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Cilantro Lime Shrimp - best shrimp recipe ever made with cilantro, lime & garlic on a sizzling skillet. Crazy delicious recipe that takes 15 mins only!
The Best Cilantro Lime Shrimp
I made this sizzling cilantro lime shrimp on a hot cast-iron skillet that looks and tastes like it’s straight from the best Mexican restaurant in town. Actually better. Much better and cheaper, too.
I have gone cilantro lime mad. I have a ton of leftover cilantro and lime in my fridge from the cilantro lime chicken I made a few days ago, so what to do?
See the garlic, cilantro, and shrimp goodness that stick to the bottom of the skillet? You will have everyone swooning and begging for more. While you are at it, make some orange-lime margaritas to go with this recipe.
Ingredients For Shrimp Recipe
- Jumbo shrimp
- Cilantro
- Lime
- Garlic
- Cayenne pepper
- Unsalted butter
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Cook Cilantro Lime Shrimp
- First of all, to get the perfectly cooked but slightly seared shrimp (we all love the brown bits), it’s best to cook with a cast-iron skillet.
- Secondly, start off with olive oil to saute the shrimp but in the middle of cooking, add in some butter. Butter makes everything better, it always does.
- Add in a load of cilantro (use the stems as they impart the most flavors) and lime juice. Also, give your shrimp an extra kick by seasoning the shrimp with some cayenne pepper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shrimp lasts in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
To not overcook shrimp, remove them from the heat right when the meat is the same color pink all around (no brown/grey). Perfectly cooked shrimp will be in a loose C shape while tight C shapes usually indicate overcooked shrimp.
This recipe has 174 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
For an easy and wholesome weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes:
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Cilantro Lime Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb (500g) jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, tail-on
- 1/4 teaspoon salt , or to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro, stems and leaves
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- fresh lemon wedges
Instructions
- Season the shrimp with salt and cayenne pepper to taste.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet and add the olive oil and garlic. Lightly sauté until fragrant, then add the shrimp. Stir and cook until the shrimp are half cooked. Next, add the cilantro and butter, stirring to combine well with the shrimp. Finally, add the lime juice and continue to cook until the shrimp are fully cooked.
- Turn off the heat when the lime juice has evaporated and the shrimp are nicely cooked with a slightly charred surface. Serve immediately with fresh lime wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow! This was delicious and super easy. I used 13-15 butterflied shrimp. What an elegant meal I was able to serve my husband!
Delicious! Simple and easy! Thanks Rasa. I’ve pinned your shrimp recipe *
Thanks for pinning my cilantro lime shrimp.
Looks great. This is part of my Christmas eve recipe.
So far i love all your recipes.
I bought shrimp – frozen so that I can make this for my husband. I’m not a seafood lover, I’m kind of lost on proper thawing. What is the best route to take, place in fridge over night or run cold water over them? Also, I bought them deveined, however, they have tails still, should I remove those before I cook them? Ugh, I can’t stand seafood, I wish I could but I can’t, but I love my man. Ha! What do you make for sides with this shrimp? Any advise would be appreciated.
Just thaw at room temp or with water. Rinse and pat dry. Tail on is fine. Please scroll down on the recipe and I provide a few recipes to pair with the cilantro lime shrimp.
Awesome, thank you! I can’t wait to make this, the husband is going to love it.
You should NEVER thaw shrimp at room temperature! Thaw overnight in the fridge or put it in a ziploc bag, put the bag in a bowl and slowly run cold water over the bag and into the bowl. It will not take long to thaw this way.
NEVER?! Of course you can thaw shrimp at room temperature…and of course you can thaw shrimp your way.
Yummy! So glad I had extra cilantro and lime. Will definitely make this again!!?
We’re lucky here in South Carolina, we get seasonal fresh shrimp available too, along with many fresh seafood opinions. It’s trucked up from Charleston and it’s iced or flash frozen to preserve it’s freshness & quality. I usually keep a large bag of flash frozen shrimp in my freezer for cravings, since defrosting is so easy.
Looks good, I’m going to try a variation on this, and make it more like shrimp scampi (lime/garlic/cilantro/butter sauce), add some fish sauce & basil, and serve it over linguini. Getting hungry already!! :)
Nick, I would your idea. It will be delicious!!
Wow is all I can say! Followed directions exactly piled the cooked shrimp on top of home made tortillas and a cabbage carrots slaw that had been dressed with a smattering of garlic lime mayo …They licked the plates! This one is a keeper.?
Hi Susan, thanks for trying my recipe!
This was outstanding! I copied Susan and served on tortillas with slaw dressed with garlic lime mayo. Divine.
Awesome, so glad that you tried my cilantro lime shrimp. Please try out more recipes on my site: https://www.666630.xyz/recipe-index-gallery/
Trying it tonight amd looks delish… And sorry for the ignorant that don’t realize that their “fresh shrimp” is actually the bagged frozen thawed out. Only way to get fresh is buy it from the docks. They do have some here in California, but you have to be there same day to get it from them fresh from the boat, otherwise it is frozen to preserve. Ask your butcher, meat counter person. If they are honest, they will tell you. I have personally watched them thaw it in water.
This recipe does look delicious !!! But I have to agree Jill Sorbie, It all depends on where you live. When I lived in Alabama we got fresh shrimp out of the gulf, I currently live in Alaska and get Fresh Shrimp straight out of the shrimp pot, nothing better. I think Lynns question had more to do with did you get them from the meat market, or out of the freezer section….
I am making this for lunch today, it sounds incredibly yummy