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Tacos Pirata

Crispy beef tacos with shrimp and a garlicky chipotle sauce—a playful "pirate" twist that combines two proteins for bold, smoky flavor. Ready in under 30 minutes.

Total time
25 min
Servings
2
Calories
385
Protein
28g
Tacos Pirata
casualindulgentmexicanbeefshrimpcrispytenderjuicy

Ingredients

  • ½ lb ground beef
  • ¼ lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 3 cloves garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 peppers chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 6 tortillas corn tortillas (6-inch)
  • 1 lime fresh lime

Instructions

  1. 1

    Mince the garlic until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice—about the size of pencil-tip dots. Place the minced garlic in a small bowl.

  2. 2

    Finely chop the 2 chipotle peppers until they are in very small pieces, about the size of peppercorns. Add them to the bowl with the garlic.

  3. 3

    Cut the lime in half lengthwise from top to bottom. Set both halves aside on a small plate.

  4. 4

    Place a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Wait about 90 seconds until the oil shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan.

  5. 5

    Add the ground beef to the hot skillet in a single layer. Let it cook without stirring for 2 minutes until the bottom is browned and crispy.

  6. 6

    Break the beef apart into bite-sized pieces using a wooden spoon, pressing it into smaller chunks. Stir constantly for 2 minutes until no pink remains.

  7. 7

    Pour the garlic and chipotle mixture into the skillet with the beef. Stir constantly for 30 seconds until the mixture becomes fragrant and turns a darker color.

  8. 8

    Add the shrimp to the skillet in a single layer around the beef. Let them cook without stirring for 90 seconds until the bottom of each shrimp turns from gray to pink.

  9. 9

    Flip each shrimp over using tongs or a fork. Stir everything together and cook for another 90 seconds until all shrimp are fully pink with no gray remaining.

  10. 10

    Remove the skillet from heat. The filling should smell smoky and garlicky with the beef and shrimp in small, bite-sized pieces.

  11. 11

    Place a corn tortilla directly over a gas flame on low heat for 5 seconds per side until it is warm and slightly softened, using tongs to rotate. (If you have no gas flame, warm tortillas in a dry skillet over medium heat for 10 seconds per side.)

  12. 12

    Repeat step 11 with the remaining 5 tortillas, stacking the warm tortillas on a plate as you finish each one.

  13. 13

    Place a warm tortilla on a plate. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the beef and shrimp filling down the center of the tortilla, from the left edge to the right edge.

  14. 14

    Squeeze a small wedge of the lime over the filling. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.

  15. 15

    Serve all 6 tacos immediately on a plate while the filling is still hot.

Tools you’ll need

  • 12-inch skillet
  • wooden spoon
  • small bowl
  • small plate
  • tongs or fork
  • cutting board
  • knife

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