Learn What Makes These Healthy Shrimp Tacos so Irresistible

09/13/2024

Love tacos but managing your weight? Learn what makes these healthy shrimp tacos so irresistible so you can feel guilt-free about your next taco night!

By Laura Nahins, Registered Dietitian, Nuvance Health

It doesn’t have to be ‘Taco Tuesday’ to enjoy a delicious Mexican street food classic. Tacos are a quick and convenient meal that you can savor any day of the week! However, restaurant tacos are often filled with extra calories and unhealthy saturated fats that can leave you feeling bloated and bogged down.

Here is a healthy and easy-to-make shrimp taco recipe that you can try making for your next taco night.

Learn more about Nuvance Health’s comprehensive weight management program

Benefits of making tacos at home

Preparing food at home defiantly has its perks. Home cooked meals are an easy way to control the ingredients that go in your food. Cooking at home often results in a much more nutritious meal than what you would receive at a restaurant and it’s also less expensive than dining out.

The ingredients used to make tacos are usually inexpensive. But are tacos a healthy food, too? When you think of traditional American-style tacos, you may think of a hard-shell corn tortilla filled with loads of saturated fat-containing ground beef, shredded cheese and a generous dollop of sour cream. While there is nothing wrong with these types of tacos if eaten in moderation, there is a way to make them healthier especially if you are trying to manage your weight but don’t want to sacrifice flavor.

Types of tacos and their nutritional role

Whether you like your tacos with a hard or soft shell, the choices of fillings are endless. For example, tacos can be filled with various kinds of meat such as pork, beef, chicken or fish. Meatless tacos and vegetables tacos have also become popular over the years. Eating tacos is an easy way to meet your nutritional goals because they are stuffed with vital macronutrients such as carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats which your body uses to repair cells and burn energy.

About this taco recipe

This taco recipe calls for shrimp, but you can always swap the filling for another one that you enjoy. Shrimp is a perfect protein if you are looking to cut calories and manage your weight because it is low in calories compared to other animal proteins such as beef and chicken. Shrimp also contains healthy omega-3 fatty acids which can help reduce inflammation in your body that can damage your blood vessels or even lead to heart disease and stroke.

What makes this taco recipe so irresistible is its chipotle crema dipping sauce! Better yet, instead of sour cream, this recipe uses Greek yogurt which is more dense than regular yogurt and contains more protein and probiotics that are excellent for your gut health.

Recipe: Shrimp Tacos with chipotle crema

Ingredients

Butter lettuce leaves or corn tortilla shells

Quick tip: You can use soft or hard taco shells instead of lettuce cups. Including a carb, such as a corn tortilla, will help keep you satisfied which can lower the likelihood you overeat. If you are keeping the dish gluten-free, choose a corn-based taco shell.

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled, cleaned and deveined

1 tsp of taco or Mexican seasoning

Quick tip: (Choose a low sodium or salt-free seasoning to make this dish even more heart healthy!)

2 medium-sized Roma tomatoes, diced
2 Tbsp diced onion
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp minced jalapeño
2 fresh limes
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

Arrange the butter lettuce cups on a large platter and set aside. Toss the shrimp with 1 teaspoon of your preferred seasoning. Coat and set aside. Combine tomato, onion, cilantro and jalapeños in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, juice one lime and set aside. Sauté shrimp in a hot, non-stick skillet until cooked through. Transfer to a bowl to cool and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt with taco seasoning or chipotle to your liking. Add juice of half a lime and set aside.
To serve, add shrimp into a lettuce cup, a scoop of fresh salsa, a splash of lime juice and a drizzle of chipotle crema. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Laura Nahins, Registered Dietitian, Nuvance Health

Learn what makes these healthy shrimp tacos so irresistible!