When I graduated from college I had a semester off before starting grad school. Rather than stick around Kansas (I graduated from K-State – Go Wildcats!), I took the opportunity to head out to California for a few months. I grew up super shy but for whatever reason, God gave me wanderlust and the bravery to explore new places. At 22 years old, I drove halfway across the country to find out what coastal living is like. I lived with my cousin and his now wife while working a part time job at the local YMCA. Coming from a land-locked state, it was incredible to see the ocean every day even on days when I was just driving to work. I learned a lot about myself during that time. Post college, pre-real world is an awkward stage of life. You’re somehow both younger than most people and older than most people you encounter. This can create a level of loneliness but for me, it also created a greater level of independence.
While I was in California I was also scoping out local food trends. I’m generally willing to at least sample a dish I’m not familiar with but, looking back, maybe I wasn’t so adventurous at 22 years old. I kept seeing fish tacos and shrimp tacos and I just couldn’t get myself to try them. Clearly, there was something to it because I saw them on menu after menu. Truth be told, though, I didn’t end up trying seafood in a taco until several years after leaving California. Fast forward to today and fish or shrimp in my Mexican food has become an absolute favorite of mine. They are part of the reason I don’t go full out vegetarian. Combine this with busy mom life and I give you sheet pan shrimp fajitas!
Tips:
- If you want to make this vegetarian/vegan rather than pescatarian, you can swap out the shrimp for cubes of tofu.
- You can cut the vegetables a day ahead to make meal prep even faster on the day you cook the fajitas.
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 medium orange bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 medium jalapeños (optional), seeded and thinly sliced
- ½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled & deveined
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Flour or corn tortillas
- Optional toppings: shredded cheeses, sour cream, avocado, guacamole
- Preheat oven to 400F. Place all bell peppers, jalapeños, onion and shrimp in a large bowl. Coat with olive oil and lime juice. Add all spices and stir until vegetables and shrimp are evenly coated in spices. Spread ingredients out on a sheet pan and bake for 14 minutes, stirring halfway through. Wrap a few strips of vegetables and pieces of shrimp in a tortilla, adding optional toppings as desired.