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Square overhead shot of mexican shrimp on a plate with a fresh corn and tomato salad.
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Mexican Shrimp

Serve these flavorful Mexican shrimp with a fresh tomato, corn, and avocado salad for an easy dinner in just 20 minutes!
Course Dinner
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword mexican shrimp
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 359kcal
Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

FOR THE SALAD

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen corn (about 3 medium ears)
  • 10 ounces halved cherry tomatoes (or about 1 ¾ cups of cored, chopped tomatoes)
  • ½ small red onion, diced
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (or substitute with fresh parsley)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lime juice
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

FOR THE SHRIMP

  • 2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or substitute with regular paprika)
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Optional, for serving: tortilla chips; hoe cakes; rice; additional cilantro or fresh parsley garnish

Instructions

PREPARE THE SALAD

  • Steam or boil the corn until crisp-tender (about 3-4 minutes). Drain and cool to room temperature. NOTE: If you like your corn very crisp, you can skip the step of cooking the kernels. Just add the raw corn straight off the cob directly into the salad. It will soften a bit as it sits in the dressing and combines with the other ingredients.
    Ears of fresh corn on a wooden board.
  • In a large bowl, combine corn with remaining salad ingredients. Toss to coat, then set aside and let “marinate” while you prepare the shrimp.
    Overhead image of a bowl of fresh tomato, corn, and avocado salad.

COOK THE SHRIMP

  • Place shrimp in a large bowl; set aside.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together chili powder, flour, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, oregano, cayenne and salt.
    Small bowl of homemade Mexican shrimp seasoning.
  • Sprinkle the seasoning blend over the shrimp; toss to coat.
    Metal mixing bowl full of shrimp with homemade taco seasoning.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes, flipping once, until they are opaque and cooked through.
    Close up front shot of a serving spoon in a skillet of Mexican style shrimp.

Notes

  • Substitute with frozen, thawed corn. If using thawed frozen corn, you do not need to steam or boil it before adding it directly to the salad.
  • If you like the fresh corn very crisp, you can skip the step of steaming and boiling. Instead, just cut the kernels from the cobs and add them directly to the salad. The corn will soften a bit as it sits in the dressing and absorbs some of the other ingredients.
  • Don't want to make a fresh tomato salad? Omit that step and just serve the seasoned shrimp in bowls, on top of green salads, in tacos, or with rice.
  • Spicy Mexican Shrimp: add more cayenne to the seasoning blend for extra heat. As written, this dish is fairly mild.
  • Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half to prepare less salad and just one pound of shrimp.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the shrimp and salad | Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 381mg | Sodium: 1400mg | Potassium: 566mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1018IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 245mg | Iron: 5mg