This shrimp bowl recipe gets 5 stars! An easy lunch or dinner with cilantro lime rice, black beans and chipotle ranch dressing.
Here’s an irresistible recipe you’ll want to make again and again… Rice bowl with shrimp! In our house it got 5 stars. Of course, it’s an unofficial poll, judging by how quickly it disappeared! Mix up a batch of cilantro-lime rice, then top with tender shrimp and a quick black bean and corn salad. This best part is a creamy and flavorful chipotle ranch dressing that covers everything Joy. (Yes, that’s the technical term.) This is one of our favorite bowls that we’ve made in a while. And while it’s simple, each element is seasoned to perfection.
Ingredients for this shrimp bowl recipe
It has multiple components, but you should be able to complete this healthy dinner recipe 30 minutes or less. Here’s the breakdown of the elements in this bowl of shrimp rice:
- Shrimp: You can bake, grill, or sauté the shrimp for this recipe! See below to determine your preferred method. We like to use tailed shrimp for the look, but you can use shelled shrimp for easier feeding.
- Cilantro Lime Rice: This bowl contains our favorite Cilantro Lime Rice: and it really improves the recipe over regular rice!
- Black Bean and Corn Salad: Here’s a fun trick for an impromptu black bean salad: Mix together the beans, corn, and pico de gallo: no chopping!
- Ranch Chipotle Dressing: This healthy chipotle ranch is so easy to make, you’ll want to drizzle it all over! There is yogurt, mayonnaise and adobo sauce (see below).
Shrimp Boiled vs Grilled vs Sauteed!
There are several methods you can use for shrimp here! Here are the pros and cons of each:
- Shrimp in the oven: This method is easy and convenient! Place the shrimp in the oven and cook for 4 to 6 minutes. The only drawback? You need to preheat the oven.
- Grilled Shrimp: Even easier! Grilling shrimp is even quicker and you don’t need to preheat. lesson ? You have to keep an eye on it in the last few minutes.
- Fried Shrimp: Super easy and fast: the fastest way to cook shrimp! It also comes out more browned than the other methods. lesson ? You need to be handy throughout the cooking time and know how to turn the shrimp quickly. Be careful not to overcook!
The kind of shrimp to buy
There are many options at the store for shrimp and it can get confusing! Here’s the type of shrimp we like to catch for this recipe:
- Find medium or large sized shrimp. Medium sized shrimp are sometimes referred to as 41-50 and large as 31-40.
- Use the tail or peeled. The tail is beautiful, but you have to remove it when eating. So use seashells if you want! Don’t use a peel on it. If you accidentally buy a peel, remove it before cooking.
- Fresh or frozen. Both have essentially the same freshness as most shrimp are frozen immediately. Just make sure you thaw the shrimp beforehand.
- wild caught. Wild fish caught in your country is generally a sustainable choice. There are also quality options at well-regulated farms; see Seafood Watch consumer guide.
Shrimp Bowl Sauce: a healthy take on ranch dressing!
Who doesn’t love the ranch? For the drizzle of this healthy Shrimp Bowls recipe, we created a healthy ranch version that’s seriously delicious. Here’s what you need to know:
- The dressing uses both mayonnaise and yogurt: Yogurt helps cut calories while remaining deliciously creamy.
- He only has 38 calories per tablespoon, compared to 73 calories at the store! So we would call this version healthy. It’s also gluten-free, keto, and low-carb.
- You can customize the spice level! Use more adobo sauce if you like it spicy and less if cooking for kids. What is adobo sauce you ask?
Want another sauce idea? Try the easy sour cream sauce.
Using chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
The most important ingredient in Chipotle ranch dressing? Adobe sauce. It adds a smoky undertone and complexity that’s impossible to replicate! Here’s more information on this particular ingredient if you’ve never used it before:
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce are easy to find at most grocery stores near Mexican produce. The box includes chipotle peppers: smoked and dried jalapeños that are rehydrated and canned, and adobo sauce, a puree made with tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, and other spices.
- Only use the sauce in this box! Use a spoon to bypass the hot peppers.
- It’s not super spicy. Use 1 tbsp for mild ranch and 2 to 2 ½ tbsp for medium ranch.
- What to do with leftovers Refrigerate or freeze leftovers and use them for other adobo sauce recipes like tortilla soup, taco soup, fajitas or enchilada sauce.
Meal prep and storage for this Shrimp Bowl recipe
Can you make this shrimp bowl recipe ahead of time? How long do the components last for easy, healthy lunches and dinners? Here’s what you need to know:
- Cooked shrimp will keep in the fridge for 3 days. So you can cook ahead and use for lunch and dinner throughout the week.
- You can prepare the rice in advance and then reheat it. But the rice dries out in the fridge. Place on stovetop or in microwave with a few tablespoons of water to warm up. It reabsorbs the water and gets wet again!
- Make the dressing up to 1 week in advance. Then refrigerate! It will probably take even longer.
And that’s it! Let us know what you think of this shrimp bowl recipe in the comments below! Serve it up for a healthy dinner or easy lunch all week long!
This Shrimp Bowl Recipe is…
Pescetarian and gluten free. For non-dairy and vegan products, substitute vegan mayonnaise for the yogurt or opt for chipotle sauce.
The description
This shrimp bowl recipe gets 5 stars! An easy lunch or dinner with cilantro lime rice, black beans and chipotle ranch dressing.
For the shrimp shell
- 1 Cilantro Lime Rice recipe
- 1 1/2 Pound medium shrimp, deveined (tail or peeled)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon every kosher salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and cumin
- 1 Canned black beans
- 1 15 ounces of corn
- 1 cup Pico de Gallo
- To serve: sliced avocado, cherry tomatoes (optional)
For the chipotle ranch dressing (or chipotle sauce for vegans)
- ½ cup Whole milk yogurt (or use mayonnaise for a non-dairy product)*
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 every teaspoon every dried dill, garlic powder and onion powder
- 1/4 every teaspoon every kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 2 at 2 1/2 Adobo Sauce from a Can of Chipotle Peppers**
- Prepare rice: Start the cilantro lime rice (open the rice recipe in a separate tab).
- Cook shrimp: Thaw shrimp if frozen. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or preheat the grill (or you can sear it: read on!). Dry the shrimp. Mix in a bowl with olive oil, salt and spices. Place the shrimp in an even layer on a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper if cooking). Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until juicy and opaque, about 4 to 6 minutes depending on the size of the shrimp. Or grill until juicy and opaque, 3 to 6 minutes, rotating tray as needed to cook evenly. If you want, you can sear the shrimp: In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, turning with tongs, until just opaque and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
- Prepare beans and corn: Meanwhile, drain and rinse the beans. Drain the corn. In a medium bowl, combine beans, corn, and pico de gallo with ½ tsp kosher salt.
- Prepare the Chipotle Ranch Dressing: Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
- Surcharge: To serve, combine rice, black bean corn salad, and shrimp in a bowl. Add avocado and cherry tomatoes if using. Drizzle with dressing and garnish with additional chopped coriander (leftover rice).
Remarks
* Make sure the yoghurt has a creamy consistency. Most yogurt brands we’ve used have worked, but we found one very runny brand that didn’t work well for the dressing. You can also use Greek yogurt, but since it’s thicker, add water 1 teaspoon at a time until the dressing is creamy.
** Adjust to your heat level. For a mild version, use 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce.
- Category: main course
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: American
- Diet: Gluten free
