. There is one meal in particular that he has the shopping for down to a science: MY SHRIMP TACOS. I always know what I am going to find in the grocery bag as soon as I see he bought us shrimp. Shrimp tacos are his favorite meal that I make and one of our favorite foods in general. I think during our first year of dating we had shrimp tacos EVERY SINGLE SUNDAY. And anytime I asked him what he wanted for dinner….shrimp tacos were the only feedback I would ever get.
So what exactly goes into my shrimp tacos? Well, there are a few versions and I promise I will get them all up on my site eventually. Sometimes the shrimp are grilled, sometimes they are panko breaded and fried, and sometimes they will get fired up in the wok with a sweet asian sauce. The recipe you are getting today is for my grilled shrimp tacos with bang bang slaw, melted pepper jack cheese, and watermelon pico de gallo. They are out of this world good and save you the mess and calories that comes with deep frying. In other words, shrimply irresistible.
You can get all of the ingredients to make these tacos at Trader Joe’s (other than the sesame seeds). My favorite shrimp to use are their giant red argentenian shrimp. You can find these in the freezer section. My favorite tortillas to use are Trader Joe’s corn and wheat tortillas. If you plan on using wood skewers, make sure to soak them in water 30 minutes prior to grilling.
Let’s get started.
Step 1: Slaw and Order. Let’s get down to business. Assemble your bang bang slaw. Start by mixing up the bang bang sauce. In a mixing bowl combine sriracha, whole 30/paleo mayo (you can sub for light mayo or normal mayo), fat free or light sour cream, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Mix together. Combine with bag of shredded slaw and sesame seeds. Store in the fridge until it’s grillin’ time. This will be a creamy slaw that will take the place of using crema or sour cream on the tacos. If you would like the slaw to be less creamy do not add all of the dressing.
Step 2: Let’s salsa. If you are making the watermelon salsa to go with these babies, now is the time. Combine cubed watermelon, diced red onion, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, and salt. Mix thoroughly and store in the fridge.
Step 3: Well seasoned. Season your shrimp. In a mixing bowl combine shrimp with olive oil, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Step 4: Stick to it. Let’s put those babies on sticks. Skewer your shrimp. This will make them easier to flip on the grill. If you are using a grill pan, don’t worry about skewering.
Step 5: Let me see ya grill. Fire up your grill and preheat to medium/high heat. Spray down olive oil or grilling spray before laying down your shrimp. Place skewers on the grill and cook shrimp with the lid on about 2-2 1/2 minutes per side or just until cooked through and no longer transparent. Remove shrimp from grill. Don’t overcook or they will be rubbery. As your shrimp cook spray and put down your green onions.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN MORE PHOTOGENIC SHRIMP!???!!
Step 6: Say cheese. In the last minute of your shrimp cooking lay down your tortillas on the top rack of your grill. Top with pepper jack cheese. Remove shrimp and green onions from the grill and allow the cheese to melt onto the tortillas with the grill lid closed. If your green onions look like they need a little more time keep them on there until the tortillas come off. Once the cheese is melted, carefully remove the tortillas from the grill. These will be hot!!! Chop your grilled green onions into smaller pieces so they are easier to eat in your tacos.
Step 7: Top ’em off. Let’s build those tacos. Onto the melted cheese layer shrimp (I usually put 3), bang bang slaw, grilled green onion, sliced avocado, cilantro (unless you’re a hater) and watermelon salsa. Devour!!
Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Bang Bang Slaw
Ingredients
For the Bang Bang Slaw:
- 3 tablespoons whole 30 mayo or light mayo
- 3 tablespoons fat free or light sour cream
- 2-3 tablespoons sriracha (depending how spicy you like things)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar or stevia
- 1 bag shredded slaw mix (I use Trader Joe's Organic Red and Green shredded cabbage with carrot)
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
For the watermelon pico:
- 4 cups cubed watermelon
- 1 handful cilantro chopped
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1/2 jalapeno seeded and diced small (use the whole jalapeño if you want more heat)
- 2 limes juiced
- Pinch salt
For the shrimp:
- 1 pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp (I love Trader Joe's Wild Argentenian Shrimp)
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the tacos:
- 1 Pack Trader Joe's Corn & Wheat tortillas (or your favorite tortillas)
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1 Avocado sliced
- 5 Green onions left whole for grilling (slice smaller after grilled)
Instructions
For the slaw:
- Assemble your bang bang slaw. Start by mixing up the bang bang sauce. In a mixing bowl combine sriracha, whole 30/paleo mayo (you can sub for light mayo), fat free or light sour cream, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Mix together. Combine with bag of shredded slaw and sesame seeds. Store in the fridge until it's grillin' time. This will be a creamy slaw that will take the place of using crema or sour cream on the tacos. If you would like the slaw to be less creamy do not add all of the dressing.
For the watermelon salsa:
- Combine cubed watermelon, diced red onion, chopped cilantro, diced jalapeño, lime juice, and salt. Mix thoroughly and store in the fridge.
For the shrimp:
- Season your shrimp. In a mixing bowl combine shrimp with olive oil, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Skewer your shrimp. This will make them easier to flip on the grill. If you are using a grill pan, don't worry about skewering.
- Fire up your grill and preheat to medium/high heat. Spray down olive oil or grilling spray before laying down your shrimp. Place skewers on the grill and cook shrimp with the lid on about 2-2 1/2 minutes per side or just until cooked through and no longer transparent. Remove shrimp from grill. Don't overcook or they will be rubbery. As your shrimp cook spray and put down your green onions.
To finish tacos:
- In the last minute of your shrimp cooking lay down your tortillas on the top rack of your grill. Top with pepper jack cheese. Remove shrimp and green onions from the grill and allow the cheese to melt onto the tortillas with the grill lid closed. If your green onions looks like they need a little more time keep them on there until the tortillas come off. Once the cheese is melted, carefully remove the tortillas from the grill. These will be hot!!! Chop your grilled green onions into smaller pieces so they are easier to eat in your tacos.
- Onto the melted cheese layer shrimp (I usually put 3), bang bang slaw, grilled green onion, sliced avocado, cilantro (unless you're a hater) and watermelon salsa. Devour!!
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