Recipe: Garlicky Shrimp with Tequila and Lime
A flavorful 5-minute shrimp dish made with the same ingredients as a classic margarita.
Serves4
What’s better than a five-minute shrimp dinner? A five-minute shrimp dinner that comes with a built-in margarita. In this smart recipe from Julia Turshen’s new cookbook, Now & Again: Go-To Recipes, Inspired Menus + Endless Ideas For Reinventing Leftovers, buttery garlic shrimp get tossed in a splash of tequila and finished with fresh lime juice for a fast and fancy dinner inspired by the classic cocktail.
Use the rest of the bottle and a few more limes to whip up margaritas for everyone at the table.
A Super-Easy Shrimp Dish Suited for Literally Any Occasion
One of my favorite things about shrimp is that they take less than five minutes to cook, but feel both fancy enough for a dinner party and substantial enough for a quick Monday night meal. Julia serves these with toothpicks for card night (can we come?), but also recommends pairing them with rice, black beans, and avocado, or strewn atop a crunchy romaine salad. I think they’d be great tucked into tacos.
This is the kind of recipe that makes you feel like you’ve stepped in as head chef at your favorite restaurant, confidently slinging shrimp in a hot skillet and plating them effortlessly with a smattering of fresh herbs. Forget the measuring cups and spoons and cook with your senses: When you hear the oil and butter begin to sizzle, throw in the garlic and cook until it smells fragrant. Toss in a pound of shrimp and a generous pinch of salt, and when you see them turn opaque, add a glug of tequila and cook until it nearly evaporates. Switch off the heat, grate the zest of a lime directly over the skillet, and squeeze in all the juice. Top with a handful of chopped fresh cilantro, serve with lime wedges, and take a bow (and a sip of your margarita). That’s a dinner worth celebrating.
Garlicky Shrimp with Tequila and Lime
A flavorful 5-minute shrimp dish made with the same ingredients as a classic margarita.
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons
olive oil
- 1 tablespoon
unsalted butter
- 3
cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound
large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons
silver (blanco) tequila
Finely grated zest of 1 small lime
- 2 tablespoons
freshly squeezed lime juice
Small handful of fresh cilantro leaves (a little bit of stem is fine), coarsely chopped
Instructions
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter melts, add the garlic and cook, stirring, until sizzling and very fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and sprinkle with the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they turn opaque, about 1 1/2 minutes.
Pour in the tequila and cook until the tequila nearly evaporates, about 1 minute more. Turn off the heat, add the lime zest and juice, and toss well to combine.
Transfer the shrimp to a serving platter (or serve straight out of the pan) sprinkled with the cilantro. Serve immediately with toothpicks if desired.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be refrgierated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reprinted with permission from Now & Again: Go-To Recipes, Inspired Menus + Endless Ideas for Reinventing Leftovers by Julia Turshen, copyright (c) 2018, Chronicle Books.