Cilantro Lime Shrimp Recipe

This Cilantro Lime Shrimp is a family favorite! Succulent shrimp on cilantro-lime rice with black beans, creamy avocados, and a zesty cilantro-lime sauce. This high-protein meal is nourishing, filling, and full of flavor.

Love bowl-style meals with loads of protein and good-for-you ingredients? Give our Banh Mi Bowls, Chicken Burrito Bowls, or vegetarian Black Bean Bowls a try next!

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

For almost two full years, these Shrimp Tacos have made the top 10 most popular recipes on this website — out of over a thousand recipes! They’re a family favorite and so many of you have shared rave reviews for the tacos — from the charred corn tortillas to the saucy slaw to unbeatable cilantro-lime sauce — these are the best tacos!

So today we’re pulling similar concepts from those cilantro-lime Shrimp Tacos and making a bowl version. Seasoned shrimp atop rice with black beans, rice, avocado, and of course: the famous cilantro-lime sauce. That’s right — the same cilantro-lime sauce from the Shrimp Tacos graces these bowls! So if you love those tacos I think you’re going to be obsessed with this bowl version!

How To Make Cilantro Lime Shrimp

The full recipe is below, but here are our top shrimp cooking tips!

• Pick the right shrimp. Save yourself some work (and hassle) by picking shelled, peeled, and deveined shrimp. If using frozen shrimp, be sure it has fully thawed before cooking it. (Rinse under cold, not warm water, to keep the firm texture.) 
• Pat it dry. Whatever shrimp you’re using (fresh or frozen), be sure to thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. The cilantro-lime marinade spices won’t adhere to wet shrimp and the shrimp won’t cook properly.
• Shrimp cooks really fast, so we recommend cooking the shrimp quickly at higher temps and using tongs instead of a spoon to place, flip, and remove the shrimp. This allows the shrimp to get a nice char (char=flavor). It’s easy to overcook shrimp, so watch them closely and remove from the skillet promptly. (Even off heat, the skillet is still retaining heat.)

What To Serve With Cilantro Lime Shrimp

Once you’ve got the shrimp cooked and ready, it’s all about bowl assembly. Here are our favorite additions:

• Black beans: If you have these saucy Black Beans made up and in your fridge, you are going to love them in these bowls! Warm on the stovetop and throw them in the bowl. Otherwise, a can of black beans works fine. We typically use a can and mix it through with the warmed rice to quickly heat it up.
• Avocado: The riper, the better. A ripe avocado adds a nice creaminess and fresh flavors to the Cilantro Lime Shrimp. To tell if an avocado is ripe, gently press it near the stem. If the avocado yields to that gentle pressure, it’s ripe and ready to go!
• Cilantro-lime rice: To keep things quick and easy, we use a box mix, but if you’d like to make your own rice it’s very easy to do. Prepare 1 cup of rice as you normally would and then mix through 1-2 tablespoons lime juice, 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, and salt as needed (until flavors are vibrant!).
• Other toppers: Obviously the sauce adds a lot, but if you’re looking for some more oomf, you’ll be amazed at what some fresh lime and fresh cilantro add to the bowls! If you’d like some more spice, thinly slice or dice a jalapeño and mix it through the rice.

Variations

• Grilled Cilantro Lime Shrimp grilled (on skewers): Use the seasoning blend in my recipe below and use this detailed breakdown on how to perfectly grill it! 
• Cilantro Lime Shrimp Salad: Add a base of finely chopped romaine lettuce to the bowl. You can still prepare the rice and add it on top of the lettuce (We love a good grain salad recipe!) or replace the rice with the lettuce.
• Air Fryer Cilantro Lime Shrimp: Follow the directions to marinate the shrimp in seasonings and then cook in the air fryer according to your fryer’s directions. (Each air fryer typically comes with a manual breaking down cooking times for proteins in their specific model.)

Shortcut Ideas

Bowl recipes can be overwhelming — preparing all the components for the bowl and then a sauce to top it all off. It’s a lot.

So here are my top shortcut suggestions. Yes, homemade is always best, but use convenient store shortcuts when needed right!?

•  Prepared Cilantro Lime Shrimp. I honestly have not tried already-prepared shrimp, but have heard great reviews on it. Costco and many other stores sell it, and it’s already seasoned and cooked so you can just throw it on your bowl.
• Use a cilantro-lime rice mix. Nothing beats the ease of already cooked, packaged rice or a seasoning mix!
• Make the cilantro-lime sauce ahead of time. Not really a shortcut per se, but it sure makes dinner assembly a breeze when the sauce is already made. Plus, the sauce only gets more flavorful as it sits in the fridge.

More Delicious Shrimp Recipes

• Lemon-Garlic Shrimp with an addicting lemon-butter sauce
• Shrimp and Sausage Recipe made on one pan!
• Honey Garlic Shrimp with a quick stir-fry sauce
• Shrimp Couscous with an herby green sauce
• Shrimp Foil Packets cooked on the grill, in the oven, or on the campfire!

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5 from 8 votes

Easy Cilantro Lime Shrimp

By Chelsea Lords

This Cilantro Lime Shrimp is a family favorite! Succulent shrimp on cilantro-lime rice with black beans, creamy avocados, and a zesty cilantro-lime sauce. This high-protein meal is nourishing, filling, and full of flavor.

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

Cilantro-Lime Shrimp

• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, separated
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil, separated
• ▢ 1 lb (16 oz.) extra-large shrimp (Note 1)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon each: cumin, garlic powder, & Creole seasoning
• ▢ Fine sea salt & pepper
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

For the Bowls

• ▢ 1 pkg (8-10 oz.) Cilantro-lime rice mix (Note 2)
• ▢ 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained & rinsed
• ▢ 1 large ripe avocado, chopped
• ▢ Optional, for serving: lime wedges, additional cilantro

Cilantro Lime Sauce -- Note 3

• ▢ 2 limes (4 tbsp juice + 1/2 tsp zest)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ▢ 1 cup fresh cilantro loosely packed
• ▢ 1 tablespoon finely minced jalapeño (seeds/ribs removed)
• ▢ 1/2 cup regular (full-fat) mayo
• ▢ 1/2 cup sour cream (lite/fat-free works great)

Instructions 

• BOWLS -- RICE AND BEANS: Prepare the rice according to package directions. As soon as the rice is done cooking, fluff and then stir in the drained and rinsed black beans. OR warm beans separately if you want to serve as a side in the bowl (as pictured).
• MARINATE SHRIMP: Pat both sides of the shrimp completely dry and then gently toss in a large bowl with the cumin, garlic powder, Creole seasoning, and cayenne pepper. Hold off on salt/pepper for now. Cover and place in the fridge while preparing the rest of this dish.
• SAUCE: Zest and juice 1-2 limes to get 4 tablespoons juice and 1/2 teaspoon zest. Add the juice and zest to the blender or food processor along with the minced garlic, cilantro, jalapeño (add more for a spicier sauce or add slowly if you're worried about the heat), and mayo. Add salt and pepper to taste (I add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper). Blend or pulse until smooth. Add in the sour cream and pulse once more to combine. Taste and adjust the sauce to personal preference (more lime, more garlic, salt/pepper). Refrigerate until ready to eat.
• COOK SHRIMP: Remove shrimp from fridge and add salt and pepper (Creole seasoning does have salt so don't add too much extra -- I add 1/4 teaspoon of each). In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over high heat. As soon as the butter is melted, using tongs, add 1/2 of the shrimp in one even layer so the shrimp is not overlapping. (It will steam if the pan is too crowded.) Cook for 1 minute, then use tongs to flip each shrimp over and cook on the other side for 1 more minute or until cooked through (shrimp cooks quickly -Note 4!). Transfer cooked shrimp to a clean plate.
• FINISH COOKING SHRIMP: In the same pan, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1 more tablespoon butter. Add in the remaining shrimp, cooking for 1 minute per side (or until cooked through). Use tongs (never a spoon) to place shrimp in the pan and flip. Transfer all the cooked shrimp to a plate.
• ASSEMBLY: Layer the ingredients into the bowl, beginning with the prepared rice mixture first. Then add the shrimp, desired bowl toppings (avocado, additional cilantro, black beans), and finally a good drizzle of the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed and enjoy promptly! Drizzle some extra lime over bowls if desired.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Shrimp: We choose extra-large shrimp, sized at 26/30 (26-30 shrimp in a pound). Pick shelled, peeled, and deveined shrimp. If using frozen, thaw according to package directions (overnight in the fridge or in a colander in the sink with cold water running over) and thoroughly dry before using.

Note 2: Rice: To keep things quick and easy, we use a packaged mix, but if you'd like to make your own cilantro lime rice, it's very easy to do. Prepare 1 cup of rice as you normally would and then mix through 1-2 tablespoons lime juice, 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, and salt as needed (until flavors are vibrant!).

Note 3: Sauce: We make a lot of sauce because we love tons of it, and enjoy having leftovers! If you aren't a big sauce fan, halve these quantities. This sauce will store well for 5-7 days in the fridge (give it a good stir before using). This sauce is great to make ahead -- it gets more flavorful as it sits!

Note 4: How to know when shrimp is done: The crevice in the back of the shrimp where the vein is removed is the thickest part of the shrimp (directly opposite from the end of the tail). As soon as the flesh at that base turns from translucent to opaque, the shrimp is done cooking. Another sign to look for: shrimp will turn pink with bright red tails.

Note 5: Calories include the shrimp and sauce but do not take into account any of the bowl toppings.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 2.4g | Protein: 25.2g | Fat: 32.2g | Cholesterol: 204.1mg | Sodium: 331.5mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.3g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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