Grilled Shrimp Tacos

As I mentioned in my Grilled Chicken Fajitas post, we ended up having taco night *frequently* on our fall trip last year.

Forget Taco Tuesday, I think we were making tacos 2-3 times a week - usually some form of seafood tacos. Mexican food can be a quick weeknight dinner, and that works wonderfully as a camping recipe - quick and easy cooking!

We were staying at Warsaw Caves Conservation Area at the time we shot this recipe, so we DEFINITELY had better things to do, than hanging around the campsite!

What a cool park!

Anyway, I’ve already posted a couple taco recipes - Camping Tacos, 2 Ways, Grilled Tuna Tacos - and now it’s time to share my awesome shrimp taco recipe.

This easy shrimp tacos recipe is basically cilantro lime shrimp tacos... I just tend to use calamansi juice as the lime juice.

It’s a Philippine lime, and works SO well with the summer fruit salsa, and smoky shrimp. Cooking over an open flame is the best way to cook shrimp, IMHO. You can use an actual campfire, or even an outdoor grill.

I make a quick mango salsa to top them with - it perfectly compliments the shrimp, and just rounds it out to make the BEST shrimp tacos.

There’s juicy shrimp, and bright, colourful, and super tasty salsa... add some crunchy cabbage, and what more could you want?

Definitely one of my favorite shrimp recipes... so let’s get to that recipe. Your taste buds will thank you!

Ingredients

This recipe uses really simple ingredients that should be relatively easy to find in any larger grocery store.

Shrimp

You can use fresh shrimp or frozen shrimp, just be sure to completely thaw and drain frozen shrimp before marinating them.

I like to use pretty large shrimp - jumbo shrimp when I can find it at a reasonable price - because it threads nicely onto skewers. You can use medium shrimp, the cooking method is just a bit different.

Buying peeled or unpeeled doesn’t matter either, you’ll just want to peel them before marinating, if they are still in the shells.

The big thing to keep in mind is that you want to use RAW shrimp, regardless of everything else.

Fresh Mango

We used to make this mango salsa with regular mangoes, but the past couple of years, we’ve switched over to using Atulfo Mangoes - AKA Honey Mangoes - for it.

Both types of mangoes work well, we’ve just had much better success with getting perfectly ripe Altulfos lately. Too many regular mangoes that were browned / bruised inside!

Either way, get a nicely ripe one. Ripe mangoes have the best flavour, texture, and sweetness level.

Calamansi Juice

This recipe was developed using calamansi juice, as I LOVE the way it tastes with seafood and tropical flavours like mango. Calamansi is a type of lime from the Philippines, and I’m obsessed with them.

I tend to buy TONS of calamansi juice any time we’re near a Seafood City.

That said, feel free to use a regular lime juice - the easiest option - or a Yuzu juice, which would also be fantastic.

Flour or Corn Tortillas

You can use either small flour tortillas or corn tortillas. Porter usually uses flour, while I’ll generally use corn - it’s a good gluten-free option for me.

If you're looking for other gluten free tortilla options, you can sometimes find decent flour ones in stores... but I prefer to make my own.

My Gluten Free Tortillas are soft tortillas - a substitute for regular flour tortillas - and my Gluten Free Hybrid Tortillas basically have the texture of a flour tortilla, but the flavour of a corn tortilla.

If you're looking for an option that's grain free and paleo / AIP friendly, try my Cassava Flour Tortillas Recipe.

Or, just serve everything over tortilla chips, as a kind of easy shrimp nachos!

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Fresh Avocado
Red Onion
Fresh Cilantro
Fresh Garlic Cloves
Olive Oil
Salt & Ground Black Pepper

I tend to let the shrimp and mango take the centre stage here, and am a lot more chill on toppings than when I’m doing chicken or beef tacos.

While the fresh fruit salsa basically covers my favorite toppings when it comes to shrimp tacos, sometimes I’ll add a bit of shredded cabbage - usually red cabbage - for a bit of crunch.

That said, feel free to add any of your favorite taco toppings, if you think it’d work well. A bit of cotija cheese or mexican crema - maybe a chipotle crema - could work really well.

How to Make Campfire Grilled Shrimp Tacos

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is a step-by-step guide:

Marinate the Shrimp

Peel the shrimp and remove the tail, if applicable. Place shrimp in a medium Ziplock freezer baggie.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour marinade into plastic bag, seal it. Agitate bag to fully coat the shrimp, chill for 30 minutes.

Make the Mango Salsa

Peel and slice mango and avocado, chop into small pieces and place in a medium bowl along with the onion and cilantro.

Measure juice into the bowl, gently toss to coat everything.

Season with salt, to taste. Use immediately, or store in an airtight container and chill until you’re ready for it.

Make Your Shrimp Tacos

Thread shrimp onto skewers, place directly on the grill grates.

Grill for 3-4 minutes per side (2-3 minutes for smaller shrimp), until cooked through. Don’t overcook!

Note: If you’re not using jumbo shrimp, you can cook them for about 10 minutes in a foil packet - just keep an eye on them, cook time can vary wildly based on the size of the shrimp, and the way you’ve got them in the foil packet!

Warm tortillas directly on the grill grates for 10-15 seconds on each side, divide among your plates.

Divide grilled shrimp out between your tortillas, top with Mango Salsa, and serve.

Leftovers

Leftover toppings, shrimp, and salsa can be stored in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to two days.

More Grilling Recipes for Camping

Looking for some great meals to cook on a campfire or grill? Here's a few of my favourites!

Bison Burgers with Bacon and Caramelized Onions
Fajita Chicken Kebabs
Elk Burgers with Bacon and Sauteed Mushrooms
Greek Chicken Souvlaki
Grilled Chicken Fajitas
Grilled Tuna Tacos
Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs

Be sure to check out our other Camping Recipes, including Camping Desserts, Camping Snacks, Make-Ahead Camping Mix Recipes, and a ton of delicious Camping Main Dish Recipes.

Also, we had SO much fun designing gourmet jerky recipes for our camping trips, we started a whole new blog for them! Check out Dried & Tasty for all kinds of fun recipes to make in your food dehydrator!