These 20-minute shrimp fajitas are easy to make in a skillet and come out so flavorful. Just 5 ingredients needed!
Fajitas are a regular dinner staple in my house.
And so we have A LOT of variations to keep things fun and interesting.
Of course there’s my easy chicken fajitas, or if I need a hands off meal, it’s sheet pan chicken fajitas.
We also adore fajita chicken pasta for a little twist that’s oh so delicious.
And because I always have frozen shrimp on hand for an easy protein, I sometimes pivot and make these quick and easy skillet shrimp fajitas.
They have plump, juicy shrimp, onions and bell pepper strips and the perfect hit of seasoning. It's such a sexy little dinner!
Plus, it's only 5 ingredients and 20 minutes, y’all! You gotta love that!
Oh, and if you love other easy shrimp recipes that use some on-hand ingredients, try this honey garlic shrimp with a delectable sauce or these garlic butter shrimp that go great with pasta.
OK, let’s get cooking.
I’ve got some helpful notes and tips coming up below on this shrimp fajitas recipe. You can also scroll on down to the recipe card if you prefer.
Ingredient Notes:
Shrimp: I used a pound of medium shrimp, such as the 31-40 a pound size. You can substitute another size shrimp, but you’ll need to adjust your cooking time.
Shrimp prep: The shrimp need to be completely thawed (more on that in a minute) as well as peeled and deveined for this recipe. Please plan accordingly. (You can ask your seafood counter to prep these for you if needed. Or buy the peeled and deveined frozen shrimp.)
Peppers: Using two different colored bell peppers adds some great flavor and color interest. Feel free to choose from green, yellow, red and orange bell peppers. (Or substitute in some of the cute mini sweet peppers from the bag.)
Fajita seasoning: We love homemade fajita seasoning, which is so very easy to mix up yourself and has great, fresh flavor, but you can certainly use a store-bought mix.
I also wanted to share a few tips on working with shrimp in case you're not as familiar with buying and prepping it.
Shrimp Tips:
I buy frozen shrimp, which is actually fresher than “fresh” shrimp in the grocery store case. The shrimp they have on display in the seafood case is almost always frozen shrimp that they’ve recently thawed. So buying it still frozen is a better move.
I love, love getting my shrimp already peeled and deveined – saves so much time. Highly recommend if you can find it that way.
To thaw frozen shrimp quickly, place them, frozen, in a colander and rinse them in the sink with cold water for 2-3 minutes, until they are completely defrosted.
Ready to finish these off? You know for me that means toppings.
Topping Ideas:
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced avocado or guacamole
- Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
- Salsa or pico de gallo
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Pickled red onions
- Pickled jalapeños
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
Finally, let's eat!
Serving Ideas:
Shrimp fajitas, when served with warmed tortillas and plenty of toppings, make a great all-in-one meal.
You can also serve them with steamed rice and black beans to make a more hearty fajita or to have rice and beans as a side dish.
Mexican coleslaw would be amazing as a side dish with this, as would just a simple green salad for something light and fresh and green.
I hope you give these a try soon for a new way to have more fajitas in your house, too!
Happy cooking and enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Skillet Shrimp Fajitas
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning, divided
- 1 medium white onion, sliced in ¼-inch thick slices
- 2 medium bell peppers, (mixed colors), sliced in ¼-inch thick slices
- 1 lb. medium shrimp (such as 31-40 size), peeled and deveined
For serving:
- Tortillas, warmed
- Shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, salsa or pico de gallo, avocado, etc.
Instructions
- Heat ½ teaspoon of canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion and peppers and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the fajita seasoning mix.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are tender, about 7-8 minutes. (If your pan is too dry after the first few minutes, and if the veggies have already gotten a bit of char on them, you can add a few splashes of water. You can also cover the pan if you want to steam them a little at the end, especially if you prefer very tender veggies.)
- Meanwhile, season the shrimp with the remaining tablespoon of the fajita seasoning mixture.
- Remove the onion and peppers from the pan and cover on a plate or in a bowl to keep warm.
- Add the remaining oil to the same pan and add the seasoned shrimp.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp is just cooked through, about 2-3 minutes.
- Return the onion and peppers to the pan and stir well to combine.
- Turn off the heat and serve the shrimp fajitas in warmed tortillas with desired toppings. Enjoy!
Marcy Cohen
All your stuff looks delicious I can not wait to try them!!!!