Add a little variety to your taco night with these Chipotle Shrimp and Asparagus Soft Tacos! You will love these spicy, zesty shrimp cooked in beer and then coated with a flavorful chipotle-lime sauce, served over a bed of greens in a whole wheat tortilla!
We used to have a Baja Fresh right around the corner, and I loved their shrimp soft tacos. I was crushed when it closed! It was kind of like an upgraded Taco Bell, with food that you could feel a little better about eating (not to knock Taco Bell...I have been known to eat there, too!).
We used to go to Baja Fresh after church on Saturday evenings and have a nice, quick, affordable dinner. Even though it was basically a fast food place, they would take your order, tell you to go ahead and find a table, and then they would bring tortilla chips over for you to munch on while you waited for your food.
The best part was the salsa bar! They had all kinds of salsa options, and you could help yourself to all of them if you wanted. They also had a container of chopped cilantro, which I always dug into enthusiastically. (I love cilantro!) We would sit with our chips and our drinks, and chew happily until our food was ready. I remember the shrimp soft tacos were always so flavorful and delicious, and they were never skimpy with the shrimp.
I don't know why they closed (the chain still exists, just not the location near us), but I decided that I wanted to make my own shrimp soft taco since I couldn't get them from Baja Fresh anymore. Unfortunately, the place near us closed quite a while ago, and my memory isn't good enough for me to really say whether or not this recipe is a good imitation.
However, it was delicious, so I am not too concerned either way! I imagine Baja Fresh did not cook their shrimp in beer, and I know they did not use asparagus, but this is my recipe so I made it the way I wanted! 🙂
Craving more asparagus after these tacos? Try this recipe for Bacon Wrapped Asparagus!
If you really love shrimp, you should also try these Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos. So delicious and easy to make right at home!
Love this recipe? Awesome! Please give it a 5 star ⭐ rating below! And if you make this, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram. You can find me at DizzyBusyandHungry or #dizzybusyandhungry!
📋 Recipe Card
Chipotle Shrimp and Asparagus Soft Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh asparagus (I cut the tips off for this recipe and used the rest of the stalks for another meal)
- 12 ounces light beer
- 1 pound shrimp (fresh, or frozen and thawed)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup onion (chopped)
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder (or more, to taste)
- ⅓ cup cilantro (chopped)
- 4 whole wheat tortillas (soft taco size)
- 6 ounces spinach (can substitute lettuce)
- 1 avocado (optional)
- ¼ cup sour cream (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to boiling. Add the asparagus tips for about 30 seconds. Drain and rinse the asparagus with cool water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.1 pound fresh asparagus
- Pour the beer into a large skillet and heat over medium-high. Add the shrimp and cook until they just turn pink throughout.12 ounces light beer, 1 pound shrimp
- Drain the shrimp and set aside.
- In the same skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion is translucent.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 cup onion
- Add the shrimp and asparagus in the with onion and stir.
- Add the lime juice and chipotle powder, and stir until distributed.3 tablespoons lime juice, ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- Remove from the heat, and stir in the cilantro.⅓ cup cilantro
- Line the middle of each tortilla with the shredded spinach, then distribute the shrimp-asparagus mixture over the spinach.4 whole wheat tortillas, 6 ounces spinach
- Top with avocado and sour cream and serve!¼ cup sour cream, 1 avocado
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.
Happy cooking!
Erlene
This sounds like a great taco recipe. We're all asparagus eaters, so this is perfect for us. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday. Pinned and will be featuring this in a roundup.
Karren Haller
THis is a great and healthy alternative to the traditional tacos, my husband would love shrimp tacos!!
Thank you for sharing on Friday Features #omhgff on Oh My Heartsie Girl, your post being featured this week and will be shared on Instagram, watch for it.
It will also be pinned on Pinterest and shared to Facebook.
Now I hope you enjoy the little boost, and stop by again to share.
Have a great weekend!
Jann Olson
Oh yum! I have made shrimp tacos before, but never had asparagus with them. Gotta give it a try!! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Sheri
Oh my, I want these now. Adding to my week! Pinned! Thanks for sharing at the To Grandma's House We Go DIY, Crafts, Recipes and More Link Party. Hope to see you again this week!
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
Uhmmm - Yum! Never had asparagus in a taco. Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party!