This easy cilantro lime shrimp recipe is a show-stopper, and it’s all thanks to my secret roasted garlic sauce with loads of Mediterranean flavors. Citrusy, perfectly garlicky and just enough spicy, this weeknight-friendly recipe takes just 20 minutes!
Where I come from in Egypt, fresh herbs, garlic and citrus are three essential ingredients when it comes to flavoring fish. This goes for anything from simple baked cod and to shellfish like steamed clams and shrimp. In this cilantro lime shrimp recipe, we play up the same winning flavor combination but add a few guest-stars.
You can cook the shrimp any which way–cast iron skillet, indoor griddle, or grill–and it takes about 5 minutes. As soon as it’s done, you toss it in a delicious sauce made with a whole head of roasted garlic, fresh lime juice, a touch of spicy harissa (or chili paste), and cilantro or herbs of your choice. I have to say, the sauce is out of this world!
Yes, you do use a whole head of garlic here, but don’t worry! Once roasted, garlic becomes soft, creamy, and delicately sweet. It’s not too overpowering–you’ll honestly have to stop yourself from eating it its own. The flavor is quite tamed and pleasant.
This recipe is the perfect appetizer served with or atop crusty bread to make good use of the delicious sauce! But you can also turn it into a quick dinner with your favorite pasta or grain and grilled zucchini on the side.
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Substitutes for this Cilantro Lime Shrimp Recipe
You really can’t go wrong when you pair garlic and citrus with seafood. But I go a step further by adding loads of cilantro and a small amount of white wine and chili paste. We end up with a sauce that has an incredible depth of flavor, with very little work. You’ll need:
- Garlic: Roasting a whole head of garlic from scratch makes a huge difference in terms of flavor, but you can use store bought in a pinch.
- Cilantro: If you don’t like cilantro, basil works well with this recipe. (For more info on swapping fresh herbs, see our guide: These 12 Fresh Herbs Will Transform Your Simple Meals.)
- Lime: Fresh lime juice adds the perfect zing to balance the sweet and savory garlic flavor. Lemon juice works as a substitute.
- Dry white wine: Adds a complexity to the acidic element of the sauce, but you can substitute with more lime juice.
- Extra virgin olive oil: The base of the sauce, so a high quality extra virgin variety is essential. Our peppery Spanish Hojiblanca would be amazing.
- Harissa adds to the bright and citrusy flavor while adding smokiness and a good heat (more below).
- Shrimp: Wild-caught jumbo shrimp (about 16 to 20 shrimp per pound) are a good option for this recipe; they will remain plump and juicy.
- Kosher salt and black pepper are the simple seasonings that give the flavor its full potential! If you food ever tastes flat or bland, you likely need to add a pinch more salt and taste again.
Ingredient Spotlight
If you have yet to discover harissa, North Africa’s famous flavor-booster, you’re in for a treat. This incredibly complex chili paste has layers upon layers of flavor: lightly sweet, spicy, citrusy, with a hint of smoke.
- READ MORE AND MAKE IT FROM SCRATCH: Homemade Harissa Recipe
- TRY IT: Harissa Paste by Villa Jerada at Our Shop
- BEST SUBSTITUTE: Your favorite chili paste, or leave it out if you don’t like spicy.
Can I Use Frozen Shrimp?
Most fish and seafood you buy at the fish counter was likely frozen and thawed out. And with advanced flash-freezing technology these days, a frozen bag of wild-caught shrimp may be better and taste more “fresh” than what you’ll find at the fish counter. So it’s fine to use frozen shrimp in this recipe. Just be sure to thaw it out properly first.
- READ MORE: Guide To Buying And Cooking Shrimp
How to Thaw Frozen Shrimp
You have two options to thaw shrimp:
- Put the frozen bag of shrimp into a bowl and leave it in the fridge overnight.
- Place the (sealed) bag of frozen shrimp in a bowl of water in your sink. Stir every 5 or so minutes to break up any ice. The shrimp should be thawed in about 20 minutes. Be sure to pat it dry thoroughly before cooking.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Shrimp
Cooking shrimp is easy–it takes less than 5 minutes. But the secret to juicy, flavorful shrimp is in the sauce, and this is a particularly good one. Here are the steps:
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Roast the garlic. Use a serrated knife to trim the top off the whole head of garlic (about ¼ to ½ inch from top), exposing the cloves but keeping the bunch intact. Set on a large sheet of foil, drizzle generously with olive oil, and close the foil to wrap. Roast in the heated oven for about 10 minutes or until slightly tender and fragrant, then remove from the oven and let cool briefly.
- Process the garlic. Once cool enough to handle, peel and crush or chop the roasted garlic as finely as possible.
- Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the roasted garlic, 1 cup chopped cilantro leaves, juice from 1 lime, 1 tablespoon dry white wine (optional), 3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, and 2 tablespoons harissa. Whisk together and set aside.
- Cook the shrimp: Heat a grill, indoor griddle, or cast iron skillet over high heat. Pat 1 1/2 pounds of peeled and deveined shrimp dry and season with salt and pepper, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil and toss. Arrange on the preheated surface and cook for about 2 minutes per side, or until the shrimp turns just pink. Even the largest shrimp will be ready within about 5 minutes, so be careful not to overcook it.
- Finish and serve. Immediately toss in the delicious sauce. Serve the cilantro lime shrimp immediately.
Ways to Mix it Up
The beauty of this cilantro lime shrimp recipe is that it can actually go with just about any sauce you like! Try tossing the shrimp in homemade Fresh Basil Pesto or 5-Minute Chermoula for something herby. If you want a more citrusy sauce, go for Ladolemono, aka a Greek salad dressing you’ll want to put on everything!
What to Serve with Cilantro Lime Shrimp
This cilantro lime shrimp recipe makes a mean appetizer for a crowd, on its own with toothpicks and a bowl of extra sauce on the side for dipping.
For a full dinner, serve over Greek Lemon Rice or Couscous, or double the sauce and toss with a pound of cooked spaghetti or orzo. Or, for shrimp tacos with a Mediterranean twist, borrow the slaw and serving suggestions from my Salmon Tacos recipe.
You can also skip the starch and serve this easy shrimp recipe with something green like Grilled Zucchini or Lemon Broccoli.
More shrimp recipes to try
Fish and Seafood
Easy Mediterranean Shrimp Kabobs
Mediterranean Diet Recipes
Mediterranean Shrimp Soup
Fish and Seafood
10-Minute Shrimp Lettuce Wraps Recipe
Browse all Mediterranean recipes.
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Try our Harissa Paste!
Slightly sweet, smoky, and tangy with just the right amount of spice. The perfect addition to your Cilantro Lime Shrimp.
Cilantro Lime Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 small head garlic
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tablespoon dry white wine (optional), or substitute with more lime juice
- 3 to 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for coating the shrimp
- 2 tablespoon harissa (or your favorite chili paste)
- 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp (pre-peeled thawed frozen shrimp work well)
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Roast the garlic. Use a serrated knife to trim the top off the whole head of garlic, exposing the cloves but keeping the bunch intact. Set on a large sheet of foil, drizzle generously with olive oil, and close the foil to wrap. Roast in the heated oven for about 10 minutes or until slightly tender and fragrant, then remove from the oven and let cool briefly.
- Process the garlic. Once cool enough to handle, peel and crush or chop the roasted garlic as finely as possible.
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the roasted garlic, cilantro, lime juice, white wine, extra virgin olive oil and harissa. Whisk together and set aside.
- Cook the shrimp: Heat a cast iron skillet, grill, or indoor griddle over high heat. Pat shrimp dry and season with salt and pepper, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil and toss. Arrange on the preheated surface and cook for about 2 minutes per side, or until the shrimp turns just pink. Even the largest shrimp will be ready within about 5 minutes, so be careful not to overcook it.
- Finish and serve. Immediately toss the grilled shrimp in the delicious roasted garlic sauce and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil and harissa paste used in this recipe.
- To get ahead, roast the garlic ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. See this tutorial for how to roast garlic. You can also use store-bought roasted garlic in this recipe, if you must.
- You can cook the shrimp on a sheet pan if you prefer. Leave the oven at 400°F, toss the shrimp with about 1/4 cup of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Spread on a sheet pan and roast for 6 to 9 minutes.
Nutrition
*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2015 and has been recently updated with new information and for readers’ benefit.
I used your recipe to make shrimp tacos and they were fabulous! I was out of harrisa so I substituted sriracha instead. So good!! I bought your cookbook and have been having so much fun using your recipes.
Oh, wonderful, Amanda! Thank you so much for your support!! It means the world to us!
Is the nutritional info accurate? I think fat is understated. The sauce calls for 3-4 Tbls of olive oil and each tablespoon is 14grams alone (2grams being saturated), not to mention the oil drizzled on the garlic to roast and the shrimp themselves when cooking….would love to try but need as a heart patient, really need accurate info. Thanks
Hello! I just double checked, and the nutritional information here has been calculated correctly. It’s based on 3 Tbls of EVOO total. Just a note… like most recipe websites, the nutritional info you see on our site is calculated using an online program that’s based on entering the recipe’s ingredient list. Various factors can change the nutritional information in any given recipe, and sometimes, different online calculators will provide you different results based on their own algorithm. You can check out our full Nutritional Disclosure for more details you might find helpful.
I have tried so many of your delicious rescipies and my family just loves it. The various flavours are to die for and I get the best compliments everytime I made one of your recipies. Thank you.
Wonderful! Thanks so much, Christa!
Just tried this recipe tonight and served it over your Greek Lemon Rice. Overall it was delicious, but going forward I’m going to roast the garlic for 30 minutes rather than 10 to bring out its sweetness.
I made cilantro lime shrimp tacos with this recipe and the slaw recipe from the salmon tacos recipe! Delicious and healthy!!
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing, Lee!
What is chili paste? Can’t find it at my local markets. What would I sub
Hi, Sharon. You can click here to find harissa, the chili paste we recommend for this recipe. Enjoy!
cooking shrimp to perfection ?? no timing. just watch center cut mi9ddle as its almost opaque flip them and again watch center as it approaches opaque color remove from heat. its done and will continue to cook with residual heat to perfect. ya can’t use minutes. heat varies cooke to cooker. size of shrimps vary , I promise this works ..Been cooking shrimps langoustine and lobsters conch scungile for 70 years !!!!
Love this, thanks for all the tips about humus.
Hi Suzy,
I love your recipes, and I come back to your blog again and again to find new ideas. This is a great dish, we’ve made it numerous times, usually over pasta. My husband loves it over orzo.
I’m planning to double the sauce and spoon the shrimp (will be cast iron stovetop cooked) over a fresh green salad this time, and use the extra sauce as a dressing- do you think that will work? Do you have any suggestions for that?
Thanks for everything and I really, truly, enjoy your work!
Hi, Valerie! I haven’t tried that myself with this recipe, but it sounds yummy!!
I have served this as an appetizer several times and it always gets rave reviews! Mmmmm!
Awesome! Thanks, Meredith!
Terrible! Making for Easter and 1 cup of cilantro is way too much. If you look at the video it’s about 1/4 cup!
How long will this sauce keep in the refrigerator?
Hi, Susie. It can be stored in a tight-lid container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
I have made this a few times for family and and friends. They all love it. Going to make it again, but wanted to know if I can make the sauce the day before and if yes, do I still add the cilantro or wait and mix it the next day?
Thanks
Hi, Denise. I’ve never tried making the sauce too far ahead, but I imagine it would be okay up to two days in advance. And, yes, I would wait to add the cilantro in at the last minute.
This recipe sounds amazing! I don’t have lime, can I use lemon instead?
Sure! That’ll work!
Oh my word was this delicious! I think the heat and spices were perfect! We made this a meal with angel hair pasta and all of us loved it!!!!!
Yum! Thanks for sharing, Susan!
Is this recipe spicy? It sounds really good, but I’m not a fan of spicy food and I see “chili paste” listed. I can do a touch of spice though. 🙂 I like healthy, flavorful food! Thank you.
Hi, Jenna! This is not overly spicy, but it does have a nice little kick :). I hope you give it a try!