This easy shrimp taco recipe has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SoftsoapTouch #OurCaringHands #CollectiveBias

The clock is ticking, y’all. I am just weeks away from the event that I look forward to all year long. I’d say I’m practically packed, but we all know I’ll end up doing that the night before I leave. I’m talking about summer vacation, and for me, oh, it’s so much more than just a little break. See, for almost two decades now, summer vacation has meant something a little bit different for my family. It hasn’t just meant beach, and sand, and the sun, but it’s meant a whole lot of family time.

Every summer, we make the trek down to the Gulf Coast, to a tiny island called Dauphin Island, Alabama. If you’re a long-time reader, you’ve probably even seen me talk about it every summer for the past several years. This year we will be driving about 16 hours like we do every summer. Why? To enjoy the beach with our family, who live in another state.

To save money, we split condo costs. We also make sure to cook and eat meals family-style in the condo, rather than going out to eat a lot. That doesn’t mean we never visit local restaurants…. We totally do! There are so many great options for Gulf Coast flavor. Restaurants there serve up fried fish platters, po’boys, and of course, delicious shrimp tacos.

This year, I couldn’t wait to get my shrimp taco fix, so I decided to bring that Gulf Coast flavor that reminds me of family meals on the balcony, overlooking the waves, to my Midwest home. I stopped by Target, because they always have just what I need in a one-stop shop. They have shrimp that’s already peeled, corn and organic black beans, and even fresh, ripe tomatoes.

When dealing with ingredients like shrimp and jalapenos, you also have to wash your hands a lot. Trust me, I’ve accidentally rubbed my eyes after chopping jalapenos, and it wasn’t fun, so I always scrub my hands immediately after doing that sort of thing. So, at Target, I decided to grab my new favorite hand soap, SoftSoap® Hand Wash Plus Lotion™. I even picked up a couple of bottles to stock in our condos on vacation. My mom and I usually do all the cooking, so I want to have a soap I like on hand.

When making dinners for a crowd, like I do on our beach vacations each year, it’s so important to use as many easy, simple ingredients as you possibly can. The last thing I want to do on my beach vacation is spend so much time on dinner prep that I’m missing out on playing card games with my family, having balcony conversations, or catching some sun rays on the beach. When I can, I plan my meals at home the same way. It’s important to me to have less time spent in the kitchen and more time spent with those I love. To make a great taco night for your family, start with taco shells. We always go for a variety, both soft and crunchy, so everyone’s happy.

I love to use ready-to-eat black beans, so all I have to do is pour, drain, rinse, and heat. Black beans really add a lot of flavor to the easy shrimp tacos. They also act as a great protein for those who want to skip the shrimp and they help everyone bulk up on affordable ingredients. That way, you’re using less of pricier ingredients, like shrimp. It’s a lot more expensive in the Midwest than it is on the Gulf Coast. Black beans make midwest shrimp tacos a little more budget-friendly.

Pre-cooked rice is another great time-saver. I simply squeeze the bag, pop it in the microwave, and then pour it into my serving dish of choice for my family. Easy peasy. You can also add steam-in-bag corn for more warm taco fillings without the effort.

The best recipes for tacos always include great fresh ingredients. Use the time your other ingredients are in the microwave to dice up delicious fresh items like mixed greens, tomatoes, and jalapenos. Cut some lime wedges, too, to add a tangy kick. Be extra sure to wash your hands after chopping the jalapenos!

Shrimp isn’t hard, either, especially if you go for pre-cooked, peeled, tail-off shrimp. The thing is, with shellfish, you always want to be positive it’s cooked well, so the great thing about pre-cooked shrimp is that you know it’s cooked, so all you have to do is heat it up and season it to make it perfect for taco filling! Cook a bag of shrimp with 2 tablespoons of butter and a packet of taco seasoning. Let it simmer until the shrimp is coated and warm all the way through.

When everyone’s ready to eat, call everyone in, have them wash their hands really well, and serve up those tacos they’ve been smelling. On the beach, we have to take extra care to wash our hands before family dinner. Everyone is always leaving trails of sand! Plus, the kiddo is always picking up crabs, shells, and bird feathers along the beach!

The thing that I love the most about Softsoap Hand Wash Plus Lotion is that it’s the only hand wash brand on the market with a touch of lotion in it. That means that no matter how many times I wash my hands during the cooking process, my hands still stay soft. That means that even though I’m washing after chopping spicy jalapenos, or after handling shrimp, I don’t feel like my hands are dried out. It’s this great, caring clean that is proven to hydrate. That said, it doesn’t make my hands greasy, so I can open bags and cans without them slipping straight out of my hands.

My favorite is the Shea and Cocoa Butter because it smells heavenly. The Aloe Water and Lime scent and the Orchid and Coconut Milk are also luxurious and refreshing when I wash my hands, too. I’ve got this stocked in every bathroom of the house for sure!

Once your easy shrimp tacos are ready and everyone is washed up for dinner, you can enjoy together, family-style. The best thing about shrimp tacos is that everyone can top them how they want, so from here, it is all about personal flair and style.

I love my easy shrimp tacos with rice, black beans, shrimp, corn, cheese, salsa, greens, tomatoes, and sour cream. Really, the whole “fully loaded” kind of taco is totally my style.

When the whole family is gathered around the table to enjoy these shrimp tacos, though, it’s about more than the fresh Gulf Coast flavor they bring. It’s about time spent with those you love. For us, it was about planning for this year’s vacation. It gave us the opportunity to fine-tune details, like which movies we should take on the car ride down, or who might make a good pet-sitter. We got to re-live memories and laugh together.

One special memory we thought of was the time when waves overtook my grandma and her sisters’ beach chairs, and as they laughed so hard, the waves kept coming until they were practically buried under sand and surf, and we had to grab their hands and pull them out. We got to re-live those special family moments as we enjoyed tacos that brought us delicious flavors. And that’s what really matters in a family meal, after all.

What family memories shape your summer?

Let me know in the comments below, and be sure to check out SoftSoap® Hand Wash Plus Lotion™ in the hand wash aisle of your local Target store. You can find more information about SoftSoap® Hand Wash Plus Lotion™ on the Target Product Page here. Or, find Softsoap on Youtube here. Don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full, printable version of this recipe.

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Easy Shrimp Tacos Recipe