Sea creatures have always been really magical to me. Whales, clams, sharks, mermaids, you name it; I find them all absolutely fascinating. From ages 5-14 I literally wanted to be an actual dolphin when I grew up. That’s just how much I love ocean things. What I love even more than the animals that come from way deep down in that mysterious water, though, is the food that comes from that same place – shrimp especially.
Located conveniently on the University of Arizona’s campus, Taco Bell has naturally become an imperative contributor to the diet of my entire group of friends. Although I’ll be the first to admit that shrimp from a place like Taco Bell sounds kind of fishy, this new menu item intrigued me enough to try at least one. Late night taco runs mean super serious business, so my fellow TB-lover Emily and I decided to play it safe by ordering a lot more than just the new Pacific Shrimp Tacos. By the end of the night, however, we both agreed that had we purchased only these new tacos, our stomachs would have been equally (if not more) satisfied. These things are TASTY.
The Pacific Shrimp Taco is made with a common soft taco shell which holds six shrimp, pico de gallo, lettuce, and my favorite part: avocado ranch sauce. The shrimp was of a way higher quality than I expected from a fast food restaurant, but still not entirely up to seafood par. It wasn’t soggy or spongy, two really icky qualities that shrimp sometimes has, so I was still pretty pleased with it. Anyone who isn’t into saucy foods would probably hate this taco, as the large amount of avocado ranch will spill out of its tortilla home and all over one’s wrapper/hands/plate/lap/couch if not handled with care. I’m pretty great with messy things and the sauce is creamy and authentic-ish (especially when paired with the pico de gallo) so again, no huge complaints. Neither of the two sauces overpower the shrimp in any way, yet they are bold and blend well together. Although not anywhere near the “real thing” that could be found at a Mexican restaurant, I would describe this taco as being the most accurate on the menu when it comes to Mexican food credibility.
My one problem with it is rather big and has to do with the fact that this item is particularly pricey, even for shrimp. The cost of one individual taco is $2.79 and the price for a combo of two plus a drink is $5.49. The biggest factor here is that they’re small. Like, value menu taco small. Two weren’t really all that filling for me, which means it would probably take three or more to satisfy a fully-grown and bearded man. Despite my gut reaction that these aren’t worth the cost, I still haven’t been able to stop myself from ordering them each of the last two times that we’ve dined at TB.
If I were ever feeling especially authentic, I could always make the 45-minute drive to the Mexican border (yeah, it’s really that close) and probably get double the amount of what Taco Bell offers for the same price. Fortunately for Yum! Brands, not everyone is lucky enough to live so close to the wonderfully dirty city of Nogales, and those of us who are aren’t exactly willing to make that trip as often as we crave shrimp tacos. As long as an individual is willing to pay a bit more for less food, is not completely opposed to shrimp, and especially if there is no good seafood taco provider already nearby, I would recommend trying some of these before their local Taco Bell runs out of shrimp like mine did tonight. Quite the bummer, let me tell you.
