Garlic Lime Shrimp and Mofongo

Name: Garlic Lime Shrimp
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 pound Shrimp, peeled and deveined, tail on; 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil; 8 Tablespoons Butter; 6-8 cloves Garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon Chili Powder; 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin; 2 Tablespoons Lime Juice; 1 Tablespoon Fresh Cilantro, chopped; Fresh Cilantro, torn ((for garnish)); Salt and Pepper to taste; Lime Wedges ((for garnish))

Travel to the Islands! Garlic Lime Shrimp is a delicate blend of savory butter with the aromatic garlic, and the tang of lime juice. This is a super simple, super fast recipe to make that you can whip up in under 20 minutes. Serve this with our Mofongo recipe for a truly authentic Caribbean meal! Give it a try today!

Going to the Islands

Oh, the islands! There are so many, each with their own cuisine and flare. But I’m particular to the Caribbean. There are so many Caribbean foods that I just absolutely love to eat and love to make. I take something I have eaten and I try to either mimic it the best I can, or just simply make my own version.

My Garlic Lime Shrimp, however, is just something I put together one night when I didn’t have much time. It’s one of my favorite ways to cook – look at what I have on hand, figure out what cuisine I’m feeling at the time, and create something completely new by extracting elements of that style of food.

What is in Garlic Lime Shrimp?

The ingredients are basic and simple. Many people have these items on hand. If not, they are readily available in most places.

Shrimp
Canola Oil
Butter
Garlic
Lime Juice
Chili Powder
Ground Cumin
Fresh Cilantro

I use what might seem to be a lot of butter in this dish, but there’s a really good reason for that. The butter makes a brilliant sauce that gives the dish a kind of “Scampi” feel. When I make Shrimp Scampi, I use lots of garlic, white wine (an acid), and lots of butter with a nice amount of parsley. With my Garlic Lime Shrimp, I’m basically just swapping out the acid, the lime juice for the wine, and cilantro for the parsley. So, I guess you can say this is a “Caribbean Shrimp Scampi.” They are virtually identical, even the cooking process is the same.

How Do You Make the Garlic Lime Shrimp?

Cooking the Garlic Lime Shrimp couldn’t be any easier. Again, it’s the same process as Shrimp Scampi.

To start, you want to heat up the canola oil and some butter in a medium skillet. The oil is mainly for cooking and the butter will give the shrimp flavor.
Be sure to add some salt and pepper to season the shrimp. Cook the shrimp for about 2 minutes on each side until it has that nice pink color.
When the shrimp is just finished cooking, add in 1 tablespoon of lime juice and stir everything around. This will help deglaze the pan a bit and the shrimp will absorb the flavor.
Next, add in your spices – garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Stir, and cook for another 2 minutes.
Now add in the remainder of the butter. This will create a nice butter sauce that you will use when serving.
Now pour in the remaining lime juice and cilantro. Stir to incorporate throughout the dish. Dividing the lime juice like this will give both the shrimp and sauce a hint of lime flavor.
Pour some sauce over the shrimp after you plate it. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

What Is Mofongo?

Mofongo is a beloved Puerto Rican dish. It is made using green unripe plantains that are mashed using a pilón which is a wooden mortar and pestle. Even though you can use other methods to mash the plantains, it really does make a difference using the wooden one.

Another essential ingredient is fresh garlic. The garlic, along with salt, is mashed into a paste in the pilón. Some people add pork rinds, oil, chicken stock, lime juice, and other ingredients based on region and family tradition.

To keep this post and recipe simple, I’ve decide to make a separate post for the Mofongo. So please click the photo below and you will be sent to the Mofongo recipe.

MOFONGO

In the Mood for More Tropical Recipes?

Here are a few more tropical recipes to try! You can bookmark them or print them out and save them for later.

Garlic Lime Shrimp

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Caribbean, Mexican

Keyword caribbean, garlic, lime, Mexican, shrimp

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 pound Shrimp, peeled and deveined, tail on
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
8 Tablespoons Butter
6-8 cloves Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Fresh Cilantro, torn (for garnish)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Lime Wedges (for garnish)

Instructions

In a medium skillet, heat the canola oil and 2 tablespoons of butter over a medium heat.
Add the shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes and turn the shrimp over. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Right when the shrimp is finished cooking, add 1 tablespoon of lime juice and stir everything around to loosen up the bits stuck to the pan.
Next, add the garlic, chili powder and cumin and stir. Cook for another 2 minutes.
Put in the remainder of the butter and allow it to melt.
Now pour in the remaining lime juice and cilantro. Stir to incorporate through the dish.
Pour some sauce over the shrimp after you plate it. Garnish with fresh cilantro.