Our tequila lime shrimp recipe makes a Mexican dish that’s robust and addictive.
Laced with the shrimp cooked just-so is a garlicky, tangy sauce heavily scented with tequila and cilantro. ‘Just-so’ means it’s stirred over medium heat for just a few minutes so that it’s still plump, juicy, and naturally sweet. On the side, there’s corn, potatoes, and asparagus; all are nicely buttered, tenderly sweet, and grilled to perfection. It’s so very easy to make and completes in under half an hour.
If you want more on your plate, cooked pasta is the perfect solution. Add your desired amount of angel hair, fettuccine, or any kind you like to the skillet, and let it swirl in the flavor. We’ve also got a few amazing shrimp pasta recipes that you should definitely check out: Shrimp Scampi Recipe, Shrimp Orzo Recipe, and Instant Pot Shrimp Pasta Recipe.
It Is Also a Healthy Skillet
Booze and healthiness don’t usually go together, but it’s a thin line. Used in such a small amount (1 tbsp per serving) compared to recommendations, and with most of the alcoholic content evaporated during the cooking process, the tequila levels present won’t get anyone intoxicated.
Apart from the alcohol, we also care about a dish’s calorie content, as well as its sodium and saturated fat levels. By using just enough butter and salt, and adding vegetables for nutrient-dense calories, we managed to keep them within the recommended ranges. Details are listed in the dish’s nutritional label at the end of this article, which should read 494 calories, 5.5 g saturated fats, and 554.4 mg sodium.
The Ingredients
Our tequila lime shrimp recipe calls for shrimp, these veggies, and a few other seasonings:
Little do many people know that peeled, air-sealed shrimp are actually flash-frozen on the spot, which preserves all of their sweetness and texture. We are grateful for convenient access to fresh shrimp, but whenever they’re hard to find and especially when we’re short on time, we turn to the frozen variety.
In the skillet are also carb-dense vegetables and asparagus for some greens. We picked potatoes for some non-refined carbs and sweetcorn, to ease the intense tartness that is the lime-tequila sauce.
For the sauce, you’ll need garlic sautéed in olive oil, salt, paprika, pepper, lime juice, and tequila. You can also zest the lime and add it to the sauce for some extra flavor.
How Our Tequila Lime Shrimp Was Made
Because the shrimp basically takes just minutes, the veggies are to be tackled first.
Corn and potatoes can take a lot of time to cook in the oven. To save time, we cooked them in the microwave then finished them in the oven. Asparagus, on the other hand, cooks rather quickly, so it went straight to the oven.
Once the vegetables were dealt with, we turned our attention to the shrimp. We heated the skillet over medium heat, sauteed the garlic to fragrant, then added the shrimp along with seasonings.
As there were lots of flavorful bits stuck to the bottom, we deglazed the skillet with tequila, scraped off the bits, and let the tequila evaporate until about half was left. Then, we turned off the heat, sprinkled in chopped cilantro, and decorated the beautifully cooked shrimp skillet with thin lime slices.
The detailed tequila lime shrimp recipe is listed at the bottom of this article.
Storage and Reheating
The shrimp and veg can be placed into containers and kept for up to 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Reheat by placing all in a saucepan with some water to prevent drying out, and turn the heat to medium until all is heated through.
What to Serve With
Besides the grilled vegetables, we also want to serve this flavorful shrimp with a fresh salad, like our Beet and Feta Cheese Salad. It’s got cooked beet, bright orange, feta, walnuts, and arugula, all tossed in a simple lemon vinaigrette.
We also thought it’d be fun to pair the tequila-infused shrimp with a glass of chilled, fresh lime juice—and it was. It completes the meal nicely by adding a tart-sweet flavor element.
You May Also Like
- Cilantro Lime Shrimp Recipe
- Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe
- Shrimp Louie Recipe
- Pineapple Shrimp Recipe
- Chili Lime Shrimp Recipe
Tequila Lime Shrimp
This tequila lime shrimp recipe entails just simple ingredients and non-laborious cooking processes. Everything will finish before you know it.
- cook TIME 25 mins
- prep TIME 5 mins
- total TIME 30 mins
- COURSE Main Course
- CUISINE Mexican
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 494 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 13 oz peeled shrimp (from 26 oz raw shrimp)
- 2 fl oz tequila
- 1 lime (sliced)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 10 oz asparagus (woody ends trimmed)
- 24 oz potatoes (cut into wedges)
- 15 oz corn on the cob (cut into 2-3 inches thick chunks)
- 1/2 cup cilantro (chopped)
- 2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika (divided)
- 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Place 24 oz potatoes and 15 oz corn into a bowl, along with 2 1/2 tbsp butter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave on medium for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 475°F.
Place the microwaved vegetables onto a baking sheet that’s been lined with parchment, along with the raw asparagus (10 oz). Drizzle the butter left in the bowl on top, and sprinkle 1/2 tsp paprika all over the veg.
Slide onto the oven’s middle rack, and bake for 15 minutes.
While that’s going, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Stir in 1 tbsp minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add 13 oz peeled shrimp, 1 tbsp lime juice, the remaining paprika (1/2 tsp), 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir for about 4 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup tequila and allow everything to simmer for 1 minute while scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon/spatula. Turn off the heat.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup cilantro on top, and decorate the skillet with your desired amount of lime slices.
Enjoy with the grilled veg.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Natalie Butler, RD, LD
Nutrition Reviewer
- DelantyI did change some things and was good.