Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas With Lime Crema (44g Protein)
It's 6:30 on a weeknight. There's a bag of shrimp in the freezer, two bell peppers going soft in the crisper drawer, and nobody wants to stand over a skillet cooking fajitas in batches while the stove gets splattered.
Sheet pan fajitas hand that job to the oven. The peppers and onion roast first until their edges char, then the shrimp go on the same pan for the last few minutes, so everything finishes together. With two corn tortillas, a lime Greek yogurt crema and a little avocado, one serving has 44 grams of protein and about 430 calories.
It's 15 minutes of slicing and 20 in the oven. The timing below is what keeps the shrimp tender.
Why it works
Six ounces of shrimp per plate
Raw shrimp is about 20 percent protein and almost no fat, so the 6 ounces in each serving bring 34 grams on their own. The crema replaces sour cream with nonfat Greek yogurt, which adds another 4 grams, and the corn tortillas chip in 3 more.
Two stages, one pan
Peppers and onion need about 12 minutes of high heat to char; shrimp need 5 to 7. Giving the vegetables a head start and adding the shrimp later means nothing sits around waiting and nothing overcooks. You wash one sheet pan and one bowl.
High heat makes the char
Restaurant fajitas get their smoky edges from a scorching cast-iron plate. At 450°F, on a pan that heated with the oven, the pepper skins blister and the onion's sugars brown before the vegetables go limp. Chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika toast in the oil into a brick-red coating.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fiber
- 8.1 g
Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central
Recipe
Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas With Lime Crema (44g Protein)
Protein in this batch: 176 g
Equipment
- 18x13-inch half sheet pan
- Large mixing bowl
- Small bowl
- Aluminum foil
- Instant-read thermometer
- Paper towels
Ingredients
Size 26/30 per pound is ideal: big enough to stay juicy in a hot oven, small enough to fit three or four in a tortilla. Frozen raw shrimp work well once thawed. Take the tails off so there's nothing to pull out of a folded taco.
About 26 g each. Corn keeps the dish gluten-free, but some brands blend in wheat flour, so check the label if that matters to you. Flour tortillas are in the variations.
For the lime crema. It stands in for sour cream with about four times the protein. 2% Greek yogurt makes it richer for a few extra calories per serving.
Instructions
Heat the oven with the pan inside
Set one oven rack in the middle and another below it. Put an 18x13-inch half sheet pan on the middle rack and heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). A pan that heats with the oven sears the vegetables the moment they land, the way a fajita skillet does. If your shrimp are frozen, start thawing them now.
Slice and season the vegetables
Cut the peppers into strips about 1/2 inch wide and the onion into 1/2-inch wedges, leaving a bit of root on each so the layers hold together. Mix the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, toss the vegetables with 1 tablespoon of oil and half the spice mix until every strip is coated red.
Roast the vegetables, prep the rest
Pull out the hot pan and spread the vegetables in a single layer; they should sizzle on contact. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, pat the shrimp very dry, toss them in the same bowl with the remaining oil and spice mix, and wrap the tortillas in foil. Stir the yogurt, 2 teaspoons of lime juice and a pinch of salt into a smooth crema.
Make room and add the shrimp
The vegetables are ready for the shrimp when the pepper skins have blistered in spots and the onion edges are dark brown. Stir them, push them toward the edges of the pan, and lay the shrimp in the center in a single layer without overlapping. Put the foil packet of tortillas on the lower rack at the same time.
Roast until the shrimp turn opaque
Roast for 5 to 7 minutes. The shrimp are done when they've turned from gray and translucent to pink and opaque all the way through, curled into a loose C, and an instant-read thermometer in the thickest one reads 145°F (63°C). A tight O shape means they've gone too far. Squeeze the 2 tablespoons of lime juice over the whole pan.
Build the fajitas
Unwrap the tortillas, which should be soft and steaming. Put two on each plate and divide the shrimp and vegetables among them. Top each serving with about 3 tablespoons of lime crema, a few slices of avocado and a pinch of chopped cilantro. Serve right away, while the vegetables are hot and the charred edges still have some bite.
Per serving: 430 kcal · 44 g protein · 38 g carbs · 14 g fat · 8.1 g fiber. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central.
Mistakes to avoid
Adding the shrimp at the start
Peppers need about twice as long as shrimp. Roast them together from the beginning and by the time the vegetables char, the shrimp have spent 17 minutes in a 450°F oven and turned tight, dry and rubbery. The two-stage timing is the whole recipe; don't collapse it into one.
Piling the vegetables two layers deep
On a small pan, three cups of sliced peppers and onion stack on top of each other, and the bottom layer boils in the liquid the peppers give off instead of charring. Use a full 18x13-inch half sheet pan. If yours is smaller, split everything across two pans on two racks.
Slicing the peppers too thin
Quarter-inch strips wilt into a soft tangle before they get any color. Half-inch strips and onion wedges held together at the root have enough body to blister on the outside and stay slightly crisp inside, which is the texture that makes a fajita.
Serving the tortillas cold
Corn tortillas straight from the bag are stiff and crack as soon as you fold them. Five to seven minutes in a foil packet in the oven, or 20 seconds per side in a dry skillet, makes them soft and pliable. Keep them wrapped in a clean towel at the table so they stay warm.
Variations
Flour tortillas
Swap the corn tortillas for eight 6-inch flour tortillas (about 32 g each) and warm them in foil the same way. They're softer and fold around a big filling more easily, but they're no longer gluten-free and they add calories and sodium (about 46 g protein, 510 kcal).
Fajita bowl without tortillas
Skip the tortillas and serve the shrimp and vegetables over about 1 1/2 cups (70 g) of chopped romaine per serving, with the lime crema as the dressing. It's lighter and crunchier, and it packs well for lunch the next day (about 42 g protein, 330 kcal).
Cheesy shrimp fajitas
Scatter 1 cup (112 g) of shredded reduced-fat Mexican-blend cheese over the shrimp and vegetables for the last 2 minutes in the oven. It melts into the charred edges and holds the filling together inside the tortilla. Protein goes up along with the calories (about 51 g protein, 510 kcal).
Storage
- Fridge
- Store the shrimp and vegetables in an airtight container for up to 3 days, with the crema and tortillas kept separately. Slice the avocado fresh when you serve.
- Freezer
- We don't recommend freezing it: cooked shrimp turn rubbery and the peppers go watery once thawed. Keep a bag of frozen raw shrimp on hand instead and cook this fresh.
- Reheat
- Warm the shrimp and vegetables in a skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, just until hot; longer and the shrimp toughen. Leftovers are also good cold, tucked into a wrap or spooned over greens.
FAQ
How long do shrimp take to cook in the oven at 450°F?
5 to 7 minutes for large 26/30 shrimp spread in a single layer, 8 to 9 minutes for jumbo 16/20 shrimp, and as little as 4 minutes for medium ones. They're done when they turn pink and opaque all the way through and reach 145°F (63°C) inside. Take them off the hot pan promptly, since the metal keeps cooking them.
Can I use frozen shrimp for sheet pan fajitas?
Yes, and much of the shrimp sold at the seafood counter was previously frozen anyway. Thaw raw frozen shrimp before roasting, either overnight in the fridge or in a colander under cold running water for 5 to 10 minutes, then pat them very dry. Skip precooked shrimp: a second round in a 450°F oven turns them rubbery.
How do you keep sheet pan fajita vegetables from getting soggy?
High heat, space and thick slices. Roast at 450°F (230°C) on a pan that heated with the oven, spread the vegetables in one layer on a full half sheet pan, and cut the peppers about 1/2 inch wide. Dry the shrimp well too, because any water on them ends up on the pan.
Are shrimp fajitas high in protein?
Yes. Shrimp is one of the leanest proteins you can buy, with about 20 grams of protein per 100 grams raw and almost no fat. One serving of this recipe, with 6 ounces of raw shrimp, two corn tortillas and Greek yogurt crema, has 44 grams of protein and about 430 calories. Most of the fat comes from the olive oil and avocado.
Should I use corn or flour tortillas for shrimp fajitas?
Either works. Corn tortillas are smaller, gluten-free and have a toasty flavor that suits the smoky spices. Flour tortillas are softer and easier to fold around a big filling. In this recipe, two 6-inch corn tortillas come to about 110 calories per serving; two 6-inch flour tortillas add roughly 80 more.
