What to Serve with Shrimp Tacos: 15 Easy Seaside Sides

After a long day’s work, you don’t want to worry about cooking. All you want is a fast and simple warm meal.

Here’s an example of a fast, delicious meal: shrimp tacos!

You season your shrimps, fry them up, and serve them on a taco.

You can even make this a gluten free shrimp recipe by using GF taco shells!

With the right prep work, you can be eating your shrimp taco in under 30 minutes.

Still, you may feel like something is missing from your dish.

When considering what to serve with shrimp tacos, texture and flavor are your best friends.

I made enough shrimp recipes in my life to know that it goes best with contrasting flavors.

And that’s what I’ll share with you here!

All you need is a mango salsa to add a little sauce to the mix. Or maybe a green salad to brighten up the meal.

Let’s see our options!

Shrimp Taco Sides: Ideas to Liven up Your Taco

Many simple ideas can dramatically enhance your shrimp taco.

So, grab your apron, and let’s dive straight into what sides to serve with shrimp tacos.

1. Fresh Pico De Gallo

 

Since shrimp tacos are a Mexican dish, it makes sense to pair them with Mexican salsa.

Pico De Gallo is a fresh, uncooked salsa that you can make in a flash. You also likely have all the ingredients in your pantry.

If that’s the case, you can prep and make this salsa in under 15 minutes.

All you’ll need is:

• Tomatoes
• Onions
• Pepper
• Cilantro

The fresh veggies and herbs can add a wonderfully bright, fresh spin to your shrimp taco.

Try out this recipe from Jen and Sia. Thriftynorthwestmom.com

2. Juicy Pineapple Salsa

 

This salsa is almost identical to Pico De Gallo, with one major difference: pineapples.

This salsa includes:

• Pineapples
• Tomatoes 
• Red peppers
• Onions
• Lime juice 

Not only is this salsa colorful, but it also packs quite a flavor punch.

The pineapples and the lime juice add a sharp, tangy flavor that works well with the mild flavor of the shrimps.

As an added bonus, the red peppers will add a little heat to round out your taco.

Head over to plantingsandpairings.com for the recipe.

3. Kiwi Avocado Salsa Verde With Fried Plantain

 

When you wonder  what goes with shrimp tacos, you’ll rarely think of kiwis and avocados.

Well, this recipe will make you rethink that!

The tropical combination adds a fresh flavor to your meal, and the soft texture is perfect for dipping salsa.

For the simple recipe, you’ll need:

• Kiwi
• Avocado
• Lime juice
• Onions
• Cilantro
• Plantain

The kiwi and lime juice gives the dish a sharpness that brings out the shrimp’s flavor. 

On top of this, you have the creamy avocado that brings all the intense flavors together.

4. Hearty Refried Beans

 

If you’re looking for a unique side dish for shrimp tacos, try out refried beans.

They’re incredibly tasty and can fill your belly in no time.

The creamy beans have an earthy flavor that feels like a warm hug in your mouth. 

On top of that, they’re slightly sweet, which matches impeccably with the shrimps.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Canned refried beans
• Your choice of spices
• A little butter

With these simple ingredients, you can transform your shrimp taco.

5. Zesty Elote

 

As a fan of corn on the cob, Elote is one of my favorite shrimp tacos sides.

Elote is Mexican-style grilled corn served on the cob. You can use all sorts of herbs and spices to customize your corn.

To make this, you’ll need:

• Corn on the cob
• Sour cream
• Spices
• Cheese

This combination of ingredients works hand in hand with your shrimp taco. 

The silkiness of the sour cream balances out the heat from the spices, and the corn adds a little sweetness.

6. Simple Mexican Salad

 

If you want to keep your shrimp taco as simple as possible, there’s no better choice than a Mexican salad.

The best thing about this salad is you can add whatever you want. You can throw in anything you have in the pantry.

This may include:

• Onions
• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Beans

The fresh salad adds a balanced veggie content to the dish while still allowing the shrimp to shine.

Recipegirl.com has got you covered with the recipe.

7. Bright Coleslaw

This salad, which most of us know and love, can level up your shrimp tacos. 

Coleslaw adds incredible textures and flavors that work well with almost any dish.

It’s one of the easiest salads to make. You’ll need:

• Cabbage
• Carrot
• Mayonnaise
• Vinegar

The veggies add a wonderful crunch to your taco, while the mayonnaise adds richness. 

Add to this a splash of vinegar, and you have yourself a winning combo.

8. Spicy Mexican Rice

 

An excellent way to round out your shrimp taco is to add a bowl of rice, specifically Mexican rice.

To make rice, you can add all these ingredients to a pot:

• Rice
• Tomato
• Peppers
• Mexican spices
• Chicken/vegetable broth

The rice has an intense spicy kick that brings out the subtle shrimp flavor. It’ll also keep you full for a while.

Even though it may take up to 30 minutes to cook the rice, the recipe is still quite easy. 

9. Nutty Jasmine Rice

 

Spicy isn’t the only way to go when it comes to rice. A warm bowl of jasmine rice can also be excellent with shrimp tacos.

It only requires a few ingredients:

• Jasmine rice
• Vegetable broth
• Spices

The jasmine rice has a slightly sweet, nutty flavor, which works perfectly with the shrimp. 

It can also handle absorbing a lot of liquid. So, you can add a splash of your favorite sauce.

10. Crunchy Tortilla Chips and Mango Salsa

If you want to keep your meal light, you can add tortilla chips and mango salsa to your shrimp taco.

For this, you’ll need:

• Tortilla chips
• Mango
• Onion
• Red paper
• Cilantro 
• Lime

You’ll get the best results if you use fresh mangos. They’ll have a slightly acidic flavor with a majorly sweet twist.

Together with the other ingredients, it makes for a wild flavor ride. 

You can add the chips and salsa on top of your taco or dip the whole thing and the chips in the salsa.

11. Sharp Tomato and Watermelon Gazpacho

If you have a bit of time on your hands, you may want to try making a tomato and watermelon gazpacho.

To make this, you’ll need:

• Tomatoes
• Watermelon
• Pepper
• Onion
• Basil
• Mint

This involves slowly cooking your ingredients, then blending them all into a soup.

You’ll want to give all the flavors plenty of time to get to blend together.

The soup makes for the ultimate dipping sauce for your shrimp tacos.

You can also freeze the gazpacho and serve it as a topping.

12. Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers

 

Very few flavor combinations work as well as cheese, spice, and garlic. A perfect example of this is spicy stuffed peppers.

What you’ll need is:

• Peppers
• Cream cheese
• Garlic
• Herbs and spices

The spicy, cheesy side adds a whole new layer of tasty to your shrimp taco.

It’s also incredibly simple to make.

Just stuff your peppers and put them in the oven for a few minutes. 

13. Moist Mexican Corn Cake

 

If you’re like me and have a real sweet tooth, you may want to try a Mexican Corn Cake.

Not only is this cake delicious on its own, but it matches perfectly with shrimp tacos.

The main ingredients in this dish are:

• Butter
• Cornmeal
• Sugar
• Water

This makes an incredibly moist cake that melts in your mouth. 

When you add it to your shrimp taco, the sweet and savory flavors play off each other. 

They work together to make a whole new flavor profile.

You can go to mommymusings.com for the full recipe.

14. Sweet Caramelized Plantains

Plantains are sweet fruits that you can fry to get a caramelized texture. 

Let me tell you what happens when you do that:

The natural sugars in the fruit start caramelizing and oozing out. Then, the fruit gains a new nutty, sweet flavor with a hint of tartness.

All you’ll need for this is:

• Plantains
• Butter

Once you fry them up, add the plantains to your shrimp taco.

Not only will they add a sweet twist, but they also add some crunch.

15. Sopapillas

 

Another dessert that can complement shrimp tacos is sopapillas.

Sopapillas is a Mexican fried dough that has a sugar dusting on top. 

For this, you’ll need:

• Flour
• Shortening
• Baking powder
• Water
• Salt

The dough itself isn’t incredibly sweet—more like nutty.

This works perfectly well with the shrimp tacos.

You can also add a drizzle of honey for extra sweetness.

Wrapping Up

There are many options when it comes to what to serve with shrimp tacos. 

Just like with fish taco sides, you’ve got these staple categories:

• Salsas
• Salads
• Refried beans
• Rice

You can even go for a dessert side if you have a sweet tooth.

Now that you know what to make with shrimp tacos, your next lunch should be a work of art!