For the past three months or so, I’ve had a pound of shrimp sitting in the freezer. I bought them for a specific recipe that I just haven’t been in the mood to make. Don’t be discouraged by my lack of enthusiasm for this recipe. It really is a good one. I just wasn’t feeling it. You know how that is, right? So when I got a recipe for coconut rice from my friend, Erin, I immediately knew what I wanted to make with it. The very next day, I had the shrimp thawed and the ingredients purchased to make cilantro lime shrimp with coconut rice.
More shrimp recipes: grilled cilantro pesto shrimp skewers / easy shrimp salad / 5 ingredient honey garlic shrimp / shrimp fettuccini in white wine tomato sauce
The marinade, which ends up becoming a beautifully simple sauce, only requires a few ingredients and can be made the night before if you want to make this the quickest week night meal ever. The coconut rice is so fluffy and with a hint of sweetness to balance the acidity of the lime. It’s perfect for the weather because it’s light and requires very little time in front of the stove – just don’t accidentally buy unpeeled shrimp like I did. It’s also a great alternative to tacos and fajitas for Cinco de Mayo. Serve the shrimp with some of the sauce over a bed of the coconut rice and garnish with a lime wedge.
Then go make yourself a margarita. Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Cilantro Lime Shrimp with Coconut Rice
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 6 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 pound large, peeled and deveined shrimp
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 lime, sliced into wedges (for garnish)
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to make a marinade.
- In a large zip-top bag, combine shrimp with marinade and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- In a saucepan, combine coconut milk, water, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil and stir in rice.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cover pot. Simmer for 20 – 25 minutes – until rice is fluffy and liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and allow rice to sit while preparing the shrimp.
- In a large skillet *affiliate link over medium-high heat, add the shrimp and its marinade. Sauté the shrimp, turning once, until completely shrimp is pink on both sides and sauce has slightly thickened – about 5 minutes.
- Serve shrimp with the sauce over rice and garnish with a lime wedge.
Nutrition
- Calories: 0
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
13 Comments
Rachel @ Bakerita
May 5, 2014 at 11:59 amMm, this dish sounds amazing!! I don’t think I’ve ever cooked shrimpy (probably cause I only started liking it about a year ago) but I totally want to give this a go! It sounds amazing, especially with the coconut rice. Pinned!
Melissa Belanger
May 5, 2014 at 1:02 pmI’m so happy that you finally like shrimp! You will be able to make so many new things now 🙂 I wish I could say the same about mushrooms… But, I still can’t come around. Anyway, you have to try these if you like cilantro! Plus, they’re the quickest thing in the whole world to cook, so you really can’t go wrong.
Annie Jacobson
September 22, 2014 at 8:03 pmI made this with coconut quinoa instead and threw some frozen peas in there to make it go farther! It was absolutely delicious. I used theis recipe. http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/coconut-quinoa
Larissa kuszajewski
May 21, 2015 at 9:18 amAt what step in the preparation do you peel the shrimp?
Melissa Belanger
May 21, 2015 at 12:22 pmI actually bought peeled shrimp, but if you need to peel yours you’ll want to do that first. I would suggest just getting it out of the way so you’re all set when you start cooking!
Jennifer
September 3, 2016 at 5:41 amWhen you say white rice is it long or short grain?
Melissa Belanger
September 4, 2016 at 1:06 pmI normally use Jasmine rice, but long grain white works perfectly in this recipe.
Emily
April 30, 2017 at 7:17 pmI absolutely love this recipe but feel like it’s an incomplete meal without a veggie side and can’t find the right one to complement these flavors. Any suggestions?
Melissa Belanger
May 1, 2017 at 2:05 pmMaybe try some roasted broccoli or some sautéd kale. You also can’t go wrong with a big salad.
Shrimp Fettuccini in White Wine Tomato Sauce - Simply Whisked
July 12, 2017 at 9:46 am[…] I found shrimp on sale last week, I immediately went for it, because shrimp isn’t cheap, and I normally won’t splurge on anything that’s over ten dollars a pound unless […]
Roasted Salmon with Avocado Cucumber Salsa - Simply Whisked
January 8, 2018 at 11:22 am[…] served my roasted salmon with avocado cucumber salsa and my favorite jasmine rice, and – not pictured – sautéed broccoli. It may be a simple meal, but the avocado […]
5 Ingredient Honey Garlic Shrimp - Simply Whisked
November 23, 2018 at 9:35 am[…] shrimp recipes: cilantro lime shrimp with coconut rice / grilled cilantro pesto shrimp skewers / easy shrimp salad / 5 ingredient honey garlic […]
Shrimp Toast - Simply Whisked
December 17, 2018 at 4:50 pm[…] few weeks ago, I had every intention of reshooting my cilantro lime shrimp recipe, which I’ve been wanting to do forever, and a paella recipe for my Friday Night dinner […]