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Cilantro Lime Shrimp
This vibrant cilantro lime shrimp is ready in just 10 minutes! Juicy shrimp coated in zesty lime and fresh cilantro…
This vibrant cilantro lime shrimp is ready in just 10 minutes! Juicy shrimp coated in zesty lime and fresh cilantro makes a quick, flavorful protein perfect for tacos, rice bowls, or a simple weeknight dinner.
What’s better than shrimp for dinner? It’s healthy, easy to cook, and delicious: making it the triple threat of weeknight cooking! And here’s our new favorite way to cook it: cilantro lime shrimp!
This recipe takes only 10 minutes to make and comes out beautifully tangy and fresh! It pairs perfectly with Mexican-style flavors: serve it with rice, an avocado salad, or in tacos. Or make it into a main dish salad topped with our cilantro dressing. Here’s how to make it!
Ingredients in cilantro lime shrimp
This cilantro lime shrimp is packed with zingy flavor: and it takes less than 10 minutes to put together! Alex and I served it recently with green rice and our favorite simple guacamole and it was an incredibly satisfying healthy dinner recipes! All you need is a handful of ingredients:
- Large shrimp Fresh or frozen, peeled or unpeeled, tail on or removed; deveined is preferable!
- Lime juice and zest Use both juice and zest to get the best zingy flavor
- Cilantro
- Butter or olive oil Both have great flavor; butter is slightly more savory, oil works for dairy-free
- Garlic
- Cumin and cayenne
All you have to do is heat the oil, toss in the shrimp, lime juice and zest, and saute for 1 to 2 minutes per side until opaque. Easy peasy! Head to the full recipe to make it!
Serve with a sauce
This cilantro lime shrimp comes out with a zesty, fresh flavor. If you want to step it up even more and add an even bigger cilantro flavor: might we suggest serving with cilantro sauce? Here are a few sauces that would be just perfect for dipping or drizzling on top:
- This cilantro dressing tastes incredible! It takes just 5 minutes and you’ll want to use it on everything: salads, tacos, fries, and more.
- This cilantro lime dressing is fast to whip up and its zesty flavor is perfect: also this one is dairy free!
- Tr shrimp taco sauce: it’s basically a cilantro ranch dressing: it amps the cilantro flavor to the next level!
Ways to serve this cilantro lime shrimp
This recipe is so versatile: it’s hard to know where to begin! Our favorite is simply to add rice and a salad. But there are so many creative ways to serve it, based on whether it’s a quick weeknight meal or a dinner party! Here are all our favorite ways to serve cilantro lime shrimp!
- In shrimp tacos
- With rice and tomato avocado salad
- With black beans and rice
- On a Mexican chopped salad (or atop the salad to turn it into a main dish!)
- Along with homemade tortilla chips and simple guacamole
- With black bean and corn salad
- In shrimp lettuce wraps
- With elote (Mexican street corn)
- With a margarita, jalapeno margarita or skinny margarita (or a chelada or michelada)
- With homemade refried beans
Easiest way to juice and zest a lime
This recipe uses lime juice and lime zest to get big flavor! What are the best tools for the jobs? Here’s what we’ve found are the best tools for juicing and zesting citrus:
- Use a juicer. Alex and I use a juicer to quickly juice limes. We use a press juicer—it works great!
- For zesting, use a microplane or grater. A microplane makes quick work of zesting! If you don’t have one, use the fine holes on a box grater. For more info, here’s How to Zest a Lime.
How to thaw frozen shrimp
You can definitely use frozen shrimp for this recipe: it’s not necessarily better than fresh! In fact, if shrimp is frozen right when it’s caught and stays frozen, it’s fresher than fresh fish that has been transported for days. How to thaw frozen shrimp? There are a few different options:
- Day before: If you think ahead, simply place the frozen shrimp in the refrigerator overnight.
- Day of: Place the shrimp in a large bowl of very cold water for 15 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes to break up clumps that freeze together. The shrimp should defrost in about 15 to 20 minutes.
Dietary notes
This cilantro lime shrimp recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free (with olive oil) and pescatarian.
Cilantro Lime Shrimp
Print RecipeThis vibrant cilantro lime shrimp is ready in just 10 minutes! Juicy shrimp coated in zesty lime and fresh cilantro makes a quick, flavorful protein perfect for tacos, rice bowls, or a simple weeknight dinner.
- Prep Time: 6 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp, deveined (peeled or unpeeled, thawed if frozen)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 pinch cayenne
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus zest from 1 lime
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Pat the shrimp dry. In a medium bowl, mix the shrimp with the garlic, cumin, cayenne, and salt.
- In a large skillet, heat the butter or olive oil on medium high heat. Cook the shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes per side until opaque and cooked through, turning them with tongs. Remove from the heat.
- Spritz with lime juice and stir in the lime zest and chopped cilantro. Serve immediately. Leftovers last refrigerated up to 2 days, but taste best fresh.
More shrimp recipes
There are so many delicious and healthy shrimp recipes, it’s hard to keep track! Here are our favorites:
- Perfect Sauteed Shrimp or Honey Garlic Shrimp This really is the best easy shrimp, with the best seasoning.
- 3 Cheese Shrimp Pizza Like shrimp alfredo…on pizza crust!
- Garlic Butter Shrimp HUGE flavor in under 10 minutes! A fast and easy dinner for weeknights or entertaining, it will become your go-to.
- Shrimp and Broccoli Soy sauce and rice vinegar flavor this shrimp and broccoli, which comes together in minutes! Serve with rice or over noodles.
- Easy Coconut Shrimp Baked to perfection: no one can resist that juicy coconut-scented bite!
- Shrimp Cocktail The zesty famous cocktail sauce will have everyone begging for the recipe.
- Creamy Shrimp Pasta Easy to make with the best big flavors: garlic, lemon, and Parmesan. A home run dinner idea!
- Coconut Shrimp Curry Tastes better than a restaurant in under 30 minutes! It’s a Thai red curry flavored with coconut milk and curry paste.
- Shrimp Fried Rice Taste just like your favorite takeout!
- Easy Baked Shrimp or Broiled Shrimp The very best flavor, seasoned with garlic and herbs. Add a crispy breading for an irresistible crunch!
