Garlic Cilantro Shrimp
Summary: Juicy shrimp tossed in a silky roasted-garlic and cilantro sauce, finished with a bright squeeze of lemon and served over fluffy white rice. Ready in under 30 minutes with one pan and big flavor.
Equipment
- 1 | Large skillet | nonstick or cast iron preferred
- 1 | Blender | for the sauce
- 1 | Slotted spoon | to remove garlic
- 1 | Wooden spoon | for stirring
Ingredients
- 20 | | garlic cloves | peeled
- 1/3 | cup | olive oil | divided
- 1 | large bunch | fresh cilantro | stems removed
- 3 | tbsp | lemon juice | fresh
- 1 | tsp | salt |
- 1/2 | tsp | black pepper |
- 1 | tsp | dried oregano |
- 1 | lb | large shrimp | peeled and deveined
- 2 | cups | cooked white rice | for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add peeled garlic cloves.
- Cook garlic, stirring often, until deep golden brown on all sides.
- Remove garlic with a slotted spoon and place in a blender; reserve the oil in the pan.
- Add cilantro, lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano, and a drizzle of olive oil to the blender.
- Blend until completely smooth and creamy; set sauce aside.
- Return skillet to medium-high heat and add shrimp in a single layer.
- Sear shrimp 2 minutes per side until just opaque halfway through.
- Pour the green sauce over the shrimp and stir gently until heated through, 1–2 minutes.
- Serve immediately over white rice with extra sauce on top.
Notes
Store leftover sauce separately in the fridge up to 2 days.
Reheat shrimp gently over low heat to avoid toughening.
Fresh lemon juice is strongly preferred over bottled.
Sauce freezes well for up to 1 month if made ahead.
Reheat shrimp gently over low heat to avoid toughening.
Fresh lemon juice is strongly preferred over bottled.
Sauce freezes well for up to 1 month if made ahead.