Cajun Shrimp Taco Bowls (Printer-friendly)

Zesty shrimp with rice, crisp vegetables, creamy avocado, and lime sauce in a colorful bowl.

# What You Need:

→ Shrimp

01 - 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
02 - 1 tbsp olive oil
03 - 1 ½ tsp Cajun seasoning
04 - ½ tsp smoked paprika
05 - ¼ tsp salt
06 - ¼ tsp black pepper
07 - 1 clove garlic, minced

→ Rice

08 - 1 cup long-grain white rice
09 - 2 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
10 - ½ tsp salt

→ Vegetable Toppings

11 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
12 - 1 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned and drained)
13 - ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
14 - 1 cup shredded lettuce
15 - 1 avocado, sliced
16 - ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

→ Sauce

17 - ⅓ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
18 - 1 tbsp lime juice
19 - ½ tsp hot sauce (optional)
20 - Salt and pepper, to taste

→ For Serving

21 - 1 lime, cut into wedges

# Steps:

01 - Combine rice, water or broth, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
02 - Whisk sour cream or Greek yogurt, lime juice, optional hot sauce, and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
03 - Pat shrimp dry. Toss with olive oil, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and minced garlic until evenly coated.
04 - Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes per side until pink and opaque. Remove from heat.
05 - While shrimp cooks, prepare cherry tomatoes, corn, red onion, lettuce, avocado, and cilantro.
06 - Divide cooked rice into 4 bowls. Top each with shrimp, vegetables, avocado slices, cilantro, and drizzle with sauce. Serve with lime wedges.

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in 35 minutes, which means you can have dinner on the table before hunger wins.
  • The shrimp gets this incredible smoky, spicy crust while staying tender inside, and nobody expects that from a weeknight meal.
  • You build your own bowl, so everyone gets exactly what they want without arguments.
02 -
  • Wet shrimp won't brown, so the paper towel step isn't optional, even though it feels like it shouldn't matter.
  • The sauce is thinner than you think it should be, but it gets absorbed into the rice and clings to the vegetables in exactly the right way.
  • Lime juice should be fresh squeezed, because the bottled kind tastes like plastic had a thought about fruit.
03 -
  • Cook the shrimp in a very hot pan without moving them for the first minute or so, which is how you get that gorgeous crust instead of them just steaming.
  • Make extra sauce and keep it in the fridge because you'll find yourself drizzling it on leftovers, salads, and honestly just vegetables eaten straight from the container.
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