Can You Feed Romaine Lettuce to Shrimp

Published on Oct 9, 2019 by | Last modified on Dec 3, 2020

These shrimp taco lettuce wraps are a great, low-carb gluten-free alternative to traditional shrimp tacos. They're quick and easy to make when you're in a pinch, too!

I love shrimp tacos. They're one of my favorite things to order when I go out to eat (alongside a margarita, duh!). However, I love making shrimp tacos at home just as much as I like eating them at restaurants! Why? Well, it saves a ton of $$$ and I can control what goes in them. That's a win-win for me.

Since I have so much fun experimenting with tacos, I recently made a lettuce wrap version and think they're a fun alternative to regular tacos!

Ingredients in Shrimp Taco Lettuce Wraps

• Shrimp: One of my favorite protein sources because it's so easy to prepare and is so high in protein.
• Tomatoes and red onion: essential for the pico de gallo.
• Chili powder and red chili pepper flakes: These two seasonings spice up the dish (quite literally!).
• Lime: Lime brings just the right amount of acidity and brightness to this dish.
• Cilantro: I feel like cilantro brings this whole dish together, but if you're one of those people who despises cilantro, simply leave it out!
• Avocado: Can't make guacamole without avocado!
• Romaine lettuce: the delivery vessel for these delicious shrimp taco lettuce wraps. I like using 2 lettuce leaves for each taco to make sure all the toppings are contained.

How to Make Shrimp Taco Lettuce Wraps

1. Broil the shrimp.
   • Preheat oven to broil and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Thaw and peel the shrimp. Dry the shrimp thoroughly with a paper towel. In a large bowl, mix together shrimp, avocado oil, chili powder, and salt.
   • Lay the shrimp in a single layer on the baking sheet. Broil for 3 minutes. Take out of the oven, flip them over, and broil for another 3 minutes or until the shrimp is fully cooked. Remove the cooked shrimp from the oven. Sprinkle lime juice on top. Set aside.
2. Make the pico de gallo. In a medium bowl, mix together the diced tomatoes, red onion, lime juice, cilantro, and red chili pepper flakes. Mix together and season with salt to taste.
3. Make the guacamole. In a small bowl, mash the avocado. Add lime juice, cilantro, and red chili pepper flakes. Mix together and season with salt to taste.
4. Assemble and serve. Lay out your lettuce leaves. PRO TIP: Use two lettuce leaves per taco if you want to make sure the pico de gallo doesn't spill out! Layer the guacamole, pico de gallo, and shrimp on top. Garnish with chopped avocado and cilantro.

Can lettuce wraps be made ahead of time?

You can prep the shrimp, pico de gallo, and guacamole ahead of time for up to 3 days. However, I would wait to put the lettuce wraps together until you're about to eat them to prevent soggy lettuce - definitely not something you want to experience, trust me!

The best way to store these if you're making them ahead of time is in individual containers for the shrimp, pico de gallo, guacamole, and romaine lettuce leaves.

How to keep guacamole from turning brown:

Since the guacamole might oxidize (turn brown when exposed to air) if you make it ahead of time, I recommend storing it in an airtight container with ½ an inch of water on top to prevent oxidation. Then, when you're ready to eat it, pour out the water and you should be good to go.

Are lettuce wraps healthy?

They are healthy in the terms of healthy ingredients: lots of veggies in the lettuce leaves and pico de gallo, and lean protein in the shrimp.

But do I consider this a totally balanced meal? Well it depends on you. If you are watching your carb intake, these are a great low-carb option. Same goes for if you're on a gluten-free or dairy-free diet - there's absolutely no gluten or dairy in these lettuce wraps.

Depending on my hunger level, I might pair these with a starchy side like brown rice or tortilla chips.

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see your creation! Don't forget to snap a picture and tag me @thebalancedbite on Instagram so I can see your delicious creations. Feel free to follow along onPinterestandFacebookfor other tasty recipes!

More Easy Taco Recipes

• Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa
• Cauliflower Chickpea Tacos with Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce

• 8 ounces (½ pound) shrimp, deveined, thawed, and peeled
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• ½ tablespoon chili powder
• salt, to taste
• 1 medium lime, juiced, divided
• 3 medium tomatoes, diced
• ¼ medium red onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes, divided
• 2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped, divided
• 1 medium avocado
• 6 large romaine lettuce leaves*

• Prepare the shrimp. Preheat oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

  Dry shrimp thoroughly with a paper towel. In a large bowl, mix shrimp, avocado oil, chili powder, and salt. Lay the shrimp in a single layer on the baking sheet.

• Broil the shrimp. Broil for 3 minutes. Take out of the oven, flip them over, and broil for another 3 minutes or until the shrimp is fully cooked. Remove from oven. Sprinkle ¼ of the lime juice over the shrimp.

• Make the pico de gallo. In a medium bowl, mix together diced tomatoes, red onion, ¼ of the lime juice, ½ tablespoon cilantro, and ½ teaspoon red chili flakes. Mix together and season with salt to taste.

• Make the guacamole. In a small bowl, mash the avocado. Add ½ of the lime juice, ½ teaspoon red chili flakes, and 1 tablespoon cilantro. Mix together. Season with salt to taste.

• Assemble and serve. Lay out your lettuce leaves. Layer the guacamole, pico de gallo, and shrimp on top. Garnish with remaining cilantro.

*Use two lettuce leaves per taco if you want to make sure the pico de gallo doesn't spill out or get soggy.

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Source: https://www.alenamenko.com/shrimp-taco-lettuce-wraps/

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