Chili-Lime Shrimp Over Quinoa
Try this Chili-Lime Shrimp Over Quinoa recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Chili-Lime Shrimp Over Quinoa recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 211.637091016591 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 15.6774314141953 g
- Fiber 36.4626838472573 g
- Protein 55.6676728286065 g
- Saturated Fat 1.9171286414203 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1189g)
- Sodium 502.928131314673 mg
- Sugar 175.174407169334 g
- Trans Fat 1.63981795456935 g
- Calories 1195 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook quinoa according to package directions, adding peas during last 3 minutes of cook time.
- Melt 2 tablespoons I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Spread in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons lime juice and chili powder and cook until bubbly. Stir in shrimp and cook, turning once, until pink, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 tablespoon of the cilantro.
- Stir remaining 1 tablespoon Spread, 2 tablespoons cilantro and 2 tablespoons lime juice into hot cooked quinoa. Arrange quinoa on plates. Top with shrimp; drizzle any sauce remaining in skillet over shrimp.
Standard shrimp and grain bowls usually rely on heavy oils and long simmers, but this preparation depends entirely on quick pan-sizzling. Many home cooks ruin crustacean dishes by walking away during the pan phase, forgetting that a 16-to-20 count shrimp requires less than five minutes of total heat exposure to turn opaque. Dumping frozen green peas into the quinoa during the final three minutes of boiling protects them from turning into drab, gray bullets while ensuring they reach a tender temperature. Hot steam from the freshly drained grain softens the peas just enough without destroying their cellular walls.
Judging Doneness Visually
Shrimp reveal their readiness through strict geometric cues. Raw crustaceans are translucent and loosely curved like a letter C. As protein chains tighten under medium-high heat, they contract into a tighter O shape and transition from gray to an opaque pink with white interior flesh. Pull the skillet off the burner the exact second the tails curl inward tightly, because residual heat finishes the interior without causing rubbery toughness.
- Pat the shrimp completely dry with paper towels before adding them to the skillet, or the lime juice will steam the protein instead of reducing into a glaze.
- Use a wide nonstick skillet to prevent the shrimp from overlapping and crowding the cooking surface.
- Stir the remaining cilantro and spread into the quinoa off the heat so the fats retain their emulsion.
