Rubio’s Grilled Gourmet Shrimp Tacos Recipe (Copycat)

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Well hello my taco fans! If you’ve never had the opportunity to try a Rubio’s Gourmet shrimp taco, you can thank me later for this amazing copycat recipe.

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These tacos are loaded with marinated shrimp, crumbled bacon, avocado, chopped onion, cilantro, and a creamy chipotle sauce, folded into a toasted cheese corn tortilla. Super yummy!

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Servings: 8 tacos
• Prep Level: Beginner +

Fun Facts

• Rubio’s restaurants opened their first walk-up taco stand in Mission Bay, SanDiego in 1983. Rubio’s food is craft made with Baja California inspired flavors, innovative recipes, and sustainably sourced seafood.

• Rubio’s is home of the Original Fish Taco and has grown to having 160 locations in three states, California, Nevada, and Arizona.

Ingredients

Optional Toppings

• Creamy chipotle sauce (see recipe below)
• Red bell pepper
• A variety of salsas: mango salsa, pineapple salsa, red tomatillo salsa
• Cotija cheese
• Hot sauce
• Salsa verde sauce
• Cilantro lime mojo sauce

How To Make Grilled Gourmet Shrimp Tacos

• Cook bacon and crumble.

• Prep the raw shrimp: peel, devein, remove the tails, rinse, drain, and pat dry with paper towels.

• Combine spices, lime juice, vegetable oil, and deveined shrimp in a large bowl. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

• Prep the onion, cilantro, avocado, and lime while the shrimp are marinating. After marinating time is finished, bring out the shrimp mixture from fridge and set it aside.

• Heat oven to 200°F degrees (warm).

• Heat a large nonstick round or square skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle cheese directly onto the skillet.

• Press a tortilla on top of cheese and cook for about a minute.

• Flip with a spatula then transfer to baking sheet. Cover the cheesy tortillas with foil and store in warm oven. Repeat step with remaining tortillas.

• Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Add shrimp to pan. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side until done.

• Build the gourmet taco by adding shrimp, bacon, avocado, diced onion, chipotle sauce, and cilantro. Squeeze lime over taco and serve immediately.

See the recipe card below for complete measurements and cooking times.

Ingredient Swaps

• Mexican blended cheese – cheddar cheese or Colby jack
• White onion – red onion
• Stone-ground corn tortilla – warm flour tortilla
• Juice of a lime – bottled real lime juice

Recipe Tips & Tricks

1. Don’t skip the marinating time – This gives the shrimp its great flavor.
2. Pan-sear quickly – cook over high heat for about 2-3 minutes per side.
3. Use thick-cut bacon – for best results.
4. Chipotle Sauce Shortcut – Use store bought sauce for a quick alternative.

What To Serve With Grilled Shrimp Tacos

Some great sides to serve with tacos are: black beans, pinto beans, Mexican rice, refried beans, Mexican macaroni salad, fire-roasted corn, street corn, or even tortilla chips with mild salsa and queso dip.

Creamy Chipotle Sauce Ingredients

How To Make Chipotle Sauce

• Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend ingredients until smooth – That’s it!

• Drizzle it over the tacos or place in a small bowl and serve.

Continue to Content

Yield: 8 tacos

Rubio's Grilled Gourmet Shrimp Tacos Recipe (Copycat)

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These tasty tacos are loaded with marinated shrimp, crumbled bacon, avocado, chopped onion, cilantro, and a creamy chipotle sauce, folded into a toasted cheese corn tortilla.

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, raw, peeled, and deveined (approximately 24 – 32 pieces)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder or minced garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 small white onion, diced (approximately 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 cups finely shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 8 stone-ground corn tortillas
• 1 Hass avocado, sliced
• Lime slices or wedges

Instructions

1. Cook bacon, crumble, place in small bowl and set aside.
2. Prep the raw shrimp: peel, devein, remove the tails, rinse, drain, and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Combine spices, lime juice, vegetable oil, and deveined shrimp in a large bowl.
4. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
5. While the shrimp are marinating, dice the onion, chop the cilantro, slice the avocado, and cut the lime.
6. Make the creamy chipotle sauce if you are using it on the gourmet taco.
7. After marinating time is finished, bring out the shrimp mixture from fridge and set it aside.
8. Make the tortillas. Preheat oven to 200 degrees (warm).
9. Heat a large nonstick round or square skillet over medium heat.
10. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of cheese into a circle slightly smaller than the tortilla directly onto the hot skillet. (I can fit two circles of cheese in the pan at one time).
11. Press a tortilla on top of the slightly melted three-cheese blend and cook for about a minute. Flip with a spatula and transfer to baking sheet.
12. Cover the cheesy tortillas with foil and store in warm oven. Repeat step with remaining tortillas until all have a melted cheesy layer on them.
13. Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Use tongs and remove shrimp from marinade and add to pan. Cook about 2 minutes per side until done.
14. Now it’s time to build the gourmet shrimp taco – add shrimp (3 to 4 depending on the size), crumbled bacon, avocado slices, diced onion, chipotle sauce and, minced cilantro.
15. Squeeze a small wedge of lime over the taco or serve a slice of lime on the side.
16. Serve immediately.

Creamy Chipotle Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mayonnaise (I prefer Duke’s)

• 1/2 cup sour cream (I use regular but you can use light or fat free)

• 1-2 canned chipotles in sauce (if you are a fan of spicy foods, use 2 to 3 chipotles)

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (if you want to use fresh garlic – 1 clove minced)

• Juice of 1 lime (approximately 2 tablespoons)

How To Make Chipotle Sauce – It’s super easy and delicious!

1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Place in a small bowl and serve.
2. Store any leftover sauce, covered and in the fridge up to a couple of weeks.

Notes

Helpful Tools

• Heavy skillet

• Cast iron skillet

• Large bowl

• Small bowl

• Paper towels

• Baking sheet

• Aluminum foil

• Spatula

• Tongs

• Large sharp knife

• Cutting board

Substitutions

Mexican blended cheese – cheddar cheese or Colby jack

White onion – red onion

Stone-ground corn tortilla – warm flour tortilla

Juice of a lime – bottled real lime juice

Optional Toppings

• Creamy chipotle sauce (see recipe below)

• Red bell pepper

• A variety of salsas: Mango salsa, pineapple salsa, red tomatillo salsa

• Cotija cheese

• Hot sauce

• Salsa verde sauce

• Cilantro lime mojo sauce

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 453Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 213mgSodium: 1076mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 4gSugar: 1gProtein: 31g

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