Lettuce Wraps with Shrimp and Mango Slaw
If you believe that a low calorie, low carb, healthy, gluten-free and low fat dish can’t be absolutely delicious, lettuce wraps with shrimp and mango slaw will prove you wrong.
These little gems are loaded with healthy ingredients and present beautifully.

The ingredients, all easily accessible at your local grocery store, include flavorful shrimp, crunchy veggies (broccoli slaw), silky mango and avocado, green onions and a tangy spicy sauce – all wrapped in a lettuce leaf. Nice flavor, nice crunch.
The ingredient list looks a bit long, but the entire shrimp lettuce wraps recipe is simple to make in about 20 minutes. Don’t worry about exact amounts.
I serve the lettuce wraps as an appetizer, light lunch or healthy dinner along with Vegetable Wonton Soup or Egg Drop Soup. My only suggestion is to serve them around a kitchen island or at the table because they can be a tad messy if you are using soft lettuce.
Tailor To Your Taste
Feel free to make these shrimp wraps your own with a few variations and substitutes.
- Substitutes for shrimp:
- cooked crab or lobster instead of shrimp
- tofu instead of shrimp for a vegetarian version
- Substitutes and add-ins for mango slaw:
- peaches instead of mangoes
- fresh parsley, tarragon or dill instead of fresh cilantro
- I use undressed store-bought shredded broccoli, but anything crunchy will do such as shredded cabbage, carrot matchsticks or bean sprouts.
- Add a few drops fish sauce or sesame oil to the dressing if you like for more depth. If you don’t have or like fish sauce, leave it out.
- Best lettuce for wraps: I like the use butter lettuce (also called Boston lettuce or Bibb lettuce) for this shrimp wrap recipe as it’s very pliable, but some find it too soft to manage the filling well. You can use two lettuce leaves per wrap or, instead, try crunchy, sturdier iceberg lettuce.
How to make spicy shrimp lettuce wraps








Shortcuts
- Buy a pre-made mango salsa to cut the time in half
- Use garlic and ginger in frozen cubes or in jars
- Instead of roasting the shrimp, they can be boiled in salted water for 3 minutes. Or even quicker, buy cooked shrimp.
Make Ahead
- Same day: Make the shrimp and mango slaw dressing a couple hours ahead. Leave the slaw (or at least the dicing of the avocado) and filling the lettuce wraps until just before serving.
- Leftovers: Store leftover shrimp in an airtight container in the fridge for a day.
Other quick and easy shrimp recipes you might like
- lemon pasta with shrimp in 30 minutes
- 20 minute shrimp piccata
- grilled shrimp tacos with coconut chili sauce
- Thai shrimp curry
- shrimp cocktail recipe with homemade cocktail sauce
- butterflied shrimp (baked)
Shrimp Lettuce Wrap with Mango Slaw Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined (medium shrimp is ok too)
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (or pinch, garlic powder)
- olive oil (1-2 tsp)
- salt and pepper
- 1 Boston/Bibb/Butter lettuce, leaves, separated (iceberg lettuce is ok too)
- Garnish: lime wedges, chopped cilantro
Mango Slaw
- 1 small mango, pitted, peeled and diced small (about 1/2 cup/82 grams)
- 1/2 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced small (about 1/4 cup/37 grams)
- 2 tablespoons green onion, finely chopped (1 green onion)
- 1 cup broccoli slaw, undressed (or cabbage slaw) I buy it shredded in package.
Dressing for Mango Slaw
- 2 tablespoon Spicy Sweet Chili Sauce (I use Thai)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
- 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) fresh ginger, grated (1/2 tsp fresh)
- 1 teaspoon Fish Sauce (optional)
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- PREPARE LETTUCE: Lay out lettuce leaves on a tray or individual plates.
- ROAST SHRIMP: Heat oven to 425F/218C. Toss shrimp in a mixing bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, garlic, salt and black pepper and lay in single layer on pan lined with foil (for easy clean up). Roast shrimp for 6 minutes or just until they lose their translucence. If shrimp are medium, roast for 5 minutes. Note 1. Cut shrimp into chunks. I cut large shrimp into three pieces and medium into two pieces.
- MAKE MANGO SLAW DRESSING: Combine ingredients in small bowl and mix well.
- MIX MANGO SLAW WITH SHRIMP: Add mango slaw ingredients and chopped shrimp in a bowl. Pour on dressing and mix to combine.
- ASSEMBLE AND SERVE: Divide shrimp and mango slaw mixture among 8-10 lettuce leaves. Garnish with a squeeze of lime and chopped cilantro. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Other ways to cook shrimp: Instead of roasting shrimp, boil them. Place them in boiling salted water, remove from heat and let the sit uncovered for 3 minutes (or 2 if small). Run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Shortcut: buy cooked shrimp.
- Variations:
- Substitutes for shrimp:
- cooked crab or lobster instead of shrimp
- tofu instead of shrimp for a vegetarian version
- Substitutes and add-ins for mango slaw:
- peaches instead of mangoes
- fresh herbs like parsley, tarragon or dill instead of cilantro
- I use undressed store-bought shredded broccoli, but anything crunchy will do such as shredded cabbage, carrot matchsticks or bean sprouts.
- Add a few drops fish sauce or sesame oil to the dressing if you like for more depth. If you don’t have or like fish sauce, leave it out.
- Add shredded carrots, finely diced red bell pepper, water chestnuts or English cucumbers.
- Increase the spice level with sriracha sauce or red pepper flakes.
- Best lettuce for wraps: I like the use butter lettuce (also called Boston lettuce or Bibb lettuce) as it’s very pliable, but some find it too soft to manage the filling well. You can use two lettuce leaves per wrap or, instead, try crunchy, sturdier iceberg lettuce.
- Substitutes for shrimp:
- Make Ahead:
- Same day: Make the shrimp and mango slaw dressing a couple hours ahead. Leave the slaw (or at least the dicing of the avocado) and filling the lettuce wraps until just before serving.
- Leftovers: Store leftover shrimp in an airtight container in the fridge for a day.
beautiful and excellent Just made it for dinner
Glad you liked them!