16 Best Mexican Seafood Dishes

When it comes to cooking, seafood dishes are always a worthwhile endeavor. I often prepare recipes that cater to an Asian palette, so Mexican seafood recipes are a bit of a departure.

However, I’m happy that I stepped out of my comfort zone and experimented with these meals; I can’t get enough of them!

With Mexican seafood dishes, you’re going to enjoy a lot of shrimp, cilantro, and spice.

Along with these mouthwatering recipes, I’ve included my additions if you’re looking to get more creative in the kitchen. And, because I want to make sure all bases of a meal are covered, I’ve included a list of wine and drink pairings that complement these first-rate courses.

1. Seafood Soup

I had to put my favorite recipe right at the top of this list! This traditional Seafood Soup is oh so good and easy to prepare.

I’ve always opted to add octopus to this meal because it soaks up the flavors of the broth perfectly and provides a meaty tenderness to the bowl.

When adding octopus, I cook it beforehand. It takes about 20 minutes to boil 1 lb to get it nice and soft. If you’re willing to put in the extra time, you’ll thoroughly enjoy it.

2. Mexican Tuna Salad

The best follow-up to a delicious soup has to be this recipe for Mexican Tuna Salad. Simple to make with no need to turn on the stove, all you have to do is whisk these ingredients together in a bowl and dive in.

This is one of my favorite, quick meals to make for lunch when I need to use up canned tuna and vegetables in my pantry, though the fresher the ingredients, the better.

If I spread this on top of whole-wheat toast with a little bit of avocado, I’m all set.

3. Spicy Skillet Shrimp Fajitas

Once you cook these Spicy Shrimp Fajitas, your entire kitchen is going to be bathed in the piquant, welcoming aroma of grilled bell peppers, shrimp, paprika, and smokey Bayou cajun seasoning.

I like breaking out these Fajitas when I have friends coming over, and as soon as they come in the front door, they always remark how wonderful it smells.

These are certainly savory, and while they’re just fine with shrimp alone, I like to sneak in some ground beef.

4. Mexican Grilled Shrimp with Corn Salsa

I told you about these recipes. You’ll be enjoying a lot of shrimp. How about some Mexican Grilled Shrimp and tasty Corn Salsa?

This is another fresh meal ingredient that is the best choice. However, if you’re limited on time, this dish is still delightful with canned corn.

Instead of dicing an onion, I like throwing a bag of frozen pearl onions in with the shrimp and grilling them together.

Just defrost and drain them before adding them to the foil, and you’re good to go!

5. Grilled Shrimp Tostadas

These easy Grilled Shrimp Tostadas serve four, but I’ve easily doubled this recipe before for a crowd.

I think these are at their best when you make the guacamole spicy. If you do this, your tostadas may be a tad too hot for some, which is why I opt to top these with cheese.

The recipe calls for crumbled queso Blanco, a solid choice, but I’ve enjoyed meeting a little port wine cheese and drizzling it on top.

6. Coctel de Camarones

Coctel de Camarones or Mexican Shrimp Cocktails is a super simple but fun way to spruce up a dinner party.

I always feel fancy serving these to my friends in small dessert glasses with their plate of chips.

The cooking time is only 5 minutes, and if you’re quick with dicing vegetables, you can have these cocktails garnished and ready to serve just as your guests are arriving.

Great with tortilla scoop chips or, my personal favorite, almond flour sea salt crackers.

7. Shrimp Ceviche

How can you write a list of the best Mexican seafood recipes and not include ceviche? Well, this Shrimp Ceviche won’t be the only one on this list, but it’s a great place to start.

While you can easily toss this together in a bowl in five minutes flat, I think the most important step in nailing ceviche is respecting marination times; 20 to 30 minutes minimum if there’s a time crunch.

If not, I recommend putting your ceviche in a covered bowl and letting it marinate overnight in the fridge or for 8 hours before you serve it.

8. Old Bay Shrimp Burritos

Another essential on a Mexican seafood list has to be Old Bay seasoning. While I sometimes even add a sprinkle to my grilled cheeses, one of the greatest ways to indulge in Old Bay is when it’s wrapped up in these Shrimp Burritos.

They can be a tad messy when you assemble them, but burritos aren’t too intimidating if you take them slowly.

If you’re worried the rolling won’t go as planned, you can pour this delicious filling over a bowl of brown rice and call it a day!

9. Seafood Enchiladas

I scan seafood menus for scallops, and when I remembered this Seafood Enchiladas recipe, I knew I needed to include it.

They bake in the oven in only 15 minutes, and they’re easy to seal in plastic containers if you want leftovers (though I doubt there will be any…) for lunch the next day.

This is another recipe I enjoy adding pearl onions to instead of dicing one. Just saute them with the scallops, as the recipe states.

10. Filete de Pescadoal Mojo de Ajo

These fish filets in garlic (Filete de Pescado al Mojo de Ajo) are hard to hate. I love preparing tilapia and salmon this way, but another awesome choice is grouper.

If you’re not in the mood to fry these, they’re just as good baked in the oven. I saute the garlic slices with some bell peppers, dust the fish fillets like normal before wrapping all the ingredients in foil and baking them in the oven.

If you put them in a standard tin, cook for 25 to 30 minutes at 375°.

11. Avocado Shrimp Ceviche

Wanting to include another ceviche on this list, I decided to add this Avocado Shrimp Ceviche.

As I said, marination time is important, and this recipe calls for you to refrigerate this dish for an hour. It yields 6 servings, so it may be too much to eat right away.

While I know it’s fun to have leftovers, I wouldn’t recommend it with something like ceviche unless you’re going to eat it the very next day.

After too long in the fridge, the texture starts to break down. To avoid it spoiling, I like turning this ceviche recipe into a sandwich filling and enjoying it with a group of friends during board game nights.

12. Spicy Shrimp Tacos

Tacos, tacos, tacos! I’m sure you were wondering when this traditional Mexican dish was going to show up.

These Spicy Shrimp Tacos can hit the spot with just some shredded cheese on top, but what makes this recipe is the sauce; Avocado Salsa and Cilantro Sour Cream.

Amazing! The inclusion of shrimp is tough to beat, but sometimes, when looking for a difference in texture or flavor, I’ve substituted shrimp for chunks of seared tuna.

13. Creamy Crab and Shrimp Enchiladas

These Creamy Crab and Shrimp Enchiladas are decadent and will certainly be a hit for any small gathering you bring them to.

If you double the recipe, you can also serve these at a dinner party. I’ve just baked 8 enchiladas split between two pans, 4 per pan.

While these are good with the namesake crab and shrimp, I know people with shellfish allergies. I’ve substituted these ingredients for imitation crab and scallops with great success.

14. Easy Homemade Pupusas

Pupusas are thick, griddle cakes that are fun to make, super easy, and the best part is you can freeze them!

This recipe is incredibly tasty with just the refried beans, but if you have meat lovers in your household, adding shredded pork to your pupusas takes these up a notch.

I love making several of these and freezing them in a sealed bag for up to three months; it’s like having hot pockets you’ve made from scratch, ready to go when you need a last-minute dinner.

15. Shrimp Ceviche Tostada

I didn’t want to leave you without offering one more ceviche recipe to try.

These Shrimp Ceviche Tostadas are another quick, filling meal. I’ve properly portioned out this recipe to make one at a time (dividing by 8, for one serving) and prepared a tostada for lunch after working all morning.

Even if I reduce the recipe to one meal, I still add a full avocado because I enjoy them so much.

Because I’m a fan of heat, too, I top my tostadas with red pepper flakes.

16. Mexican Shrimp Burrito Bowl

I love burrito bowls because I can enjoy the flavors of a burrito without spilling the contents all over myself (I’m rather clumsy).

This Mexican seafood recipe calls for shrimp, as do most dishes, and I think they blend deliciously with all the other ingredients.

If you’ve got a little extra time, however, substituting the shrimp for chunked crabmeat and cooking it for 8 minutes, or using chunked salmon can bring a sweeter flavor to your Mexican Burrito Bowl.