This dish is a flavorful low carb shrimp recipe that uses shrimp with cotija cheese and tomatillos to get a fast meal on the table with a lovely southwest flavor! It's easy to make and it's perfect for those nights when you need a quick meal but don't want to skimp out on flavor!
What Makes Shrimp with Cotija and Tomatillos So Wonderful?
- Versatile. You could serve this as is, with tortilla chips, or wrapped in flour tortillas for tacos.
- Easy. Just a few simple steps on the stovetop for a complete flavor-packed meal.
- Kid-friendly. My kids love making --and eating-- tacos.
- Fast. This dish cooks in under 30 minutes, so it is the perfect busy weeknight meal.
What Is Cotija Cheese?
Cotija cheese is a Mexican dry grating cheese made with cow's milk and is named after the Mexican city of Cotija, Michoacán. It's like Feta's softer, milder cousin. It's fairly salty and crumbly. It doesn't melt per se, so you'll get chunks of salty, yummy cheese in each bite if you do this right.
There's also an aged version of this called Cotija Anejo, which is aged for a minimum of a hundred days. This is not used for eating by itself; rather it's added to cooked things like shrimp and cotija, or maybe on tacos.
What Can I Use As A Substitute For Cotija Cheese?
I often substitute Feta cheese or paneer instead of Cotija, and sometimes, I add a little shredded parmesan in addition for a little bite. Feta tends to be a little saltier than Cotija. Cotija cheese is a dry grating cheese that is similar to Parmesan. If you can't find Cotija cheese and are used to Parmesan, use that instead.
If you live in Texas or California, you can typically find Cotija Cheese in your regular grocery store. Otherwise, you might want to go out to a Mexican grocery store. Just watch out for all the absolutely gorgeous bakeries, where I just want to fall face-first into all of the delicious carbs!
What Does Shrimp With Cotija Cheese and Tomatillos Taste Like?
The flavor profile comes from the fresh vegetables and spices, making these the perfect Mexican Shrimp Tacos. The onions and garlic cook together with the tart and fruity tomatillos and spicy jalapenos. The cumin adds a smokiness to the dish.
When you add the shrimp into the pot, they quickly soak up all the Southwest flavors to meld together and heat your mouth without too much spice. If you don't like spice, leave out the jalapenos.
Can I Use Frozen Shrimp For Cotija And Tomatillos?
I use frozen shrimp because usually it comes shelled and deveined. Typically, the first thing I do is set the shrimp out to defrost in a bowl of warm (not hot water, since we don’t want them to cook on the outside!) Then, I gather all my ingredients together and heat the pan. By the time I’ve done all this, the shrimp are defrosted and ready to cook. #RuthlessEfficiency.
Tomatillos for Shrimp and Cotija
When you prepare tomatillos, the outside husk needs to be taken off. The little tomatillo inside is very sticky, and a good wash in warm water usually takes care of this.
If you can find canned tomatillos, you can use those, but I haven't tested this recipe using them. If you can’t find or are unsure of tomatillos, try to use the rawest tomatoes you can get.
It won’t be exactly the same dish, but it will be better than not making it! In that case, use 1-2 tablespoons of lime juice at the end to add sourness.
Tips and Tricks for Making Shrimp with Tomatillos:
- In this recipe, the carbs and sugar come from the onions and tomatillos. You could cut down on the tomatillos if you wanted to reduce the carbs a bit, but the high protein and fat and sheer taste are likely to fill you up quite quickly anyway.
- Use Feta or Parmesan to substitute for Cotija.
- Make sure to peel away the husk from the tomatillo and wash it in warm water to get the stickiness off.
- Can use fresh or frozen shrimp, I like frozen because its already peeled and deveined.
- You can also make this with chicken rather than shrimp.
- Top with fresh cilantro or parsley for a fresh herby bite. Either one will accompany the recipe perfectly.
- You could try canned tomatillos but I haven't tested this recipe with them.
- If you can't find fresh nor canned tomatillos, try using the rawest tomatoes you can find, and adding a heavy squirt of lemon juice at the end. Not the same, but close.
Need More Meal Ideas?
- Try this amazing and easy Charred Tomatillo Salsa
- Perfect Pressure Cooker Rice for serving on the side
- If you're a fan of shrimp, you're sure to love my Air Fried Salt and Pepper Shrimp!
- Try my simple Rajas con Crema for a great side dish to go with this shrimp.
Tomatillo Salsa 
Perfect Rice 
Salta and Pepper shrimp 
Rajas Con Crema
This Shrimp with Cotija and Tomatillos recipe is one of those dishes that is so quick, easy, and delicious that you'll find yourself making it over and over again! Make sure to share this recipe with your friends on Pinterest and Facebook so they can enjoy it too!
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup (160 g) Onion, chopped
- 2 (2 ) Jalapeño Peppers, seeded and minced
- 5 cloves (5 cloves) Garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 pound (453.59 g) Tomatillos, chopped
- 1/4 cup (62.5 g) Water
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Ground Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Ground Cumin
- 1 pound (453.59 g) Shrimp, cleaned and deveined
- 1 cup (150 g) Cotija cheese, can substitute feta
- 1/4 cup (4 g) Cilantro, chopped
- 1 (1 ) lime, juiced
Instructions
- Heat oil in a 12-inch sauté pan. Add the onions, and jalapeños, cook for 3-5 minutes on medium high until the onions turn translucent.
- Add the garlic and stir. Add the tomatillos, water, salt, pepper, and cumin. Cover the pan with a lid. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until the tomatillos are cooked through, but still hold their shape.
- Add the cheese and shrimp and cook until the shrimp cook through, about 5-6 minutes
- Right before serving, mix in the cilantro, sprinkle with lime juice, and freshly ground black pepper.
- In this recipe, the carbs and sugar come from the onions and tomatillos. You could cut down on the tomatillos if you wanted to reduce the carbs a bit, but the high protein and fat and sheer taste are likely to fill you up quite quickly anyway.
- Use Feta or Parmesan to substitute for Cotija.
- Make sure to peel away the husk from the tomatillo and wash it in warm water to get the stickiness off.
- Can use fresh or frozen shrimp, I like frozen because its already peeled and deveined.
- You can also make this with chicken rather than shrimp.
- Top with fresh cilantro or parsley for a fresh herby bite. Either one will accompany the recipe perfectly.
- You could try canned tomatillos but I haven't tested this recipe with them.
- If you can't find fresh nor canned tomatillos, try using the rawest tomatoes you can find, and adding a heavy squirt of lemon juice at the end. Not the same, but close.
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Nutrition
Don't forget to check out my other Keto cookbooks.
Keto Instant Pot, Keto Fat Bombs, Sweets, & Treats, and Easy keto in 30 minutes.
Terry
Quick and delicious. Made a lot of sauce so we ate it like a stew with tortilla chips
Robyn
What size shrimp do you use, Urvashi?
Adina
After having this on my recipe to-do list for a year, I finally decided to make it, and it tastes awesome! Why did i wait so long? The only change I made was to use shredded monterey jack cheese instead of cotija, and I loved the cheesy melty goodness.
Vallie
Sounds super tasty! And I always have shrimp on hand! 🙂 Might have to make a batch!
sleevers
Send me a picture if you do! I'd love to share it.
hilaryflint
That looks amazing! I'll have to try it!
sleevers
It was very yummy. It turned out to be kid friendly even for my very fussy eater. He picked out the shrimp and the cheese and enjoyed those.
Karen
That looks SOOO delicious!!! I've never cooked with a tomatillo before
sleevers
Karen I think I have a tomatillo salsa recipe here too. Very delicious!