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Chilled Cilantro Lime Shrimp

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Cilantro lime shrimp is a combination of steamed shrimp, cilantro, lime, garlic, and oil. It tastes great as an appetizer, stuffed in an avocado or served over a bed of greens. It’s just perfect for warm weather entertaining or simple and light dinner.

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cilantro lime shrimp on top of baby arugula on a plate

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A Simple Shrimp Recipe

This is a simple little dish filled with fresh and vibrant flavors.The combination of cilantro, lime and garlic is always a refreshing blend, and it is  a match made in heaven for mild tasting shrimp.

Most cilantro lime shrimp recipes are sauteed and served hot, but I decided to let the ingredients mingle their flavors while chilling. The result is a light and delicate, yet full of flavor shrimp dish. Rather than sauteeing the shrimp, I steam them quickly, drain them and toss them in the cilantro, lime and oil mixture.

Serve cilantro lime shrimp at room temperature or make it ahead of time and serve it chilled. Our personal preference is chilled and over a bed of greens.

cilantro lime shrimp on a plate with a fork

The Ingredients

cilantro lime shrimp close up overhead view

Cilantro Lime Shrimp Recipe Steps

Please note that this a list of steps to give you an idea how to make this recipe. Full details are in the recipe card below.

  1. Bring water to a boil on top of the stove
  2. While the water is heating, clean, peel and devein the shrimp
  3. Chop the garlic and cilantro
  4. Squeeze the lime and lemon juices – I like this hand juicer for this. It’s small and easy to clean.
  5. Once water boils add the cleaned shrimp to the pan, cover and turn off the heat
  6. Allow the shrimp to sit in the hot water until they are cooked through
  7. Drain the shrimp and rinse the shrimp in cold water
  8. Make the dressing, by combining the olive oil, cilantro, garlic and juices
  9. Pour the dressing over the shrimp and serve at room temperature or chilled

Total Estimated Time to Make this Recipe: 20 to 30 Minutes

cilantro lime shrimp with a lime slice on a plate

Cilantro Lime Shrimp Recipe Tips  & Variations

  • Use up the thick cilantro stems. Place them into a food processor and blitz them into tiny pieces. Place them into a freezer container and freeze them.  They taste great in homemade salsa and chili.
  • The easiest way to devein shrimp is to remove the peel from the shrimp starting from the underside by pinching the legs and pulling the shell off. Once the shell is removed, use a pairing knife to make a slit down the back of the shrimp to remove the intestine, then rinse.
  • Shrimp is s perfectly cooked once the outside turns pink and the flesh turns translucent.  Shrimp cooks quickly, you can avoid over-cooking the shrimp by turning off the heat once the shrimp are added to the boiling water.  Wait a few minutes until they turn pink and feel tender, then rinse in cold water to stop the cooking.
  • Change it up. Use all lemon juice and chopped parsley or a combination of chopped parsley and cilantro with lemon juice.
  • Add Spice. Chop a jalapeno pepper and add it to the dressing

Here Are a Few More Shrimp Recipes that you Might Enjoy

 

 

Print

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

cilantro lime shrimp with a lime slice on a plate

★★★★★

5 from 24 reviews

Cilantro lime shrimp is a flavorful combination of shrimp, lime juice and garlic.

  • Author: Anne
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 5
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: Stove-top
  • Cuisine: American
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 pound shrimp
  • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice – about 1 to 2 limes and 1/2 to 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 to 4 cloves of crushed garlic (to taste)
  • 1/2 cup fresh packed cilantro

Instructions

Prepare the Ingredients

  1. Add to a medium sized sauce pan water filled 1/4 of the way and place over medium to high heat
  2. Clean and devein the shrimp (a pairing knife or a shrimp cleaner  works well for this)
  3. Remove the thick bottom stems from the cilantro and set them aside.  Chop the upper portion of the cilantro with a sharp knife including the thin stems.
  4. Crush the garlic using a garlic crusher and place into a jar or small bowl
  5. Squeeze and measure the lime and lemon juices, and place in a jar or small bowl.  Little mason jars work well for this.

Make the shrimp

  1. Once the water boils, add the shrimp – cover it and turn off the heat
  2. Allow the shrimp sit for 4 to 5 minutes until it is cooked through
  3. Drain and rinse the cooked shrimp in cold water to stop the cooking
  4. Place the cooked shrimp into a bowl

Make the dressing

  1. Remove the bottom stems from the cilantro and set aside
  2. Using a food processor or sharp knife chop the cilantro and add it to the jar with the measured juices and garlic
  3. Add the olive oil and shake the jar or whisk with a fork to combine

Assemble the Dish

  1. Add the chopped cilantro, and pour the mixture over the shrimp
  2. Serve the shrimp at room temperature or refrigerate and serve chilled

Notes

Shrimp is s perfectly cooked once the outside turns pink and the flesh turns translucent.  Shrimp cooks quickly, you can avoid over-cooking the shrimp by turning off the heat once the shrimp are added to the boiling water.  Wait a few minutes until they turn pink and feel tender, then rinse in cold water to stop the cooking.

Change it up. Use all lemon juice and chopped parsley or a combination of chopped parsley and cilantro with lemon juice.

Nutrition information is provided by Nutrifox,  an online calculator and is meant to be used for informational purposes only.  Even though I try to provide accurate information, these figures should still be considered as estimates.

Keywords: cilantro lime, shrimp,

 

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Cilantro Lime Shrimp with garlic simple and savory

 

 

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Comments

  8. mylifecookbook says

    This looks so good! I can’t wait to try this …. I love your tips too because shrimp is so expensive around here I rarely make it because I don’t want to screw it up. You have inspired me!

    Reply

  17. Jean says

    There’s nothing better than the combination of cilantro and mine! I love how simple this recipe is but it looks like it has a ton of flavor and I love how quickly it comes together!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  26. Kathryn says

    I love the cilantro and lime flavors! It’s been awhile since we’ve had shrimp, this is the perfect recipe. Thanks for sharing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  35. Irena Macri says

    I love shrimp and if you get good quality, fresh stuff, you really don’t need to do much to it and that’s why I loved this recipe so much. A little garlic, citrus and cilantro and you have such a beautiful dish. Thanks for sharing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  40. Linda says

    This cilantro lime shrimp recipe sounds so refreshingly good. I love the way you let the shrimp soaks in flavors without fry or grill them. Super easy and yet super flavorful.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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