As I was planning my Cinco de Mayo menu, I knew I wanted a seafood option. I thought of fried fish strips, but I needed something simple, something I could literally toss together in no time. I remembered I had a pound of frozen peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp (with tails on) from Costco, so I placed them in the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
Note: I always buy shrimp when I go to Costco.
HERE’S HOW I MADE THEM
A few hours before the party I removed the tails because unless it’s an appetizer, it’s not an enjoyable food experience when you need to remove the tails. I made a dry rub mix with kosher salt, black pepper, Old Bay seasoning, a grated garlic clove and chopped cilantro and threw everything together in a plastic bag and tossed them about to ensure they were evenly coated. You only need to marinate them for about 30 minutes, but at least 10 minutes for the shrimp to absorb the flavors.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat the bottom of the skillet with a good olive oil. You want the skillet to be hot, but not smoking when you add the oil. Working in batches, place the shrimp in the skillet and squeeze half a lime over the shrimp. Don’t move them so they can develop a good sear and color. Shrimp cooks quickly so you only need a few minutes per side – you are looking for an opaque pink color and red tail. I waited for edges to turn pink and I lifted one to see if it had the color I was looking for. Then I flipped them individually and seared the other side for two minutes. I removed them onto a plate and repeated the steps with the second batch.
When the second batch was done, I added the first batch back to the skillet and tossed all the shrimp together with a little cilantro and an extra squeeze of lime. I quickly plated the shrimp, snapped my blog pictures and we ate! This Skillet Lime Shrimp topped with my Mango Salsa is a winning taco combination!
Skillet Lime Shrimp
A tasty, quick and easy shrimp recipe that's perfect in tacos or over yellow rice. Top with Mango Salsa for a bright and tropical flavor combination.
Ingredients
- 1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
- Olive oil to coat the skillet
- 1 Tablespoon Old Bay seasoning, approximately
- 1 large garlic clove, grated (or two small ones)
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped, divided
- 1 ½ large limes
- Garnish with extra cilantro and limes
Instructions
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Make a dry rub by mixing Old Bay seasoning, grated garlic, kosher salt, black pepper and chopped cilantro. Place the shrimp in a plastic bag and coat the shrimp with the dry rub mix. Marinate for 30 minutes, but at least for 10 minutes.
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Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat the bottom of the skillet with olive oil. Working in batches, place the shrimp in the skillet and squeeze half a lime over the shrimp. Don’t move them so they can develop a good sear and color on the bottom side. Sear for about 2-3 minutes and flip, sear the other side for about 1-2 minutes or until they are an opaque pink and the tails are red. Remove the first batch and repeat this step with the second batch.
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When the second batch is done, return the first batch back to the skillet, add the reserved cilantro and squeeze the remaining lime half. Toss together a few times in the pan and transfer to your serving platter.
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Garnish with extra lime wedges and cilantro. Enjoy!
