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    Home » All Recipes » Main Dishes

    15 Minute Cilantro Lime Shrimp

    Published: May 14, 2020 · Modified: May 14, 2020 by Jamie · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links · 12 Comments

    977 shares
    Jump to Recipe
    15 Minute Cilantro Lime Shrimp

    Easy cilantro lime shrimp ready in 15 minutes! Jumbo shrimp cooked in a zesty cilantro lime sauce. Inspired by Costco's cilantro lime shrimp. Serve it cold, with pasta, in salad, or in lettuce wraps for quick meal!

    cilantro lime shrimp with lime wedges and extra sauce in a small bowl with a spoon

    Try these tender jumbo shrimp cooked in a fresh, herbaceous cilantro lime sauce! It's a quick and delicious low carb meal that only takes 15 minutes to prepare.

    I was inspired by Costco's cilantro lime shrimp but I wanted to make a version that had a lot more cilantro flavor. What I came up with is a fresh cilantro lime sauce made with tons of cilantro, olive oil, garlic, and a handful of other herbs I had on hand.

    cilantro lime shrimp dipped in sauce on a white plate; copycat Costco cilantro lime shrimp

    This sauce is so versatile you can switch up the ingredients and swap out the herbs for ones you have available. I added a few springs of basil and parsley that I had in the fridge.

    It also makes an excellent dipping sauce and marinade!

    cilantro lime sauce in a mason jar with cilantro lime shrimp on a white plate

    This is one of my go to recipes when I have leftover herbs in the fridge and want to use them up before they go bad. I almost always have cilantro and parsley on hand since I love the flavor and they brighten up any dish.

    How to Make Cilantro Lime Shrimp

    First make the cilantro lime sauce by blending together all the ingredients in a food processor. No need to chop them up ahead of time. This only takes a few minutes to make!

    Next heat your pan over medium high heat and then add in the cooking oil. When the pan is hot, add the shrimp. When the shrimp is almost fully cooked, stir in the cilantro lime sauce and saute it all together until the shrimp is fully cooked.

    • Costco cilantro lime shrimp copycat
    • low carb keto cilantro lime shrimp in a pan
    • shrimp with cilantro lime sauce in a pan

    Serving Suggestions

    This easy shrimp recipe is super versatile and can be used as a base for other dishes! Make this a part of a low carb meal - it's keto friendly and gluten free! Or use this cilantro lime shrimp in:

    • tacos
    • wraps
    • pasta
    • salad
    • low carb lettuce wraps
    • serve as a cold appetizer
    • or just serve it next to rice!

    Have leftover cilantro lime sauce?

    • use it as a marinade - it goes great with seafood, chicken, and beef. Hint: if marinating seafood, don't let it sit for longer than 30 minutes as the acid from the lime will 'cook' the seafood
    • make a salad dressing - whisk in some olive oil and vinegar
    • make a creamy dip - mix with mayo or sour cream
    • serve over any grilled protein or veggies
    • make cilantro lime rice - mix a spoonful with cooked rice
    • add to sandwiches, burritos, scrambled eggs
    • roasted veggies - toss some veggies in the leftover sauce and roast in the oven!
    cilantro lime shrimp with a bowl of cilantro lime sauce on a white plate with lime wedges; low carb shrimp

    Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. The fresh herbs will lose some of their flavor so it's best to consume this the day it's made.

    I hope you enjoy this recipe!

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    cilantro lime shrimp with lime wedges and extra sauce in a small bowl with a spoon

    15 Minute Cilantro Lime Shrimp

    Easy cilantro lime shrimp ready in 15 minutes! Jumbo shrimp cooked in a zesty cilantro lime sauce. Serve it cold, with pasta, or in lettuce wraps for quick meal! Even better than Costco cilantro lime shrimp!
    5 from 15 votes
    Pin Share Print
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 5 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American, Mexican
    Servings 4

    ☑ Ingredients
     

    • 1 lb jumbo shrimp - peeled and deveined
    • 1 Tablespoon avocado oil - for cooking

    Cilantro Lime Sauce

    • 1 bunch cilantro - about 1 ½ to 2 cups including stems
    • ¼ medium onion - about ⅓ cup
    • 4 cloves garlic
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • ½ juice and zest of half a large lime - add more depending on taste
    • salt to taste

    Optional Sauce Ingredients:

    • pinch of red pepper flakes - optional for spice
    • 1 large jalapeno, deseeded - optional for spice
    • a handful of any other herbs - basil, parsley, scallions, chives, etc - add any other herbs you have on hand, about ¼ to ⅓ cup
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    Make the Cilantro Lime Sauce

    • Leaving out the olive oil, add the remaining ingredients for the cilantro lime sauce into a food processor and pulse several times until it's finely chopped. Next, slowly drizzle in the olive oil while the motor is running to combine the mixture into a sauce. Set aside.

    Cook the shrimp

    • Heat a pan to medium high heat and add the cooking oil. Once the pan is hot, add the shrimp to the pan and cook until the shrimp begin to turn pink, about 1 to 1½ minutes. Add the desired amount of the cilantro lime sauce to the pan, and saute it together until the shrimp is fully cooked, about another minute or two.
    • Serve immediately with extra sauce and lime wedges on the side.

    ✎ Recipe Notes

    • Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. The fresh herbs will lose some of their flavor so it's best to consume this the day it's made.
     
    • Leftover Shrimp?
      • make tacos or burrito bowls
      • low carb lettuce wraps
      • serve over salad
      • serve as a cold appetizer
    • Leftover Cilantro Lime Sauce?
      • use as a marinade
      • serve over any protein or grilled vegetables
      • turn it into a dressing - add oil and vinegar
      • make it a dip - add mayo or sour cream
      • add to sandwiches

    Nutrition

    Calories: 274kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 286mg | Sodium: 883mg | Potassium: 123mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 135IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 173mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was and give it a 5 star rating! Tag @drivemehungry to show off your creations! I love seeing your photos!

    *Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools.

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    977 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. SherylG

      February 08, 2021 at 7:34 am

      Made this as one of my healthy super bowl dishes. It was so delicious, even more than the Costco version! Easy too!!

      Reply
      • Jamie

        February 08, 2021 at 3:09 pm

        Thanks Sheryl! It's one of my favorite healthy recipes too! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Cherie

      October 27, 2020 at 4:57 pm

      5 stars
      Hubby loves shrimp, and we are crazy about this recipe! It is amazing! We have added to salads, served with rice and turned into tacos. It works so well with so many things, and I cannot recommend this recipe more!!

      Reply
    3. Nancy

      August 04, 2020 at 8:11 pm

      5 stars
      The cilantro lime sauce is so tasty - it works so well with the shrimp, and we have also tried it with some chicken for the kids! It is really full of flavour, and so quick to prepare... my kind of dinner!!

      Reply
      • Jamie

        September 11, 2020 at 2:32 am

        Thanks Nancy! I'm so happy to hear the whole family loves it!

        Reply
    4. Dannii

      June 23, 2020 at 12:02 am

      5 stars
      This was really good. I added parsley to this and lemon juice instead of lime and it was awesome!

      Reply
    5. Nart

      June 18, 2020 at 8:58 pm

      5 stars
      I made this and it was so delicious, Jamie! Thanks for such a great recipe. I'm making this again for the weekend!

      Reply
    6. Julia

      June 02, 2020 at 7:09 pm

      5 stars
      I used these cilantro lime shrimps in tacos and it was delicious! I love the zesty flavours with lime and cilantro together. Thank you!

      Reply
    7. Bhawana

      May 30, 2020 at 2:39 am

      5 stars
      this shrimp was definitely easy to make and the cilantro lime sauce was tasty!

      Reply
    8. Briana

      May 28, 2020 at 6:53 pm

      5 stars
      This shrimp so much better than the costco cilantro lime shrimp! I won't be buying it again considering how easy it was to make this.

      Reply
    9. Sara

      May 26, 2020 at 8:24 am

      5 stars
      This was SO GOOD, and so perfect for us during the week when we are trying to eat healthier! I paired this with roasted brussels or asparagus (just simple seasoned, because the cilantro lime sauce has so much flavor!)

      Reply
    10. Rick

      May 14, 2020 at 6:32 pm

      5 stars
      this turned out sooo good! I added extra lime juice and a touch of water to get the sauce going in the food processor. the flavor was really fresh and went great with the shrimp!

      Reply

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