Blackened Shrimp Tacos with Black Bean Mango Salsa and Jalapeño Aioli – spicy, tangy, sweet, and completely delicious! Bring an appetite and lots napkins!
Last month, Mr. HNN and I flew to Amelia Island, FL to see his parents new house. They recently retired after spending 30-some years in Germany… juust a bit of a culture adjustment.
We flew down just in time for the islands annual Shrimp Festival. It’s a massive event filled with street after street of pop-up venders, live music, and of course… lots of places to eat shrimp. It was actually so packed with people, we decided to retreat to a local dive-bar across the street from the beach. It’s one of those outdoor places where none of the furniture matches, the tables and chairs were straight out of the 80’s, and boy was there some good people watching (I love places like this)!
First things first, we ordered a pitcher of beer. To eat, I had to get the shrimp tacos! And anytime I have the option to order something blackened, I’m on it! A mix of spices popular in Cajun cuisine, it adds major flavor to food! Chances are you already have all of the spices needed in your pantry. I like making a big batch to have on hand for a quick and easy weeknight meal of shrimp, tilapia, mahi mahi, even chicken breasts. They all get a burst of flavor with this incredible spice blend.
So these amazing blackened shrimp came accompanied with a wonderful black bean salsa and a spicy sauce drizzled over top. The salsa is a really nice compliment to the flavor-packed shrimp – it adds a cool, sweet, and slightly tangy component; while the jalapeño aioli adds a nice creamy texture and another layer of subtle heat. All together, they sing like a symphony!
- Jalapeno Aioli
- ½ cup mayo
- 1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- fresh black pepper, a few cracks
- Black Bean Mango Salsa
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
- ½ small red onion, diced
- 1 lime juiced, about 2 tbs
- 1 orange juiced, about ¼ cup
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- fresh black pepper, a few cracks
- Blackened Shrimp
- 2 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound medium shrimp, cleaned, tails removed
- Other Ingredients
- 12 tortillas
- 5 plum tomatoes, diced
- 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the ingredients for the Jalapeno Aioli and puree. Add to a squeeze bottle or cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- To make the Black Bean Salsa, add the ingredients to a bowl, stir well to combine, and adjust season if needed.
- Warm the tortillas in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Heat the pan to medium-high heat and warm each tortilla 1 to 2 minutes per side – you want to heat the tortillas just enough to slightly char and add a bit of crispness, but not so much that when you fold it, it cracks. Wrap the tortillas in a clean tea towel to keep warm and set aside.
- Combine the ingredients for the blackening seasoning in a large zip-top bag. Add the shrimp, seal, and shake well to coat. Heat a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the shrimp (shaking off any excess rub) and sear – about 2 minutes per side.
- To assemble: place some of the chopped romaine lettuce in the center of the tortilla. Place a few heaping spoonfuls of the black bean mango salsa on top, add some diced tomatoes, top with shrimp, drizzle with jalapeño aioli, and top with some cilantro. Serve and enjoy!
Wow. These were AMAZING!! I prepped the aioli and salsa in advance. They took me a long time to make, but once that was done the rest of the meal was very quick.
Hi Carrie! I’m so glad you enjoyed the tacos! And like most salsas, I think it gets even better when you prepare them in advance and let the flavors meld. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. Hope you enjoy the rest of your week! 🙂
My daughter and her Honduran friend wanted to go out tonight for blackened shrimp, but I wanted to stay in, we live in North Florida just south of Amelia Island and we are waiting for a tropical depression), so i said I would cook if they went out for the ingredients, I found your recipe on Pinterest and thought it sounded yummy. Her friend was leary of the combination, but he loved it, i was blown away by the combination of flavors, this is one of our new favorites, Thank you
That’s fantastic! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed the dish and thank you so much for your kind note! My parents are on the Gulf coast and my in-laws on Amelia Island, so we’re getting frequent updates on the storms coming through. Keeping our fingers crossed that they blow right on by – stay safe!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was AMAZING!!! Thank you for such a wonderful and easy recipe!!
You are so welcome, Joyce! Comments like yours make my day – thank you 🙂
You had me at jalapeno aioli!! No but seriously, these are mouthwatering! As a Californian, I fully support taco dinners, and this is one heck of a taco dinner. I’m drooling over my keyboard!
As a new Californian, I second that! 😉 Thank you my dear. Hope you have a great weekend!
Damn Kathleen! This is amazingly awesome…Seriously I don’t like shrimp but I would love to make this recipe with fish! And the pics…do I have to say anything?
Sounds like you had great time in Florida, and enjoyed lots of shrimp! These tacos look so good! Love the salsa ! I always get blackened meat, when I have the chance to do so! Pinned!
We did! Thanks, Mira! Isn’t blackened the best?!
It sounds like such a nice day out on Amelia Island. I am a big fan of tacos and shrimps so this is the perfect combinations for me ♡
Me too, Miriam! So glad you like the combo 🙂
Love spicy, tangy, sweet, and completely delicious dishes like this! I also love the long titles and absolutely loving the name of this super exotic and flavorsome dish. Love how beautifully you have combined everything here. So much yes to this flavorful meal!
Lol! I was thinking about shortening the title, but I thought nah… there’s just too many goodies to leave out 😉
Oh I LOOOOVE Amelia Island!! There are few things I miss about FL, but being able to go to AI for the weekend is one of them… and the shrimp! I miss the shrimp too. 😉 Anyways, so glad you guys had a fabulous time! And SO glad you were inspired and decided to recreate those tacos, but with a HN twist! These look amazing, girlfriend! Love love looove blackened anything too, so these tacos are screaming my name! The black bean mango salsa and jalapeno aioli sounds magically delicious and like the perfect accompaniment! I’ll need three for each hand! Cheers, dear!
Thanks Cheyanne! We had such a great time – swimming, biking, kayaking… I even got a sunburn for the first time in years 😉
So I pinned this recipe immediately because…hello tacos!!! And your pics make me want to eat this right now. Yummy! I grew up in South Florida and we used to go to Amelia Island for vacation. It is so beautiful there 🙂
That’s awesome! I’m a bit embarrassed to say, I knew nothing of Amelia Island until my in-laws moved there – but we’re definitely hooked now!
Ohh that jalapeño aioli looks divine. Tacos are my favorite mexican food. You were right lots of appetite, beer oops and definitely napkins.
Mine too, Suchi! Tacos are so wonderfully versitle – just so many goodies to stuff them with 😉