Easy Sheet Pan Shrimp Tacos with Roasted Pineapple Salsa
These Easy Sheet Pan Shrimp Tacos with Roasted Pineapple Salsa let you enjoy the big bold flavors of summer any time of year. This easy recipe really has it all – crunchy and soft textures, not to mention hitting all of the flavor notes – and it’s all pulled together with a creamy avocado sauce. You’re going to want to put this one on repeat!
If you’re looking for another sheet pan dinner celebrating the flavors of Spring, check out this Easy Spring Sheet Pan Chicken with Asparagus and Peas.
Sheet pan dinners are such a favorite of mine. Combining the ease of cooking with the ease of cleanup is such a win-win for busy families.
For those that hate on sheet pan dinners, I think it’s simply a misunderstanding of timing techniques.
You see, almost every sheet pan dinner will work a little differently. Rarely can you just throw everything on the sheet pan at once, pop it in the oven, and have everything turn out well.
Rather, you have to learn the cook times of different things. This might seem fussy at first, but hear me out.
When something in a dish takes longer to cook than the rest, it allows us to get that started, and while it’s in the oven, you can work on the prep for the rest of the recipe. In the end, this often saves time, and actually makes you feel like an accomplished cook. And if you know me at all, you know that I’m all about building kitchen confidence!
What’s more, it also often gives you some time to pull together a quick sauce or condiment to bring the whole sheet pan together. And this, my friends, is where the magic of the sheet pan dinner comes full circle.
What you’ll love about this recipe:
Recipe ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these amazing Shrimp Tacos:
Ingredient Notes
Shrimp: You will want to use peeled and deveined shrimp in this recipe. You will also need to remove the tails, if they don’t already come that way. As far as size is concerned, I recommend using a slightly larger shrimp, such as 21-25, as the larger size is more forgiving in a roasting application. If you choose to use smaller shrimp, just know that you will need to roast them for a much shorter time – or else they can become tough.
Pineapple: A whole pineapple is required for this recipe. You have two choices here: the first is a fresh whole pineapple that you will prep (detailed instructions below) or you can buy a fresh pineapple that has already been peeled and cored for you. Please note, I would definitely NOT recommend using canned pineapple.
Mint: This recipe calls for a generous amount of mint to be added to the salsa. It really does provide a freshness that can’t be beat. If you are unable to find mint, you may omit it.
Cucumbers: In this recipe, I used three small Persian cucumbers, which have very small seeds, so no further prep is required. If you use larger cucumbers, you will likely need to remove the seeds before dicing them. The amount of diced cucumbers that you ultimately choose to put into your salsa is entirely up to you. It really is a lovely complement to the pineapple.
Jalapeno: This recipe calls for one jalapeno pepper finely diced. You are welcome to use as much or as little or even different varieties of peppers. If you prefer no heat at all, you can completely omit.
Make-Ahead Tip!
You can make the avocado sauce ahead of time if you like. Be sure to put it in an airtight container and cover it with plastic wrap – having the plastic wrap completely touch the sauce so that no air can get in – before putting on the lid. This will keep the avocado from oxidizing and turning brown.
If you choose not to roast the pineapple, you can also make the salsa ahead of time.
How to make Easy Sheet Pan Shrimp Tacos with Roasted Pineapple Salsa: STEP BY STEP
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below in the recipe card
Steps 1 & 2:
Preheat the oven to BROIL.
Cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple and discard. Standing the pineapple up, remove the outer skin by cutting from top to bottom and rotating as you go.
Steps 3 & 4:
Next, cut the pineapple from top to bottom, straight through the core, in half and then into quarters. Stand each quarter up and cut from top to bottom to remove the core, then cut each quarter, crosswise, into ½-inch thick slices.
Steps 5 & 6:
Toss the pineapple with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread out on a sheet pan. Broil for 5 minutes, flip pieces, and broil another 5 minutes.
Marinate the shrimp by combining the lime juice and spices and toss well to coat all of the shrimp.
Steps 7 & 8:
Remove the pineapple from the oven and transfer it to a plate to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
Prep the rest of the salsa ingredients, combine, and set aside until the pineapple is cool.
Steps 9 & 10:
Make the avocado sauce by combining all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender and blend until creamy.
Spread the marinated shrimp in the sheet pan and roast for about 8 minutes.
Steps 11 & 12:
Using a cast iron pan or an open flame, char the corn tortillas on both sides.
When ready to serve, push the shrimp to one side and add the rest of the parts of the dish. Bring the sheet pan to the table and enjoy!
Chef Notes & Tips
- Fresh shrimp or frozen shrimp? Actually, unless you live on the coast and have access to truly fresh shrimp, it has all be frozen at some point. So don’t stress about which you have.
- Frozen shrimp is very easy to thaw – If you didn’t take it out of the freezer to defrost ahead of time, simply put the shrimp into a colander and run cold water over it for about 5 minutes, tossing it around every so often, and you’ll be ready to go.
- Make sure you fully cool the roasted pineapple! Adding warm pineapple to the rest of the salsa ingredients will just make everything wilt, sacrificing the crunchy elements. When it comes out of the oven, transfer it to a plate and spread out the pieces so they can quickly cool. You can even put that plate in the refrigerator to speed up the process.
- Don’t omit the honey – that 1 teaspoon of honey in the avocado sauce does not make it sweet, but does do its job by adding balance to the finished sauce.
Storage & Reheating
Storage: You’ll want to store all of the main parts of this dish separately – shrimp, salsa, sauce, tortillas – in airtight containers for up to 3 days. For the avocado sauce, be sure to press plastic wrap onto the top of the sauce before closing the lid – this will help the avocados not to oxidize.
Reheating: To reheat the shrimp, I would add them to a saute pan over medium heat with a splash of water until warmed through. I would not use a microwave to reheat, as it tends to make shrimp rubbery. If you have leftover charred tortillas, you can wrap the stack in foil and place them in the oven or toaster oven at 350 degrees until warmed through. Alternatively, if you don’t have any left over tortillas, you can char some new ones.
Freezing: I would not recommend freezing any parts of this dish.
Additions & Substitutions
ADDITIONS:
Red bell pepper: You could add this, finely diced, to the salsa for a pop of color and added texture and flavor.
Fry the tortillas: You could fry the corn tortillas making tostadas instead of tacos.
Fresh garlic for the shrimp marinade: Fresh chopped garlic could be added to the spices to punch up the garlic flavor of the shrimp.
Add lime juice & zest to the shrimp marinade: Although not necessary, this would add another dimension of flavor.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
Swap the shrimp for another protein: You can easily swap in fish for fish tacos or even chicken – but cook times will vary. Beef would also be delicious in this recipe, but you would not want to cook it on the sheet pan – preferably a grill or cast iron pan.
Sour cream: This would be a great substitution for the Greek yogurt in the avocado sauce.
Bell peppers: These would be fine substitutes for the cucumbers in the salsa.
Flour tortillas: You can easily swap flour for corn in this recipe. You will want to warm the flour tortillas, not char them. Wrap a stack of them in foil and place them in a 350 degree oven until warmed through.
FAQs
I hope you love these Sheet Pan Shrimp Tacos with Roasted Pineapple Salsa! If you make it, be sure to leave a rating so I know how you like it!
Easy Sheet Pan Shrimp Tacos with Roasted Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 lb. shrimp (peeled & deveined, tail-off, size 21-25)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 red cabbage (thinly sliced)
- 12 corn tortillas (or as many as you like)
Pineapple Salsa
- 1 pineapple (whole)
- 3 tbsp olive oil (divided)
- 1 cup cucumber (small dice)
- 1/3 cup red onion (finely diced)
- 1 jalapeno (finely diced)
- 2 limes (zest & juice)
- 1/2 cup cilantro (chopped)
- 1/3 cup mint (chopped)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Avocado Sauce
- 2 avocados
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 lime (juiced)
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 bunch cilantro
- 2 tbsp water (or more if needed)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to BROIL.
- Prep the pineapple. Cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple and discard. Standing the pineapple up, remove the outer skin by cutting from top to bottom and rotating as you go. Next, cut the pineapple in half from top to bottom, straight through the core, and then into quarters. Stand each quarter up and cut from top to bottom to remove the inner core, then cut each quarter, crosswise, into 1/2-inch thick slices.
- Toss the pineapple with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, season it with salt and pepper, and then place it on a sheet pan, leaving plenty of room between all of the pieces. Broil for 5 minutes, then flip the pieces, and broil for another 5 minutes, or until the pineapple is nicely charred.
- In the meantime, marinate the shrimp by removing the tails if not already done so, and adding the chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat well.
- When the pineapple is done, remove it from the sheet pan to cool, and turn the oven down to 400 degrees.
- While the oven is cooling down, and while the pineapple is cooling, prepare the rest of the salsa ingredients and combine them in a bowl – cucumber, red onion, jalapeno, zest and juice of limes, cilantro, mint, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and set aside.
- Next, prepare the avocado sauce by combining all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food procesor or blender and blend until smooth. If the consistency is too thick, continue to thin with additional water, as needed.
- Add the shrimp to the sheet pan and roast for about 8 minutes or until cooked through. *Be careful not to overcook, as the they will become tough.
- While the shrimp is roasting, cut the pineapple into a small dice and add it to the rest of the salsa ingredients.
- Using a cast iron pan, or directly over an open flame, char the corn tortillas on both sides.
- When ready to serve, move all of the shrimp to one side of the sheet pan. Add a pile of thinly sliced red cabbage, a pile of tortillas, a bowl of the salsa, and a bowl of the avocado sauce. Bring it to the table and ENJOY!
Notes
- If you choose to use smaller shrimp, please note that the cooking time will need to be reduced. I prefer larger shrimp when roasting because the odds of over cooking them are greatly reduced.
- If you want to skip the step of roasting the pineapple, you can just use it fresh.
- To save time, you can buy an already cored pineapple.
- You can use flour tortillas if you prefer. Flour tortillas do not get charred – instead, you can wrap a stack in aluminum foil and heat them up in the oven.
Nutrition
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