Spicy shrimp taco with re-fried black beans

It’s taco night! I like to try new taco recipes and twist them to my taste. This beautiful recipe with re-fried black beans and spicy shrimp is a new favourite.
The spicy shrimp taco is the perfect addition to my re-fried black beans. Add some vegetables and all the trimming and it is the complete meal.

Ingredients to put together a black bean shrimp taco, cooked black beans in a bowl, cooked spicy shrimp in a bowl, two mini taco tubs, arugula, cherry tomatoes and creme fraiche on a plate.
Black bean shrimp taco ingredients

Re-fried black beans

Learning how to cook re-fried black beans is something that has really elevated my taco dinners. It was one of those recipes that took me a long time to learn and master. I was too impatient with it and would not let the beans cook through properly, but now I feel that I have a better grip of it and re-fried beans have become one of my favourite dishes to make.

Black beans are added into a pot with onions, cumin and chili powder.
Black beans into onion mix

Mini taco tubs

I prefer to make these spicy shrimp tacos with mini taco tubs from Santa Maria. They are tricky to get a hold of outside of Sweden, and I usually stack up on them when I go home. But you can use which ever hard taco shells that you like, or why not make this recipe into a taco salad and use nacho chips. Perfect if you prefer less mess, or eating this dish on the go.

Substitutes

I usually use whichever shrimp I can get a hold of, MSC marked of course. You can do the same, when the shrimp are marked down at my grocery store, I like to fill the freezer with them.

Shrimp frying in oil and chili in a black frying pan on a gas hob.
Spicy shrimp cooking

Freezable

The re-fried beans are perfectly fine to freeze and easy to heat up in a pan when you need them. I would not freeze the shrimp after cooking them, they tend to be rubbery when reheated. It is better to take out as much as you need and then leave them in the fridge for a luxurious lunch the day after. Make a quick taco salad bowl with the rest of the leftovers.

Spicy shrimp taco with re-fried black beans

Spicy shrimp, delicious black beans,
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Black beans, shrimp, taco
Servings: 4 portions

Ingredients

  • 400 grams cooked black beans
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 150-200 ml water
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 200 grams fresh shrimp
  • 1-2 tsp chili flakes
  • Oil to fry
  • Any hard shell taco

Optional extras

  • Lettuce
  • Sour cream

Instructions

  • Cook black beans with spices and water for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally and add more water if it gets dry too quickly.
  • Mash with a fork or the back of a spoon, or a potato masher to desired consistency.
  • Cook for another 10 minutes. Add more water if it gets too thick.
  • Heat oil in a pan.
  • Add shrimp and crushed chili.
  • Fry quickly on high heat until shrimp are pink. About 4-5 minutes.
  • Take off heat and add to a bowl to avoid shrimp cooking in the remaining heat in the pan.
  • Fill your taco shells with the re-fried black beans, lettuce, spicy shrimp and a dollop of sour cream on top.

Notes

My favourite are mini taco tubs from Santa Maria, which I have to buy when I’m home visiting family and bring back with me, because I can only find them in Sweden.
A wooden chopping board with two mini taco tubs filled with black beans, arugula, red cherry tomatoes, spicy shrimp and dollops of creme fraiche.
Mini taco tubs filled with black bean and spicy shrimp

Want to try another taco recipe with a twist? How about my taco mac n’ cheese, using my own taco seasoning mix.

Which other taco recipes do you have as your go to? Let me know in the comments below and if you send me a link I will add them to my post. I can never get enough of good taco recipes.