Cilantro Lime Shrimp

4.67 from 54 votes
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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!

Cilantro Lime Shrimp with cilantro, lime and garlic on sizzling skillet.
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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.

Quick and easy Cilantro Lime Shrimp cooked in skillet recipe.

Ingredients For Shrimp Recipe

Healthy homemade Cilantro Lime Shrimp in skillet.
  • Jumbo shrimp
  • Cilantro
  • Lime
  • Garlic
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Unsalted butter

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.


How To Cook Cilantro Lime Shrimp

Close up view of delicious Cilantro Lime Shrimp, ready to serve.
  • 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

How long can I keep cooked shrimp in the fridge before it goes bad?

Shrimp lasts in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

How do I not overcook shrimp?

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.

How many calories per serving?

This recipe has 174 calories per serving.

Cilantro Shrimp with lime and garlic ready to serve.

What To Serve With This Recipe

For an easy and wholesome weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes:

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4.67 from 54 votes

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

Cilantro Lime Shrimp – best shrimp ever with cilantro, lime & garlic on sizzling skillet. Crazy delicious recipe, takes 15 mins. 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 people
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Ingredients  

  • 1 lb (500g) tail-on jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 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.
  • Heat up a cast-iron skillet, add the olive oil, garlic and lightly saute before adding the shrimp. Stir and cook until the shrimp is half cooked. Add the cilantro, butter, stir to combine well with the shrimp. Add the lime juice and continue to cook the shrimp.
  • Turn off the heat when the lime juice dries up and the shrimp is nicely cooked and slightly charred on the surface. Serve immediately with some fresh lime wedges.

Notes

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Nutrition

Serving: 4people, Calories: 174kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 150mg, Sodium: 789mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Bee Yinn Low

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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Recipe Rating





71 Comments

  1. Colette says:

    Love this recipe! Pairs well with the cilantro lime rice.

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Yes, awesome!

  2. Jeanine says:

    Hi Bee,a
    I used to follow you and chat a few years back, but I lost track a few years back. I came on looking for a recipe for Cilantro Lime Shrimp and yours looked great as did your Cilantro Lime Rice. So I made them both! Wow, these recipes were bangin good!! We all loved them and couldn’t believe how much flavor a few simple ingredients made! Just a note- the recipe says to use lemon wedges in the ingredient list. The recipe directions say to use lime wedges. Lime wedges made more sense so that’s what I used.
    These recipes go in my Do Again Soon File!!!

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Thanks for trying my recipes. I will update the typo. Yes, it should be lime wedges.

  3. Cody says:

    This recCipe is so delicious!!! We served it with jalapeño cheddar rice and stone fire Naan. Holy cow! We will do this one again soon!

  4. Yeh Ximin says:

    5 stars

  5. Nancy Perine says:

    5 stars
    Hi there! Love shrimp, but hadn’t thought of cooking it in my cast iron frying pan. When I lived in WA state, we always got fresh crab and shrimp out of the crab pots. Here on Maui, not so easy to get. And … like you say, depends on your butcher. We do have the fresh water crayfish/crawdads and “doctored up” they taste kinda like real shrimp. I love your site and your recipes and variations. We have an herb garden behind our condo so I made your recipe for Cilantro Lime Shrimp. It was delish and a big hit. THANKS!!
    Aloha ~~ Nancy On Maui

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Nancy, awww, thanks for your sweet comments. You’re so lucky to live in Maui and herb garden behind your condo is awesome. Please do try other recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/

  6. Yvonne M THOMPSON says:

    Can I use frozen cooked shrimps? if so how do i proceed

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Not ideal to use frozen cooked shrimp, but if you do, just cook per the instructions.

  7. Pam says:

    5 stars
    Wow! This was delicious and super easy. I used 13-15 butterflied shrimp. What an elegant meal I was able to serve my husband! I played it with a big, colorful salad, fresh corn on the cob and just a bit of Cilantro Lime Rice to soak up the juice from the shrimp. Mmmmm! Thanks.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Pam, thanks for trying my Cilantro Lime Shrimp recipe.