These tequila lime shrimp fajitas are a fantastic fajita recipe to make on the griddle or in a skillet on the stovetop! But the real star of the show is the quick tequila-soaked pineapple pico de gallo! With perfectly spicy charred shrimp and fresh fajita-style vegetables, these tequila lime shrimp tacos may be your new favorite Mexican food to make at home!
Mexican-Style Shrimp Fajitas at Home
We love all kinds of fajitas – from chicken fajitas to fajita nachos to our favorite steak fajitas with a fantastic homemade marinade!
But so many times when you order fajitas at a Mexican restaurant, you’re served a piping hot plate of, well, disappointment. It seems like the flavors are lacking, the meat is overcooked, or the vegetables are way too soft.
So when we want a REALLY good dinner of Mexican-style fajitas, we usually opt to make them at home!
If you’ve watched any of our griddle cooking videos on YouTube, then you know that we’re all about showing you how to make restaurant-quality meals at home… and these shrimp fajitas are BETTER than anything you can get at your local Mexican restaurant!
From the tequila-soaked pineapple pico de gallo to the freshly sliced avocado on top to the succulent shrimp and tender-crisp vegetables, these homemade shrimp fajitas are sure to have you reaching for seconds!
*Watch me make these tequila lime shrimp fajitas on our YouTube channel:
Ingredients for Tequila Lime Shrimp
A few simple spices, common fruits and vegetables, raw shrimp, and tequila are the only ingredients that you need to make these awesome shrimp fajitas! Here’s a few ingredient notes and substitution options:
- raw shrimp – You can use fresh or frozen raw shrimp, but if you’re using frozen then be sure to thaw and fully drain the excess moisture. If not, the moisture will dilute the flavors of the dish and your shrimp will steam on the griddle more so than sear.
- fajita vegetables – We used a blend of bell peppers, sweet onion, and Roma tomatoes. The tomatoes add a nice bit of freshness and acidity to the fajita mix.
- lime and tequila – We used Jose Cuervo Reposado tequila, but you can use your favorite tequila. Or, if you’re not a drinker, leave out the alcohol all together and this shrimp fajita recipe will still be fantastic!
- seasonings – To season the shrimp, we used a blend of our favorite all-purpose seasoning with some added smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, and ground coriander. You can also substitute your favorite taco seasoning or other Mexican-style seasoning.
- butter and garlic – These get added to the tequila and lime juice to create a simple basting sauce for the shrimp.
- high heat cooking oil – We prefer avocado oil for both griddle cooking and for seasoning a griddle.
How to Make Tequila Lime Shrimp on the Griddle
Prep the Fajita Vegetables and Shrimp
Fajitas cook relatively quickly on the large hot surface of the griddle, so it’s important to have all of your ingredients prepped before you begin. To start, slice the bell peppers and onions into strips and cut the Roma tomatoes into wedges, similar to the photo below.
Then, cut the lime into wedges so that you can easily add a squeeze of fresh lime juice when the ingredients are cooking on the griddle.
For the shrimp, simply peel and devein the shrimp and toss in a light coating of seasoning. You don’t want to overpower the delicate flavor of the shrimp, so be sure to taste your seasoning blend first to determine how much you need. *Our Shake That All-Purpose Seasoning is not salt-forward, but if you’re using a saltier or more robust seasoning blend, go a bit lighter.
Your shrimp should look something like this:
Make the Tequila Lime Basting Sauce
For flavorful shrimp with hints of tequila and lime, we made a basting sauce in a saucepan on the griddle. Then, while the shrimp are cooking, you can brush them with the sauce.
For the tequila lime sauce, simply add butter, minced garlic cloves, the zest of a lime and fresh lime juice, and a bit of tequila to a saucepan and allow the mixture to heat up for the flavors to meld together.
If you’re making the simple pineapple pico de gallo to serve with your tequila lime shrimp tacos (highly recommended), then go ahead and griddle some pineapple slices for the pico as well.
Cook the Fajita Vegetables
The vegetables will take a longer time to cook than the shrimp, so start your fajitas by sautéing the bell peppers and onions first.
I turned my Traeger Flat Rock griddle to a medium heat (about 400°F) and added a bit of avocado oil to the surface. Add the sliced veggies to the hot griddle surface, spreading them out in a thin even layer so that the vegetables can get a bit of a char. Sprinkle with your favorite all-purpose seasoning or a simple blend of salt and pepper.
Your griddle should look something like this:
*TIP – If you’re adding tomato wedges to your fajitas, then wait until the bell peppers and onions are about 50% cooked through before adding the tomatoes to the griddle. The tomatoes cook much more quickly, and you don’t want them turning to mush. And if you’ve never tried tomatoes in your fajitas, then I highly recommend you give it a try!
Cook the Tequila Lime Shrimp
When the fajita-style vegetables are almost done to your liking (we prefer ours to be a “tender-crisp” and not too soft), then it’s time to start cooking the shrimp. Move the veggies to the cooler side of the griddle while they finish cooking, and add a tablespoon or two of high heat oil to the clear area on the griddle for the shrimp.
We chose to use a larger 12-15 count shrimp, because we wanted to be able to leave the shrimp on the griddle for a longer time to develop a nice char without overcooking.
Add the shrimp to the griddle so that each piece comes in contact with the griddle surface to get some nice color. If you were to just dump the shrimp on the griddle in a large pile, then they would be more likely to steam instead of sear. Your griddle should look like this:
Add about 2-3 tablespoons of the butter sauce to the top of the shrimp, and let them cook on the first side until they develop some nice color and are about halfway cooked through, about 3-5 minutes, depending on the heating of your particular griddle model. Then, flip the shrimp to the second side, add the rest of the butter sauce, and cook until done.
You can also squeeze on some extra lime juice for an extra pop of freshness if you wish.
Assemble the Shrimp Fajitas
When the vegetables are cooked to your liking, transfer to a serving platter. Top with the cooked tequila lime shrimp.
Serve the fajitas with flour tortillas, pineapple pico de gallo, sliced avocados, and your favorite fajita toppings. The sweetness from the pineapple pico de gallo compliments the shrimp, and the creaminess from the avocado slices is the perfect fresh topping – no need for sour cream or cheese!
For a low carb option, you could even serve the shrimp and vegetables without the tortillas and make a “fajita bowl” or a shrimp fajita salad!
*Are you a Pinterest user? Do me a favor and PIN this griddle shrimp fajita recipe to your Blackstone Recipes board:
What to Serve with Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos
The fajita toppings and condiments can really make or break your fajita tacos. Here are some recommendations for serving your shrimp fajitas:
Easy Tequila-Soaked Pineapple Pico de Gallo
The simple grilled pineapple pico de gallo that we made for our shrimp fajitas was spot-on, and I highly recommend that you give it a try! The subtleness of the tequila and the sweetness of the pineapple perfectly complimented the shrimp fajitas, and this homemade pico is super easy to whip up.
Just follow these steps to make a simple pineapple pico de gallo to serve with your shrimp fajita tacos:
- After griddling the sliced pineapple to develop a bit of caramelization, dice the sweet fruit up into small “tidbits”.
- Add the warm pineapple to a medium bowl with about 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of tequila and let it sit for the flavors to develop.
- Make the rest of the pico de gallo – combine diced Roma tomatoes, onion, cilantro, minced garlic, finely diced jalapeño, lime juice, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Stir everything together and let it sit for the flavors to marry together.
- After about 10 minutes, drain the tequila-soaked pineapple with a slotted spoon and add to the pico de gallo. Mix together.
*TIP – Be sure to drain the pineapple before adding it to the pico de gallo. You want to pick up the subtle flavor of the tequila without it being too overpowering or watering down your pico.
Mexican Street Corn
If you want a fantastic griddle side dish to serve with your fajitas, then try this easy Mexican street corn on the griddle! This recipe uses frozen corn and a few basic ingredients, but it has major flavor!
Steak or Chicken Fajitas
If you’re making fajitas for a crowd, why not offer a few different protein options? These Blackstone steak fajitas have the BEST homemade marinade, and this chicken fajita recipe is perfect for serving a crowd!
Tequila Lime Shrimp Fajitas Recipe
Want to add this easy shrimp recipe to your list of griddle recipes to try? You can print the recipe card down below to save for when you need a fantastic dinner idea and you’re craving Mexican:
Tequila Lime Shrimp Fajitas
Ingredients
- 1½ lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons Shake That All-Purpose Seasoning *or substitute your favorite all-purpose seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 bell peppers sliced thin for fajitas (We used red, yellow, orange, and green peppers)
- ¾ medium white onion sliced thin
- 1 large Roma tomato cut into wedges (about 8 wedges)
- 1 jalapeno seeded and sliced thin
- 3-5 tablespoons high heat cooking oil *we prefer avocado oil for griddle cooking
- ½ stick butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ jalapeno seeded and finely diced
- zest of ½ lime
- juice of ½ lime
- ½ cup tequila
- fajita toppings and accompaniments like flour tortillas, sliced avocado, etc.
For the Pineapple Pico de Gallo:
- 3-4 fresh pineapple rings *cut about ½" thick
- ¼ cup tequila
- 3 roma tomatoes small diced
- ¼ white onion small diced
- 1 clove minced garlic
- ¼ cup cilantro small diced
- juice of ¼ lime
- ½ jalapeno seeded and finely diced
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Heat griddle to about 375-400℉. *If cooking shrimp fajitas on the stovetop, preheat a large skillet on medium heat.
- Make the tequila-soaked pineapple. Place the pineapple rings on the heated surface and grill on the first side until you see some browning and char. Then flip to the second side and continue to cook until lightly browned. Transfer the grilled pineapple to a cutting board to cool slightly, then dice into "tidbits" size. Add the diced pineapple to a medium bowl with 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup tequila. Mix together and set aside.
- Make the shrimp basting sauce. While the pineapple is cooking, start the melted butter sauce for the shrimp. To a small saucepan, add ½ stick butter, 3 cloves minced garlic, ½ minced jalapeno, juice and zest of ½ lime, and ½ cup tequila. Heat the saucepan on the griddle to allow the butter to melt and the flavors to incorporate.
- Season the shrimp. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of all-purpose seasoning with the smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, and ground coriander. Sprinkle the seasoning on the shrimp and set aside. *Taste your seasoning for saltiness (varies depending on which all-purpose seasoning you use). You may not need to use all of the seasoning mix.
- Make pico de gallo. In a medium bowl, mix together 3 diced roma tomatoes, ¼ diced white onion, ¼ cup chopped cilantro, 1 clove minced garlic, juice of ¼ lime, ½ minced jalapeno, and pinch of salt. Use a slotted spoon to drain the tequila-soaked pineapple and add the tidbits to the pico de gallo. Mix well and set aside. (You don't want to add the extra tequila to the pico because it will be too overpowering. You can pour the excess tequila in the saucepan with the melted butter if you wish, or add to the shrimp as they are cooking on the griddle.)
- Cook the fajita vegetables. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of high heat cooking oil to the heated griddle surface and spread it around with your spatula. Add the sliced bell peppers, onions, and jalapeno to the oiled surface in a thin even layer. Allow to cook untouched for about 2-4 minutes for the vegetables to develop a bit of char. Season vegetables lightly with all-purpose seasoning or salt and pepper. Then, sauté together until about 50% cooked through. When peppers and onions are 50% cooked through, add the tomato wedges to the griddle. Cook for 2-3 minutes to develop some color on the tomatoes, then mix with the fajita vegetables. Move the vegetables to the cooler side of the griddle to make room for the shrimp.
- Cook the tequila lime shrimp. Add about 2 tablespoons of high heat oil to the griddle surface and spread around with your spatula. Place the seasoned shrimp on the oiled surface, making sure that each piece lays flat on the griddle to develop some char. Add about 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture over the shrimp. Cook the shrimp on the first side until about halfway done, about 4 minutes. Then flip to the second side, and add the remaining butter mixture. Continue to cook shrimp until done.
- Serve the tequila lime shrimp fajitas. When vegetables are cooked to your liking, transfer to a serving platter. Top with the cooked tequila lime shrimp. Squeeze additional lime juice on top if you wish. Serve the fajitas with flour tortillas, pineapple pico de gallo, sliced avocados, and your favorite fajita toppings.
Video
Notes
- When slicing the bell peppers for fajitas, slice on the shorter side so you get shorter slices of peppers. This helps when eating the fajita tacos so you don’t pull out large slices of peppers.
- Try to slice the peppers and onions into equally-sized slices so they cook evenly.
- I recommend serving the shrimp fajitas with freshly sliced avocado. The creaminess of the avocado perfectly compliments this dish.
- You may omit the tequila from this recipe if you wish (or try rum instead) – it will still be fantastic!
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