Cumin-Lime Shrimp With Ginger

Cumin-Lime Shrimp With Ginger
Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(2,386)
Notes
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These quick, flavorful shrimp are versatile enough to work their way into an assortment of weeknight dinners. Fold into soft tortillas and top with sliced avocado for shrimp tacos, or serve over steamed rice studded with tomatoes, chiles and fresh herbs. They also work well served on top of a red or green cabbage salad. If cumin’s not your thing, feel free to swap in another dried, warm spice, such as coriander or curry powder.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined (16 to 20 shrimp)
  • 1teaspoon ground cumin
  • Kosher salt
  • 3tablespoons olive oil
  • teaspoons grated ginger
  • 1teaspoon grated garlic
  • Pinch of red-pepper flakes (optional)
  • ¼cup lime juice
  • 1teaspoon lime zest
  • 3tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
  • Flaky salt (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

112 calories; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 127 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large bowl, toss together the shrimp and the cumin until well coated. Season with kosher salt and toss again.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add half the shrimp to the pan in one layer and cook undisturbed until they just start turning pink, about 1 minute. Flip and cook for about 1 minute more, then remove from the pan and set aside. They may not be fully cooked at this time, and that’s O.K. Repeat with remaining shrimp and leave in the pan.

  3. Step 3

    Add the reserved shrimp back to the pan with any juices that have accumulated. Stir in the ginger, garlic and red-pepper flakes, if using, and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the lime juice to pan and scrape up any brown bits that have formed at the bottom of the pan. Cook until the mixture is reduced by about half, about 1 minute more. Stir in the lime zest and scatter with the cilantro. Season with flaky salt, if desired.

Ratings

5 out of 5
2,386 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Looks tasty and I'm looking forward to trying it. Pet peeve: WHY does the photo show the shrimp with the tail shells left on, and WHY do so many restaurants serve shrimp like this, making it difficult, annoying and messy to eat? The recipe says "peeled and deveined" as it should. And the photo should show the shrimp deveined and completely shelled. The article suggests serving the shrimp in soft tacos -- really? And getting a mouth full of tail shells?

I am one who eats the tails. Also, I eat most apple cores. No rational reason, I just enjoy them both. Maybe I got tired of what to do with them. I generally keep this to myself BTW.

Yummo! I didn't have cilantro, so I used my Thai basil - was fine! Time saver: once or twice a week, I prep small jars of lime juice, lemon juice, minced garlic, and shredded ginger - makes this a one-and-done meal in no time!

Should you wish to easily remove tails here is a trick taught to us by a chinese exchange student. Grab and remove the tiny "tail"shell between the two larger "tails" . Next pull the larger tails together and the shell comes off quick and clean, no mess, no waste.

The flavors in this work really well together, simultaneously warm and bright with citrus. I don't cook shrimp often and the instructions make it pretty easy to overcook them - I'd make sure to back off when they turn pink, and maybe even make the sauce with the spices and the lime juice alone in the pan adding the cooked shrimp back in at the end. Make sure to zest the limes before juicing!

Delicious, easy weeknight meal. No tweaks required, although I added a bit more cumin, ginger, and garlic for our personal taste. We used the shrimp in soft tacos with avocado, tomatoes, and more cilantro, with a green salad on the side. A lot of bang for relatively little effort - a definite keeper!

Think of them as little handles : )

I want to add that I used half the lime juice, and no zest. It was still plenty spicy. I served it on rice surrounded by slices of avocado. The spicy shrimp and the creamy avocado go together very well. Make sure to use really good, fresh shrimp, and this is a delicious meal.

In the states coriander refers to the seed and cilantro to the leaf.

Totally agree, but believe it or not, some people eat the tails. Maybe they also add some flavor during the cooking process? Recipe looks great, looking forward to trying it!

Went the taco route, but added some julienned red cabbage with the cilantro at the end of cooking. Added sliced avocados and some grated queso fresco. Turned out fantastic and will make again.

This was excellent and easy to prepare and cook. However, as I had made a shrimp dish last week, I used scallops and it was excellent. Changes: I added butter to get some additional caramelization to the scallops. I had some leeks so I sautéed them, separately, so I had a veggie with this. I used the Seeds of Change quinoa, brown rice, red rice and flax as a base for the scallops and sauce. Delicious! Next time I will try with shrimps and keep the tails on for the crunch!

Used very little oil - much less than the recipe.

To JH: Ground coriander has a completely different flavor than cilantro.

Making this tonight with brown rice and zoodles. PS... my sisters and I fought over the shrimp tails. I love them.. and it is prettier! Voila! Double win!!

Quick easy shrimp recipe. I used pink shrimp, used a mix of lime and lemon juice, and didn't have any lime zest. Cut a corner and used some garlic-ginger paste, which was perfect seasoning. I should have plated the rest of dinner before I started the shrimp because it cooks so quickly. That said, the large pink shrimp were delicious. The dusting with cumin was intriguing and married well with the garlic, ginger, and cilantro.

Too much lime juice. If I make this again, I’ll cut it by half. It overpowered the other flavors.

Make exactly as written and enjoy. A superb dish.

To make this more substantial, I removed the shrimp after their initial searing, then added the ginger, garlic, and some shallots. Then I added four large diced tomatillos and chopped red pepper and covered the skillet to allow the tomatillos to break down. Once they had and created a simmering broth, I uncovered, added the lime juice, and returned the shrimp to finish cooking and added the pepper flakes. It created a bright, tart broth offset by the warm cumin and spice of the pepper.

Added. 2 T butter at end.

Add a little more lime to make more sauce, a little more pepper flakes. Tasty!

I added some grape tomatoes and a pepper to make the dish a bit more substantial, and it was tasty. To prevent the peppers and tomatoes from overcooking I waited until I was cooking the second half of the shrimp to put them in.

Fantastic flavors. I wanted it a bit more substantial so I roasted some cubed sweet potato with cumin & olive oil. I added this to the pan when the shrimp were ready for the ginger lime & garlic. Served in tortillas as suggested. So good.

I made this with shrimp last week. It was so good that I made it was scallops this week. Delicious. This is going in my permanent recipe file. And it so simple

This was really great as a quick one person dinner with rice. I threw in frozen chopped spinach and thawed/sautéed it right in the pan before returning the shrimp.

A keeper. Would use less lime juice unless avocado was part of the party.

Double the spices. Didn’t use chili flakes or ginger though.

Absolutely terrific, one of the few NYT recipes I've given 5 stars. Had red cabbage salad plus rice with it. Made no changes .

Easy, quick, and delicious! I cut back on lime juice and used the juice from just one lime. I added a splash or two of white wine to the sauce. Served over quinoa/brown rice mix with a side salad.

Followed recipe exactly and it was sensational!

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