Food

Tags: tomatoes, trader joes, yossy arefi

Five-Ingredient Trader Joe’s Tacos

Next up in our month of Trader Joe’s hacks are these coconut shrimp tacos. Our friend Linsey made them for a girls’ dinner this winter, and they were so delicious. Bonus: “I can pretend we’re on a sunny beach somewhere,” she says, “instead of having yet another nor’easter.” Here’s how she does it…

Recipe: Coconut Shrimp Tacos
Makes 5 tacos

You’ll need:

TJ Coconut Shrimp
TJ Shredded Green & Red Cabbage
TJ Green Goddess Salad Dressing
TJ Flour Tortillas
TJ Island Salsa (Linsey makes her own, but this one’s good!)

Optional:
Sliced avocado
Lime
Cilantro

Bake the coconut shrimp according to instructions. Remove tails. Toss cabbage slaw with Green Goddess dressing. In a warmed tortilla, add two or three shrimp, a sprinkle of the dressed slaw and a scoop of salsa. If you’d like, you can also add two slices of avocado, a squeeze of lime and a few leaves of cilantro.

Thanks for the idea, Linsey! Have you ever tried these shrimp?

P.S. More Trader Joe’s hacks, including delicious breakfast and a slamdunk family dinner.
P.P.S. This series isn’t sponsored, we just love TJ’s!

(Photos by Yossy Arefi for Cup of Jo.)

Tags: tomatoes, trader joes, yossy arefi

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Debbie Cain

January 31, 2021 11:39am 11:39 am

What can you use in place of the salsa if you are allergic to bell peppers?

Mym

June 19, 2019 7:35pm 7:35 pm

Our family is booked in this Green Goddess dressing!

Lewis Johnson

March 18, 2019 12:10pm 12:10 pm

Best shrimp tacos ever.

Ellie

April 4, 2018 9:54pm 9:54 pm

Trader Joe’s has a great salsa that I like to use especially with quesadillas. I can’t remember the name but its with mango and corn. So delicious.
I also like to make this stir fry using all Trader Joes and Whole Foods frozen groceries. Very easy to whip up and you can keep in freezer for last minute dinner surprise. https://dinnercharm.com/blogs/recipes/chicken-cabbage-and-broccoli-stir-fry-with-rice-noodles

Lauren

April 1, 2018 10:41am 10:41 am

I’m dairy free and live just down the street from Trader Joes so this could not be more perfect!! Yum – thanks!

Annie

March 28, 2018 10:32am 10:32 am

I made these last night and they were SO good. Thank you so much for this quick weeknight solution!

Lauren

March 26, 2018 5:24pm 5:24 pm

Yum! I make a very similar TJs hack recipe almost weekly (only a little embarrassing) but instead of coconut shrimp, I use their breaded cod. Assembling during my lunch break feels so exotic, is so quick to prep, and makes everyone at the lunch table jealous!

Joanna Goddard(@joanna)

Author

Reply to Lauren

March 26, 2018 6:05pm 6:05 pm

sounds so good!

Surabhi

Reply to Lauren

April 2, 2018 9:28pm 9:28 pm

I also tried it this past weekend and this quick meal was a lifesaver (and super hit)! I substituted shrimp with fish as my husband is allergic. Such a delicious and simple meal. Thanks for sharing!

Lyn

March 22, 2018 9:02pm 9:02 pm

Tried to make these tonight but TJs didn’t have the Green Goddess dressing. :::::::::sigh::::::

Joanna Goddard(@joanna)

Author

Reply to Lyn

March 22, 2018 9:07pm 9:07 pm

ooh you could do it with another dressing! or skip the dressing and put on some sour cream :)

Susan

Reply to Lyn

March 25, 2018 6:17pm 6:17 pm

My TJs was out of the green goddess too, so we used the cilantro dressing instead. So good!

Denise

March 22, 2018 10:51am 10:51 am

Oooh this was timely. Made a Thai takeout leftovers hack with tortillas last night. Had left over som tum (green papaya salad) with some crispy shrimp. Added some mozzarella (too lazy to shred the block of pepper jack) and splashes of chipotle hot sauce. Give it a go, Joanna! Super delish.

susan

March 22, 2018 10:44am 10:44 am

Can you share the salsa recipe?

Denise

March 22, 2018 10:31am 10:31 am

OMG !!
Soo Healthy . Making these
This Weekend !!

Sherman

March 22, 2018 8:04am 8:04 am

Sounds (looks) delish. Big fan of Trader Joe’s & will be purchasing these items soon.
Throw on some Jimmy Buffet tunes, munch on some tacos. What could be wrong with that?

Laura

Reply to Sherman

March 27, 2018 12:57pm 12:57 pm

that sounds amazing :)

Jennifer

March 22, 2018 7:02am 7:02 am

Love this series!!! Please keep it up always!!!!

Kay

March 22, 2018 3:40am 3:40 am

Thanks! Almost anything made from TJ’s is welcome on my phone!

Adrienne

March 22, 2018 2:14am 2:14 am

Any UK-based readers have a suggestion for a good substitute to TJ’s? I’ve struggled for years to find a decent solution that wasn’t just me attempting to make thing I wanted myself at home. (M&S just isn’t the same) Thanks!

Paula

March 21, 2018 10:53pm 10:53 pm

I love Trader Joe’s for it’s great food and other stuff. These coconut shrimp tacos sound delicious. I’m going to give them a try. Keep the TJ hacks coming.

kendra

March 21, 2018 10:43pm 10:43 pm

the TJs jalepano hummus is also amazing with fish tacos!

Emily

March 21, 2018 10:06pm 10:06 pm

Love this series so much!

Michelle

March 21, 2018 10:06pm 10:06 pm

Loving this series too!! We had the sweet potato gnocchi last night and it was soooo good. Keep them coming!

Joanna Goddard(@joanna)

Author

Reply to Michelle

March 21, 2018 10:42pm 10:42 pm

so glad to hear it! thank you so much for the feedback xoxo

Meg

Reply to Michelle

March 22, 2018 7:51am 7:51 am

we did, too!!! no complaints…plates were licked clean!! ill definitely make that again.

i love TJs, but their flour tortillas aren’t great….kind of cardboard-y.

Sasha

Reply to Michelle

March 23, 2018 10:13am 10:13 am

Meg, re tortillas. Do you shop at Costco? They have the best tortillas, you cook them yourself. You just heat in a dry skillet. They are so much better than any precooked brands we’ve tried.

Reply to Michelle

August 2, 2018 2:24am 2:24 am

totally agree meg. their flour tortillas are terrible.

Hannah

March 21, 2018 8:13pm 8:13 pm

Love these, love these, love these !
We love TJs Green Goddess dressing at our house and use it on most salads.
One night we had my in-laws over for supper…my four year old was helping to serve up her (very conservative and proper) grandma’s salad plate. She got all the ingredients on there (we had set up a chopped salad style meal) and then yelled loudly to me in the kitchen “Please bring the Green Goddamit sauce to grandma!”

My husband and me were laughing so hard in the kitchen that we wept. His parents were not amused but we couldn’t stop. Still can’t ?

Sharon

Reply to Hannah

March 22, 2018 8:21am 8:21 am

LOL… this gave me a chuckle ;-)

Susan

Reply to Hannah

March 22, 2018 6:46pm 6:46 pm

So funny!

Suzanne

Reply to Hannah

March 23, 2018 2:02pm 2:02 pm

She started a name change in our house “Can you bring me the green goddammit dressing, please?”
My kids will likely eat more greens now.
Thanks,
Suzanne

Karen

Reply to Hannah

October 7, 2018 2:52pm 2:52 pm

LOL!!! ??? Your post CRACKED ME UP!! I can only imagine the look on grandma’s face! ?

Billy

March 21, 2018 7:27pm 7:27 pm

I hope to try this soon.

aga

March 21, 2018 7:07pm 7:07 pm

I was going to warm up frozen haddock fillets for dinner, but now I feel the urge to run out and get salsa, tortillas, avocado…. yum!

Anne

March 21, 2018 6:50pm 6:50 pm

These TJ recipes are awesome! Thanks for the great series!

Emily

March 21, 2018 5:58pm 5:58 pm

I feel like a month of these hack will not be enough! Please keep them coming.

Ellen Mote

Reply to Emily

March 21, 2018 6:39pm 6:39 pm

I agree! These have been my favorite recipes to date. More please!

Arcadia

Reply to Emily

March 21, 2018 6:50pm 6:50 pm

I agree with Emily!

Sarah

Reply to Emily

March 21, 2018 7:37pm 7:37 pm

Agreed!!

Joanna

Reply to Emily

March 22, 2018 9:13am 9:13 am

Me too!!!!!!! LOVE it

Yutsoku

March 21, 2018 5:56pm 5:56 pm

I counted 8 Ingredients. Optional ones still count.

Joanna Goddard(@joanna)

Author

Reply to Yutsoku

March 21, 2018 6:01pm 6:01 pm

you really can make these tacos with just five! that’s the base — i’ve made them with five before, and they’re delicious :)

mikaela

Reply to Yutsoku

March 21, 2018 10:01pm 10:01 pm

I mean, do they really? There is a reason they are optional components, you could just as easily incorporate black beans, red onion, a zippy lime crema or fresh cheese, but the base recipe is still the base recipe. Not to be snippy, but optional serving suggestions really only exist for those who are less creative or experienced in the kitchen. They are optional for a reason, to each their own in terms of complexity or flavor building, but even if it had been strictly speaking eight ingredients, that’s not taxing enough for criticism.

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