Seared Shrimp with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Cilantro Lime Quinoa is a healthy and delicious meal that’s loaded with flavor and texture. Serve these as shrimp bowls, to make a light and fresh lunch or dinner!
If you like shrimp over pasta, rice, or grits, this shrimp bowl is a healthful approach. Its delicious seared chipotle powder dusted shrimp in a zesty tomato sauce over quinoa is a great way to go.
This beautiful dish comes from the Cook for Your Gut Health cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen with Alicia A. Romano, MS, RD, LDN, CNSC. I was given a copy of this book for review, but all my opinions are my own.
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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.
More great shrimp recipes
I love shrimp. It’s an easy way to get a healthy and delicious meal on the table for your family. And, kids of all ages love it! Looking for more great shrimp dishes? Try my Garlic Parmesan Cream Shrimp over Roasted Squash, Foil Packet Caribbean Shrimp, and Thai Basil Shrimp over Sweet Potatoes. All are great veggie filled main dish entrees!
Cook for Your Gut Health
I’m super impressed by this book, {affiliate link} Cook for Your Gut Health cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen with Alicia A. Romano, MS, RD, LDN, CNSC. I love reading food nutrition books, and this one did not disappoint. The lessons in gut health chapter was informative and easy to understand with information presented in an organized and applicable way.
Besides, with recipes like Chickpea Shakshuka, Ratatouille with Poached Eggs, and Farro bowls with tofu, mushrooms, and spinach, you know I’ll be eating well for quite some time!
And the recipes are all customizable. They offer suggestions on the recipes to make them low-lactose, gluten free, and/or dairy free with ease. Many of these recipes are low FODMAP or can be made to be.
Don’t forget to grab a copy of this cookbook for yourself with my Amazon link.
Gut health
This beautifully presented cookbook showcases the fact that eating for your gut shouldn’t be restrictive; it should be abundant. It’s all about whole foods that support and promote good gut health for most everyone.
It emphasizes fiber, as it is the number one factor in promoting good gut health. Fiber keeps you regular, often carries prebiotics, and can help prevent chronic inflammation of the GI tract.
I wanted to highlight some of the great information in the book, but there’s so much valuable stuff jam packed into the beginning chapters. Information like “how a diet that supports proper digestion can also ease your mind”, about “how eating real foods that are nutrient dense can support your body’s natural anti-inflammatory systems while boosting immunity” will help you understand why this book is beneficial for so many people.
What is Low FODMAP?
I mentioned this term, “FODMAP” but what does it mean? You’ve probably seen it around for a while now.
The Low FODMAP Diet is a science backed dietary approach for the management of IBS developed by Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. It consists of eliminating common bothersome fermentable carbohydrates for a time, and has a structured reintroduction of different types of these carbs for the most liberal end diet possible while maintaining good health. Even if you don’t have IBS, good gut health is important for everyone.
FODMAP is an acronym for these carbohydrates: Fermentable, Oligosaccharides (fructans and galacto-oligosaccharides), Disaccharides (lactose), Monosaccharides (fructose), And Polyols (sorbitol and mannitol).
After reading the lessons in gut health, you’ll come away with the two main thoughts from the book.
1) gut health is highly individualized, which is why these recipes can work for everyone, they too are individualized.
2) Our guts crave a diverse diet, not gimmicks or unnecessary restrictions.
Shrimp with Cilantro Lime Quinoa Bowl notes
This recipe is diary free and gluten free. It has a quick cook fresh tomato sauce that gives it tang and perks everything up.
Creamy avocado adds richness to the dish. Make it low FODMAP by reducing the avocado to ½ avocado (4 ounces).
Serve this hot and fresh right after it’s cooked.
Or, serve it cold from the fridge if you have leftovers. This also makes a delicious cold and healthy salad for summer BBQs. Allow the cilantro lime quinoa, tomato sauce, and cooked shrimp to cool, toss them together in a big bowl, and top with chunks of avocado. Keep tightly covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
Quinoa
Quinoa is the quick cooking super grain. It’s mixed with lime zest, juice, and cilantro, like a healthy twist on the cilantro lime rice you get at the Mexican restaurant.
Try finding prewashed quinoa at the store. Prewashing removes the quinoa’s bitter protective coating (called saponin). If you buy unwashed quinoa, rinse it under cool running tap water in a fine mesh sieve. Then spread it out on a clean dish towel to dry for 15 minutes.
Then the quinoa is toasted in a hot dry pan to get even more nutty flavor out of it.
How to prep shrimp
To defrost the shrimp, simply place them in a medium bowl and cover with cool tap water. Change the water out for fresh tap water a couple of times, and in about 5 minutes they’ll be defrosted.
At this point, the tail and shell are easily removable. Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel.
The shrimp are then cooked in two batches to ensure they brown rather than steam for this recipe.
Why make the garlic oil?
Well, it adds a ton of flavor. And layers of flavor always benefit a dish. But there’s an actual health reason for this garlic oil.
It’s common in many people that garlic and onions don’t sit well with them. This is most likely due to the fructans found in these alliums. Fructans are the fermentable carbohydrates found in alliums, and they are water soluble, not fat soluble. So, infusing garlic cloves into neutral tasting oil creates a fructan-free aromatic cooking staple.
This garlic oil is quick to make and easy to use in any dish. But, please keep in mind that it is not safe to store homemade garlic oil for more than 3 days; the risk of botulism is too great.
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Seared Shrimp with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Cilantro Lime Quinoa Recipe
Seared Shrimp with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Cilantro Lime Quinoa
Ingredients
Garlic oil:
- ¼ cup canola oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves smashed and peeled
Quinoa:
- 1 ½ cups prewashed white quinoa
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 1/8 teaspoons table salt divided use
- ¼ teaspoon grated lime zest
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro divided use
Shrimp & sauce:
- 1 pound extra-large shrimp 21 to 25 per pound, defrosted, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons garlic oil divided use
- 1 pound tomatoes cored and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 avocados halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2 -inch pieces
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
Make the garlic oil
- Heat oil and garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until fragrant and starting to bubble, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool completely. Strain oil through a fine mesh strainer into an airtight container, and discard the solids.
Make quinoa
- If you buy unwashed quinoa, rinse it under cool running tap water in as fine mesh sieve. Then spread it out on a clean dish towel to dry for 15 minutes. Once the quinoa is washed and dried, or if you have prewashed quinoa proceed with toasting the grain.
- Toast quinoa in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until quinoa is very fragrant and makes continuous popping sounds, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in water and ½ teaspoon salt, and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until quinoa is tender and liquid is absorbed, 18 to 22 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking.
- Remove quinoa from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork, then stir in lime zest, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and ¼ cup cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste; cover to keep warm, and set aside.
Make shrimp
- Pat shrimp dry with paper towels, then toss with chile powder, pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt in a bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon garlic oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of the shrimp in a single layer and cook, without stirring, until spotty brown and edges turn pink on bottom side, about 1 minute. Flip shrimp and continue to cook until all but the center is opaque, about 30 seconds. Transfer shrimp to a large plate. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon garlic oil and remaining shrimp; transfer to plate, and set aside.
Make tomato sauce and finish dish
- Return now empty skillet to medium high heat. Add tomatoes. Remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, and remaining cilantro. Cook until tomatoes are just softened, about 1 minute. Stir in shrimp and cook until shrimp are opaque throughout, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer shrimp and tomatoes to individual plates and top with avocado. Serve with cilantro lime quinoa and lime wedges.
I made this for dinner for my family last night. This is SO fresh & flavorful! They loved it. I thought it would be good, but I was really surprised at how flavorful it was!
My daughter and I love this recipe! The tomato sauce was the perfect amount of flavor added. Definitely remaking this again soon!
This was so fresh and delicious! I served it with fresh fruit on the side and it was perfect.
I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by this recipe!! I just stumbled across it and it made sense for my fridge contents, so I wasn’t expecting much but WOW. Every part of the dish is delicious and they come together so perfectly! I’m not a huge fan of quinoa, but I cannot imagine another grain that works this well with the tomato and shrimp. If this were my first quinoa experience, I would be in LOVE.