3-Ingredient Cilantro-Lime Shrimp Skewers Recipe

One of our favorite things about shrimp is how quickly it cooks. In fact, even if you forget to take it out of the freezer the night before, you can thaw the frozen shrimp using the trick of putting it in a colander under cold running water. While shrimp lends itself to any number of preparations, few of them are quite as simple as these summery cilantro-lime skewers from developer Feta Topalu. "This recipe is incredibly easy to make, making it perfect for busy weeknights or casual gatherings," she tells us. "It's a quick and hassle-free dish that can be ready in under 30 minutes from start to finish." She also highlights the bright, citrusy lime flavor in the shrimp marinade, while the cilantro adds "a fresh, herbaceous note that complements the shrimp beautifully."

One caveat that Topalu has regarding this recipe is not to leave the shrimp in the lime juice too long. As she tells us, "A short marinating time can infuse the shrimp with flavor," but warns that if the shrimp is left in the marinade for longer than 20 minutes, it may either start to become mushy or will "cook" in the acid. While this is all very well if you're making shrimp ceviche, it's not optimal for grilled shrimp to be pre-pickled this way.

The main ingredient in this dish is shrimp, of course, and Topalu favors using the jumbo ones. The shrimp is coated in a sauce of olive oil, salt, pepper, cilantro, lime zest and juice before cooking.

If using wood skewers, soak in water for at least 30 minutes before using.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, cilantro, lime zest and juice, salt, and pepper.

Add the shrimp to the bowl and toss to combine.

Thread the shrimp onto the skewers and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake for 7-8 minutes, until shrimp are fully cooked through.

Serve.

Topalu bakes her shrimp skewers on a sheet pan, but tells us, "If someone is getting ready for a cookout and is firing up the grill, one may want to add a seafood option to the menu," and these shrimp skewers are just that seafood ticket. If your grill is a charcoal one, all the better since in this instance you'll get what she calls a "smoky char flavor." If you are using an outdoor barbecue grill, you'll first need to preheat it and then, once it's nice and hot, put the shrimp skewers on the grill grates. Cook the skewers for 2 to 3 minutes on one side, then turn them over and give them another 2 or 3 minutes over the coals (or heating element, if you have a gas grill). Once they're done, the flesh will be opaque and pink in color.

Another way you can grill the shrimp is indoors using a grill pan or a ridged griddle. Heat it up until a drop of water flicked onto the surface sizzles and evaporates, then put the shrimp in the pan. If the skewers won't fit, you can always omit them and cook the cilantro-lime shrimp on their own. Again, they'll need about 2 to 3 minutes on each side until they're done.

If you would like to serve your cilantro-lime shrimp as an appetizer, Topalu suggests pairing them with a dipping sauce. She says they would go well with either sweet chili sauce or aioli, but you could also whip up a zesty cocktail sauce from ingredients in your fridge such as ketchup, horseradish, and more lime juice. Yet another idea is to make a double batch of the cilantro-lime dressing and use the leftovers as a dip.

Topalu tells us that when she prepared these skewers as an entree, "I served the shrimp skewers with rice and a black bean and corn salad." Fries would also be a great starchy side for this dish, or you could go low-carb with roasted vegetables or Topalu's suggestion of cauliflower rice. You might also enjoy the shrimp with a salad, and here the cilantro-lime sauce would serve very well as a dressing. The shrimp could also be used to make nachos, tacos, or quesadillas. In this case, Topalu suggests that pineapple-avocado salsa would complement the shrimp, as would our homemade 15-minute pico de gallo.