Lightened-Up Mango Salsa Shrimp (Printable)

A fresh, flavorful dish featuring shrimp and mango salsa served in crisp lettuce cups for a light, vibrant meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Shrimp

01 - 1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 teaspoon chili powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
05 - 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
06 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
08 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
09 - Juice of 1 lime

→ Mango Salsa

10 - 1 large ripe mango, diced
11 - 1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely diced
12 - 1/4 small red onion, finely diced
13 - 1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced
14 - 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
15 - Juice of 1 lime
16 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Lettuce Cups and Garnishes

17 - 8 large butter lettuce leaves or romaine hearts
18 - 1 small avocado, diced
19 - Lime wedges for serving

# Directions:

01 - In a medium bowl, toss shrimp with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and lime juice. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
02 - While shrimp marinates, combine mango, red bell pepper, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a bowl. Mix gently and set aside.
03 - Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until pink and opaque. Remove from heat.
04 - Lay lettuce leaves on a platter. Divide shrimp evenly among the leaves, top with mango salsa, and sprinkle with diced avocado.
05 - Serve immediately with extra lime wedges.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The whole thing comes together in under 30 minutes, so it's perfect for those nights when you want something impressive but aren't interested in fussing.
  • Shrimp cook so fast that you actually taste each ingredient clearly instead of everything blending into one flavor blob.
  • Lettuce cups mean you can eat with your hands like a normal person, and nobody feels guilty about carbs.
02 -
  • Don't prep your avocado more than 10 minutes before eating or you'll be dealing with brown oxidation, and no amount of lime juice fixes that.
  • If your shrimp are still gray after cooking, they need another 30 seconds per side, but watch the clock because the difference between perfect and overdone is literally just timing.
03 -
  • Prep all your ingredients before you start cooking so you're not frantically dicing while shrimp are sitting in a hot pan getting sad.
  • If you want to swap mango for pineapple, go ahead, but add the pineapple juice to the salsa instead of using the same amount of lime because pineapple is less acidic.
Go back