Honey Lime Shrimp

On Sunday, my husband decided he wanted me to pick up some fish at the grocery store for dinner that night. Now, I am not the world’s biggest fish fan. I can tolerate it in some cases, but most types of fish are unappealing to me (with the exception of shellfish, which I love – our collective love of shrimp is well-documented on this blog). So, I figured that I would just thaw out some frozen shrimp for myself, whip up a fun marinade, and call it dinner. For some reason, the thought of honey lime shrimp popped into my head – so, I made up a quick marinade, let the shrimp hang out in it for about 30 minutes, and ended up with a delicious meal!

Honey Lime Shrimp
serves 2

1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T honey
juice of one small lime, or half a large lime (2-3 T)
zest of one small lime, or half a large lime
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1.) In a large ziploc bag, combine all the marinade ingredients. When everything is well-combined, add the shrimp, squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag, and close it up. Place it in the fridge.

2.) Let the shrimp marinate for 30-60 minutes, flipping the bag around once or twice during that time, so that all the shrimp stay evenly covered in the marinade.

3.) When you’re ready to cook, take the shrimp out of the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; there is no need to add any oil or butter to the pan, as the marinade has enough oil in it to keep the shrimp from sticking to the pan. (If you would prefer to use the grill for these, you can thread them onto skewers and toss them on the grill at this point.)

4.) Add your shrimp to the pan in a single layer, making sure they are not too crowded; you can always cook them in more than one batch. Let them cook on one side for about a minute, until they curl up and start to turn pink. Flip them over, and cook for another 30 seconds or so, until the shrimp are opaque. Remove from the pan, and serve immediately!

I am a big fan of these shrimp – the sweet honey got a little caramelized and crunchy in the hot pan, and the red pepper flakes and lime add just enough kick to cut through the sweetness. Best of all, they took about 10 minutes to make, start to finish… perfect for a quick weeknight meal! I served mine with a spicy corn dish on the side (super delicious recipe forthcoming), as well as some chopped heirloom tomatoes sprinkled with salt and pepper. You could serve them over brown rice with your vegetable of choice on the side, or pack them into some warmed flour tortillas with a little shredded romaine and some sour cream for shrimp tacos! They’d also make a delicious salad topper, or a lovely accompaniment to a beautiful grilled steak.

Shrimp: they’re the fruit of the sea!
Tina