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Shrimp Tacos Spicied with Toasted Guajillo Peppers

January 3, 2014 by Nancy Lopez-McHugh

Shrimp Tacos with Toasted Guajillo Peppers by @SpicieFoodie | #shrimp #tacos #guajillopepper

To say I have been having fun cooking in Mexico is a huge understatement. I have been looking forward to this since the day we decided to move here. Because I learned to cook while we lived in Europe I didn’t have access to authentic Mexican ingredients and therefore was limited to the Mexican cooking I could do. There was so much that I missed and that I wanted to try, to see, smell and taste. And now my only problem is that there aren’t enough meal times in one day to try all of these amazing new and dear to my heart foods.

Shrimp Tacos with Toasted Guajillo Peppers by @SpicieFoodie | #shrimp #tacos #guajillopepper

One of the ingredients that were nearly impossible to come by, when I lived in Europe, were fresh and dried Mexican chile peppers. Now I can walk into any of the grocery stores in town and follow my nose to the scent of chiles. Every store has bountiful mounds of these aromatic pods that give Mexican cuisine so much of its flavour. It is pure heaven standing over them, taking in a deep breath and selecting what I want — be it fresh or dried chiles.

Shrimp Tacos with Toasted Guajillo Peppers by @SpicieFoodie | #shrimp #tacos #guajillopepper

These beautiful guajillo peppers are one of the first dried chiles I have bought. Have any of you ever cooked with guajillos? They are very popular in Mexican cuisine and can be used in mole, tamales, salsa and enchilada recipes. Guajillos, as you can see, have a deep dark red colour and have a slight fruity smell. When toasted, I find that, their flavour becomes a complex taste with slight smoky tones. Since their flesh is a bit tough, nearly all guajillo recipes you’ll find will require soaking them in warm water before using — but we won’t be doing that in this recipe. These chiles are considered to be moderately spicy, but if you don’t eat much spicy food then you might want to start off using less of them. Also I urge you to wear gloves when handling them because I’ve had chile burns on my fingers from them on several occasions, not pleasant.

 

Since guajillos have a fruitiness to them, I knew they would pair wonderfully with shrimp. If shrimps are not available to you then chicken, turkey or even pork can be substituted. To give the tacos a little bit more of a spicy and fruity touch I decided to top them with a jalapeño and pineapple salsa. Well, let’s get to the recipe!

 

5.0 from 3 reviews
Shrimp Tacos with Toasted Guajillo Peppers
 
Print
Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
10 mins
Total time
25 mins
 
A healthy shrimp taco dinner spiced with toasted guajillo pepper.
Author: SpicieFoodie.com & Nancy Lopez-McHugh
Recipe type: Tacos, Main, Seafood
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Taco Ingredients:
  • 500 gm or 1 lb. raw-shelled shrimp
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 3 dried guajillo chiles*
  • fine sea salt to taste, I used about ½ tsp.
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil of choice
  • corn tortillas
Jalapeño and Pineapple Salsa Ingredients:
  • about 1 cup full of fresh diced pineapple**
  • 2-3 fresh or raw jalapeños, finely chopped (for milder salsa remove seeds and discard)
  • juice from half a lime
  • handful of chopped cilantro leaves and a bit of the upper stems
  • fine sea salt, to taste
Instructions
Salsa Instructions:
  1. Make the salsa first so that the flavours have time to develop and so it can be served chilled. Also I’d like to note that the salsa can easily be adjust to your personal taste by varying the amount of each ingredient. Prepare the salsa, taste and adjust if necessary.
  2. In a large bowl gently mix all of the salsa ingredients together until well combined. Taste and adjust if necessary, place in refrigerator until ready to use. The salsa will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.
Taco Instructions:
  1. Clean the shrimp and set aside. Over medium heat, warm comal or griddle or frying pan, once hot place the dried guajillo peppers and peeled garlic on to it. Gently keep turning the peppers until they have darkened or toasted on all sides — be careful not to burn them. The garlic too should be cooked until it begins to char on all sides. Place the toasted peppers and charred garlic cloves aside to cool.
  2. You’ll want to put on a pair of latex or kitchen gloves for this next step. Once the chiles have cooled enough to handle, remove the stem and cut each of them in half. Gently pull away the vein and remove the seeds, discard them. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the peppers into strips, some areas may crumble and that’s okay. Next mince the garlic and heat the olive oil, once warm sauté the garlic and chile strips for about 2 minutes then add the shrimp and sprinkle in the salt. Cook until the shrimp have turned pink and are firm. The water content from the shrimp will help create a small amount of liquid that will distribute the pepper’s colour throughout the shrimp.
Serve:
  1. Right before serving remove the salsa from the refrigerator and warm up the tortillas. Place some shrimps on each tortilla and top with, or serve the salsa on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
*Guajillos can be mild to moderately spicy, the ones I used for this recipe were moderately spicy. If you would like to tone down the heat then I suggest you start off with 1 or 2 and remove all of the seeds.


*If guajillos are not available to you then I suggest using any dried chile that is available. The taste will be different but still spicy.


**This salsa will work best with fresh pineapple, the recipe has not been tested using canned. For best results use a sweet, dark yellow pineapple variety.
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe
3.2.2124

 

These tacos are a scrumptious and filling meal that won’t break your healthy eating New Year’s resolution. Shrimp are quite low in calories and so are the rest of the ingredients used.

Shrimp Tacos with Toasted Guajillo Peppers by @SpicieFoodie | #shrimp #tacos #guajillopepper

So how did they taste? Wonderful! The spicy and smokiness of the shrimps topped with the fruity and spicy salsa was a fantastic combination. Definitely a meal to make on busy nights or when you want a taste of Mexico in every bite. Go on make the tacos and let me know how much you liked them.;)

Yummy Pics: A Food Blogger's Guide to Better Photos, Photography eBook by Spicie Foodie

Filed Under: Fish/Seafood, Mexican, Tacos

« 14 Healthy Recipes For A Healthy Start To 2014
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Comments

  1. Rosa says

    January 3, 2014 at 07:23

    Very appetizing! Those tacos must taste really good.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    • Spicie Foodie says

      January 5, 2014 at 18:08

      They were quite good, thank you Rosa!:)

  2. Perry Perkins says

    January 3, 2014 at 08:26

    Can’t wait to try this recipe, it sounds amazing…the thought of guajillos, shrimp, and fresh pineapple together has my mouth watering! Gorgeous photos!

    Chef Perry

    • Spicie Foodie says

      January 5, 2014 at 18:09

      Thanks Perry, enjoy the tacos!

  3. yummychunklet says

    January 3, 2014 at 09:59

    Fantastic looking tacos.

    • Spicie Foodie says

      January 5, 2014 at 18:09

      Thank you!

  4. Laura (Tutti Dolci) says

    January 3, 2014 at 10:48

    Shrimp tacos are my favorite, these look so tasty!

    • Spicie Foodie says

      January 5, 2014 at 18:09

      They are fast becoming my favourites too. Thank you Laura!

  5. John Ford says

    January 3, 2014 at 11:00

    Those shrimp look amazing along with the tortillas :)

    • Spicie Foodie says

      January 5, 2014 at 18:10

      Thank you John!

  6. Victoria of Flavors of the Sun says

    January 3, 2014 at 11:18

    Wonderful-looking tacos, Nancy. I, for one, am thrilled you will be sharing Mexican recipes with us. Welcome home!

    • Spicie Foodie says

      January 5, 2014 at 18:10

      Thank you Victoria! I am really excited to finally be able to share my favourite Mexican recipes.

  7. Marta @ What should I eat for breakfast today says

    January 3, 2014 at 15:11

    I know your pain from when you’re living in Europe, I have the same one. Lucky you for living in Mexico now :) I envy each spice and possibility. But you know what, I’ll try to make this meal for breakfast, it’s not that complicated and I think I can manage with ingredients.

    • Spicie Foodie says

      January 5, 2014 at 18:11

      Thank you Marta, enjoy your breakfast tacos!

  8. Joanne T Ferguson says

    January 3, 2014 at 19:24

    G’day! Happy New Year Nancy to your and your family, true!
    Your photo and recipe brightened my day too!
    Cheers! Joanne

    • Spicie Foodie says

      January 5, 2014 at 18:12

      Thank you Joanne! All my best for a great 2014:)

  9. Frank @Memorie di Angelina says

    January 4, 2014 at 07:21

    You’re like a kid in a candy shop, eh? I can just imagine the fun you’re having. I’ve been to food markets in Mexico and they really are wonderful places to explore. Enjoy! Looking forward to many more mouth-watering dishes like this one.

    • Spicie Foodie says

      January 5, 2014 at 18:13

      Yes, that’s exactly how I feel. Markets are the real flavour of a city, aren’t they. Thank you, Frank, I hope 2014 has started out wonderful for you.

  10. IshitaUnblogged says

    January 4, 2014 at 23:36

    Wishing you a very Happy New Year! I love the brass container that holds the dried red chillies – so decadent and beautiful. Pinned it :)

    • Spicie Foodie says

      January 5, 2014 at 18:14

      Hi Ishita! Thank you, the chalice is made out of pewter and it comes from Austria — it’s one of my favourite possessions. Thanks for pinning!:)

  11. GourmetGetaways says

    January 5, 2014 at 19:26

    I will have to try this dish Nancy! It looks so tasty and we ll like spicy, tasty food in our house. Your pictures are beautiful and I wanted to tell you how much I am enjoying your photography book also.

    • Spicie Foodie says

      January 5, 2014 at 19:45

      Enjoy the tacos Julie, I’m glad to hear your family also likes spicy food. Thank you for letting me know and for purchasing my book.:) xx

  12. Terra says

    January 5, 2014 at 21:50

    How fun, you are going to love love cooking every single day:-) My hubby and I lived in Tucson Arizona for 15 years, 50 miles from Mexico. We pretty much miss all the food there today, we were spoiled with amazing food for sure! Your tacos sound delicious! Hugs, Terra

    • Spicie Foodie says

      January 6, 2014 at 09:04

      Hi Terra! I can imagine all of the yummy local foods you are missing. Thank you!

  13. Suzanne Perazzini says

    January 6, 2014 at 04:33

    It must be so much fun to have all those wonderful places to shop and eat in Mexico. That dish looks pretty good to me.

    • Spicie Foodie says

      January 6, 2014 at 09:06

      It really is, Suzanne, and it’s fun just exploring too. Thank you!:)

  14. Tess says

    January 9, 2014 at 18:40

    I will definitely be trying this recipe – it looks delicious!
    Question – how do you warm your tortillas? Microwave, oven? Sometimes I find that if I put them in the microwave they flake apart…

    Thanks again!!!

    • Spicie Foodie says

      January 9, 2014 at 19:46

      Hi Tess,

      I have never used the oven, honestly it would be too much of a hassle warming it up and all the waiting. As for the microwave, I highly recommend that you wrap the tortillas in paper towels before microwaving. Also don’t microwave them too long because they will dry out.

      My preferred ways of warming up tortillas, are right over an open flame on the stove as well as on a griddle or comal as Mexicans call it. Enjoy your tacos!:)

Trackbacks

  1. 58 Mexican Recipes for Cinco de Mayo | Spicie Foodie’s Authentic Mexican Recipes says:
    May 2, 2014 at 06:41

    […] Honey and Sour Orange Salmon Shrimp Tostadas Topped with Chipotle, Tomato & Cinnamon Salsa Shrimp Tacos Spicied with Toasted Guajillo Peppers Caribbean Yellowtail Snapper: Cooked with coconut oil, serrano peppers, garlic and served with corn […]

  2. The Best and Most Popular Spicie Foodie Recipes of 2014 – Spicie Foodie ™ says:
    December 22, 2014 at 06:30

    […] with Ancho-Guajillo Chile Sauce 10 Quick and Spicy Bolognese Sauce with Linguine Corn Pasta 11 Shrimp Tacos Spicied with Toasted Guajillo Peppers 12 Tacos de papa y chile poblano or Potato and Poblano Pepper Tacos 13 Pineapple and Chia Smoothie […]

  3. 78 Mexican Recipes for Cinco de Mayo – Spicie Foodie ™ says:
    May 3, 2015 at 20:08

    […] Honey and Sour Orange Salmon Shrimp Tostadas Topped with Chipotle, Tomato & Cinnamon Salsa Shrimp Tacos Spicied with Toasted Guajillo Peppers Caribbean Yellowtail Snapper: Cooked with coconut oil, serrano peppers, garlic and served with corn […]

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