sheet pan spicy shrimp fajita bowls
Easy peasy Tuesday eating. That doesn’t rhyme.
I seem to be exclusively interested in sheet pan recipes lately with regards to my seafood intake. Well, to be quite frank, I usually prep these meals and then make myself a vegie pizza to nosh for lunch or dinner, because I’ve been eating like a fucking toddler for a couple months now. Though I do have a strong salad consumption trend going.
Anyway, throwing fish or shrimp onto a pan, roasting or broiling or whatever, and plopping over rice with a bevy of fun garnishes feels good to me. And I’m in “do whatever feels good” mode at the moment.
Which sometimes means planning on frozen chocolate chip waffles with fruit and maple syrup for dinner. Sigh. I’m a fucking mess, yo.
If you’re also a fucking mess but a little more culinarily responsible than I, try these Sheet Pan Spicy Shrimp Fajita Bowls for this week’s meal prep. Don’t worry, all this shit does get eaten, but often interspersed between my less graceful foods, as listed above.
Meal prep is amazing if you anticipate a tough time of things ahead but still want some healthy nibbles, and this shrimp bowl is perfect for such foresight. 30 minutes to make, full of flavor, and everything easily obtained. Customize however you’d like topping-wise and enjoy for a few days after initial roasting.
Shramp
First things first. You’ll notice that I give the peppers a few more minutes of solo roasting time before adding the shrimp. Seems that a measly 5 wouldn’t make a huge difference, but shrimp cooks up super fast and I find 10 minutes isn’t enough to really soften the peppers to my liking.
So, start off by tossing the little baby bells with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet and go to town. Well, don’t go to town with the oven on. Might have some flames on your hands if so.
The seasoning blend here for the shrimp is basically ole reliable: a smoky, spicy chipotle blackening-type fixture that I use on so many things. Sometimes you ought not to stray from the tried and true, you know?
Dry out your shrimp very well with paper towels. Then, toss with olive oil, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Finish with a hit of salt and pepper.
Pull the peppers out of the oven and push to one side of the pan. Add the shrimp to the other. Finish roasting for 8-10 minutes longer. I like to broil the shit for a couple minutes to get a nice crisp. Obviously don’t do this if you use parchment on your pan, because, again, fire.
Smoky the Bear would not approve.
If You Build It, He Will Come
Now time for some build-a-bowl fun.
As with any of my rice bowl things, you’re welcome to customize however you want. No right or wrong here. Unless you put a chocolate chip cookie in it or some shit. That’d be kinda wrong.
A chocolate chip cookie after you eat your bowl, now we’re talking.
For my part, I like a nice helping of black beans and avocado as my shrimp sidekicks. A sprinkle of feta, a smattering of green onions and cilantro, and, of course, some fresh lime juice. Easy things I tend to have around. If you made some type of salsa or guac, work it, gurl. Maybe some charred corn. Or uncharred corn.
To store for meal prep, you can heap your rice, shrimp, and beans together (if using beans). Store your other toppings separately and add later, else they’ll probably wilt if you microwave it all together. A brown avocado, for one, is not very cute looking. All things considered, your shrimp bowls will last a good 5 days. Perfect for the workweek!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Get your sheet together:
Sheet Pan Sticky Pomegranate Salmon
Sheet Pan Blackened Shrimp Poblano Tacos
Sheet Pan Hot Honey Ranch Shrimp Bowls
Sheet Pan Spicy Sweet Potato Fajita Bowls
sheet pan spicy shrimp fajita bowls
Ingredients
- 1 lb jumbo shrimp (13/15ct), peeled and deveined
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 cups baby bell peppers
- 1-2 avocados, chopped
- 1 can black beans, drained
- steamed rice, cilantro, feta/cotija cheese, and green onions, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On the baking sheet, toss the bell peppers with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a big pinch each of salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer. Roast for 5 minutes.
- Pat the shrimp very dry with paper towels. In a bowl, toss the shrimp with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and a big pinch of salt and pepper.
- Push the peppers to one side of the baking sheet. Spread the shrimp – with no overlap – on the opposite. Roast for 8-10 minutes longer until the shrimp are opaque and the peppers soft and slightly charred. If desired and if you don't use parchment paper, switch the broiler to high for the final 1-2 minutes to crisp up the edges.
- Divide the shrimp and peppers over piles of rice. Serve with the black beans, avocado, feta or cotija, cilantro, and green onions, as desired.
