Easy Healthy Lemon Garlic Shrimp (Printable version)

Succulent shrimp infused with lemon and garlic served atop brown rice with fresh vegetables for a nourishing meal.

# Needed ingredients:

→ Shrimp

01 - 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
04 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
05 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
06 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
07 - Zest and juice of 1 medium lemon

→ Rice and Vegetables

08 - 2 cups cooked brown rice
09 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
10 - 1 cup cucumber, diced
11 - 1 avocado, diced
12 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped

→ Garnish

13 - 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
14 - Lemon wedges for serving

# How to make it:

01 - Pat shrimp dry with paper towels. In a medium mixing bowl, combine shrimp with olive oil, minced garlic, sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, lemon zest, and half the lemon juice. Toss until evenly coated.
02 - Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until pink and opaque. Remove from heat and drizzle with remaining lemon juice.
03 - While shrimp cooks, divide cooked brown rice among 4 serving bowls. Top each bowl with cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, diced avocado, and fresh herbs.
04 - Arrange hot shrimp over each bowl. Drizzle with Greek yogurt if desired and serve with lemon wedges on the side.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • Ready in 15 minutes but tastes like you've been cooking all afternoon.
  • The shrimp stays tender and the whole bowl feels simultaneously light and genuinely satisfying.
  • You can prep the vegetables while the pan heats, so there's almost no downtime between wanting to eat and actually eating.
  • It freezes well as leftovers and somehow tastes even better the next day when the flavors have gotten to know each other.
02 -
  • Don't overcrowd the pan or the shrimp will steam instead of sear; if your skillet feels crowded, work in two batches and it'll taste noticeably better.
  • The shrimp only needs about 5 minutes total cooking time, so have everything else ready before you start the pan; trying to chop vegetables while shrimp cooks leads to overcooked shrimp every time.
  • If you're making this ahead, keep the shrimp and vegetables separate and only assemble right before eating so the rice stays fluffy and the avocado doesn't turn brown.
03 -
  • Buying pre-cooked shrimp is fine if you're in a true time crunch, but the fresh shrimp get a noticeably better sear and flavor when you cook them yourself, even if it's just five minutes.
  • Toast the lemon zest with the garlic in the pan for exactly thirty seconds before adding the shrimp; it blooms the flavor in a way that makes people ask what you did differently.
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