Shrimp Nachos Recipe

If I could only eat 5 foods for the rest of my life, shrimp would be one of them. I love shrimp, like that first crush that never goes away kinda love (if you know, you know). This Shrimp Nachos recipe is a fun and delicious twist to traditional nachos.

Do you make nachos at home or are nachos something you save for when you are out to eat?

I especially enjoy making nachos during the warm weather months as a lighter meal or appetizer. It’s something we enjoy evenings out back with a fire and ice cold beer and cocktails.

Have you ever topped nachos with shrimp?

When it comes to making nachos, what I love about it is you really don’t need a recipe, you just add on as much or as little of the foods you enjoy. It’s easy to make nachos at home and this simple Shrimp Nachos recipe hits all the notes we enjoy in an app or light meal.

I like topping my nachos with Mexican table cream (as pictured above) or sour cream.

I teamed up with Gorton’s Seafood to bring you this fun recipe! Why go out when you can make  restaurant & bar food at home easily?? I also use Gorton’s s to make Crispy Fish Tacos. You need to check those out its an easy shortcut.

If you are ready to switch up your nachos and make Shrimp or Seafood Nachos, simply decide what you want on them.

You can also make grilled shrimp to top your nachos with, here is my favorite Grilled Shrimp Recipe or try my Grilled Chili Lime Shrimp which would work well with these nacho’s. Or just grill shrimp with some Mexican seasoning or blackening seasoning, it all works.

Ingredients

• I add jalapenos, pico de gallo, some quick homemade guacamole, scallions, shredded cheddar cheese, Monterrey jack cheese, crumbled queso fresco.
• I add a drizzle of Mexican table cream (lighter than sour cream). I keep this light. Not a lot of cheese, no sour cream. Just fresh and bright. We enjoyed the heck out of these! No chip was left behind and for sure no shrimp was!!

How Do You Make Shrimp Nachos?

• Making shrimp nachos is easy. Swap your traditional chicken or beef for shrimp and dress the nachos accordingly. This turns out lighter and brighter than traditional nachos. Perfect for warm-weather outdoor dining! Assemble nachos and the fixings you enjoy and scatter shrimp overtop.
• Melt the cheese onto the chips via the oven (you can also use a pourable cheese) and then quickly dress them with things like cilantro, additional cheese, beans, tomatoes, avocados or guacamole. I add the shrimp at the end and serve. Yum! You need to have your shrimp already cooked before adding them to the nachos.

Homemade Nachos Variations

• You can take these nachos anywhere you want them to go. Use Gorton’s for a quick, no mess addition of flavored shrimp or make garlic shrimp or even blackened shrimp to use.
• Swap out guacamole for seasoned avocado chunks.
• Add sour cream and/or hot sauce.
• Make this super cheesy or add just a bit of cheese.
• Add corn, beans…whatever you wish to make it your own! You really can’t go wrong when making nachos!
• Make these Shrimp Nachos simple or loaded. Pile on the cheese and allow it to melt onto the chips in the oven or or use a pourable cheese that you heat on the stove.
• Add black beans, refried beans, sliced jalapenos, cilantro, etc.
• Swap the table cream for sour cream etc!
• Sprinkle a little chili powder or cayenne pepper onto your chips to kick them up a notch. There are no rules with nachos.

Enjoy!! XO – Colleen

Mexican-American recipes you may enjoy

Colleen Kennedy is the author of 3 cookbooks and has appeared on QVC and other shows inspiring home cooks of all levels. She has a popular TikTok channel @ColleensCooking with hundreds of short recipe videos. Colleen lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and kids, she started the food blog, Soufflé Bombay in 2009. Read more about her here.

Originally published April, 2018. Updated July, 2024.

Nutritional information is calculated using a WordPress plug-in. Actual will vary by ingredients used at home.