The BEST Shrimp Tacos with Mango Cabbage Slaw- bursting with delicious Caribbean flavors! Healthy, easy and fast- and can be made in 30 mins on the grill or stove-top!
Bursting with tropical island flavors, these Shrimp Tacos are quick and easy to make, full of delicious flavor and surprisingly healthy! Grilled tortillas hold the most flavorful Shrimp, seasoned with Caribbean Spices, over a warm bed of Cuban-Style black beans, then it’s all topped with a delicious cool and crunchy Caribbean Cabbage Mango Slaw .
Together this summery trio- of grilled flavorful shrimp, cool crunchy slaw and earthy spicy black beans makes for the perfect combination of flavor and texture – and takes me far away to hammocks and palm trees and sandy white beaches.
The Mango Cabbage Slaw is really refreshing and tasty and often I’ll eat a bowlful of just this, with just a side of black beans or rice. Sometimes I’ll use it to top off a slider or crispy fish sandwich, or serve it as a side for a BBQ. Fresh mango gives this a little tropical sweetness, while jalapeno gives a little heat. The slaw is dressed with the juice of oranges and limes and it makes you feel as if you are on a sunny Caribbean Island, far far away.
Shrimp is peeled and cleaned and deveined. Pat it dry with paper towels. The add just enough oil to lightly coat…1 to 2 teaspoons. This will help the flavorful Caribbean Spice blend to adhere.
In a little bowl, mix the spices, salt and sugar together…then toss with the shrimp. Either have the grill fired up, or heat up a cast iron skillet. Normally we grill these because I prefer the smokey char, but today, a summer storm blew through, and so they were cooked in a skillet.
After they are cooked, give a little squeeze of lime.
For quick black beans, use canned. Trader Joes offers “Cuban Style” black beans that work especially well with this. Or simply season plain black beans with cumin, chipotle pepper, salt and cilantro.
Of course, for a special meal, slow cooked black beans seasoned with dried chilies, onion, garlic and spices would be especially good too. But today- we are all about fast.
So here is the whole spread: Caribbean shrimp, cuban style black beans, Cabbage Mango Slaw and tortillas…all of which can be put together in 30 mins flat!
Remember to toast the tortillas. Nothing can ruin even the most flavorful tacos more easily than cold, or untoasted tortillas. So either place them in a toaster oven or regular oven, right on the rack, or on the grill, or place right over a gas burner, using tongs to flip and rotate.
As for tortillas, my personal favorite are a corn and flour blend. They seem to hold up the best, and have great texture. I know some of you are gluten-free, in that case, go with corn.
When assembling the tacos, place a layer of beans on the warm tortillas, then slaw, then shrimp. Serve with limes and hot sauce.
That’s all you need for a healthy flavorful dinner!
Have a great weekend!!
The BEST Shrimp Tacos!
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main, fish, shellfish, seafood
- Method: grilled, pan-seared
- Cuisine: Caribbean
Description
Flavorful Caribbean Shrimp Tacos with Cabbage Mango Slaw and Cuban Style Blackbeans…healthy and flavorful!
Ingredients
- 1 lb large raw shrimp- thawed, peeled and deveined
- 1–2 tsp oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp yellow curry powder
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp cayenne or chipotle powder
Mango Cabbage Slaw– 2 Cups
Cuban Style Black Beans (1 can) – or sub 1 can ( egular) black beans seasoned with 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon chili powder and salt & pepper to taste.
6-8 toasted corn & flour tortillas ( 6-inches)
Chipotle Mayo ( optional, but tasty!)
Instructions
- Pat dry shrimp well. Drizzle with just enough oil to lightly coat- 1 to 2 teaspoons.
- Mix all spices, salt and sugar in a small bowl. Toss spices with shrimp, mixing well. Set aside and make Mango Cabbage Slaw.
- Grill the shrimp over medium-high heat…or pan-sear on med-high in a well oiled cast-iron skillet, until just cooked. Squeeze with 1/2 of a lime.
- Serve with grilled or toasted tortillas ( this is important, see above) and Cuban Style Black beans ( black beans seasoned with cumin, coriander, chili powder (or chipotle), salt and pepper )- or purchase “cuban style” canned black beans from Trader Joes ( see post).
- Optional: Drizzle with Chipolte Mayo for even extra flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tacos
- Calories: 445
The fish tacos and the mango slaw were so good. I doubled it for a casual dinner party. Everyone loved it!
Thank you
Great to hear Lynda- thanks for circling back and letting us know!
Just outstanding! Made the chipotle mayo and tucked the whole business into homemade sourdough wheat & corn tortillas. YUM!
Oh homemade tortillas…yum! so glad you enjoyed!
The shrimp tacos were fantastic and the mango slaw was divine. Another
A+ from my housemates.
Made the Eggplant Lasagna about a month ago, and that was really good as well.
Awww… thanks Jen! Appreciated!
These are fantastic! I could eat the mango slaw ALL day. Thanks for another tasty, easy, and satisfying recipe!
Awesome Halli, so happy you enjoyed!
Absolutely Delicious! I made these tacos exactly as your recipe states with the chipotle sauce. I will make them again and again! Thank you for all the yummy recipes
Wonderful Sabrina, thanks so much for sharing!
I made this with tofu instead. The spices are perfect!! The mango cabbage slaw is excellent. I ate the taco with tofu and slaw, then made baked plantains to have on the side. This meal is absolutely transcendent !
Yum Angeli- love the plantain addition!
Made this for my family, best shrimp taco they ever had. I don’t eat shrimp, but the black beans and slaw were fantastic! I will definitely be making the slaw again to go with other main dishes.
Really?? That is awesome Amber, so happy you all enjoyed it!
Best tacos ever!! Really different but so tasty!! Definitely try this recipe.
Glad you enjoyed Jordarna!
We made this recipe last night and it did not disappoint. The seasoning on the shrimp is so unique and flavourful. Loved the mango slaw with the shrimp. The two blend so well. We had the black beans with the spices as we don’t have trader joes in Canada and made the chipotle crema. Everyone here said it’s a definite do over. Needless to say, there were no leftovers. Thank you for this recipe! Best shrimp taco recipe for sure. Going to try the pineapple shrimp screwers too. Yummy!
Glad this worked for you Daria!
The whole family loved this recipe. Made your chipotle mayo to drizzle on top. Yum!!! Thank you for your awesome recipes.
Great to hear and glad you liked it!
These were delicious! We had my in-laws over, doubled the recipe and did half shrimp and half chicken breast for the kids. Everyone loved it and I’m still licking my lips. Thank you
Awesome Ben, glad this worked for you! 🙌
Delicious – fast and easy. We seared the shrimp in a cast iron pan and it turned out beautifully. Served it with the cabbage mango salad, seasoned black beans and avocado. Family loved it!
Happy to hear Theresa- thanks!