Garlic Shrimp with Cilantro & Lime Rice

So I am the genius that decides to go shopping for an entire weeks worth of meals on Memorial Day. Not thinking that people would be serving jumbo shrimp at their BBQs, I head to the seafood counter at my corner grocery store and am stunned that there are no jumbo shrimp. Frustrated, I finish my shopping and head over to Whole Foods. I leave Whole Foods with two bouquets of flowers and no shrimp. I head to a third grocery store and BINGO they have jumbos left...well barely. I took every single one of their shrimp that was left. Too bad for those that came after me!  This meal was worth the trips to each grocery store. Simple, easy, delicious and light. Can't get much better than that!  Gina at Skinnytaste serves her shrimp with a scallion rice. I opted for Chipotle syle Cilantro lime rice from Chef in You and found it was a perfect match.

Garlic Shrimp with Cilantro & Lime Rice

Serves: 2

Cook time according to Gina for shrimp: 5 minutes (she crazy)

Cook time according to Rachel: 10ish minutes

Cook time according to Chef in You: Under 30 minutes

Cook time according to Rachel: about the same

How easy was this for Rachel to make? Easy!

Ingredients:

1lb jumbo/large shrimp (de-tailed...I forgot this step. See below)

6 cloves garlic, sliced thin

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

crushed red pepper flakes

pinch paprika

lots of chopped cilantro

1 cup Bismati rice

1/2 tsp sugar

salt to taste

1-2 limes or lime juice

Directions for Shrimp:

Soak rice in water for 10 minutes. While rice is soaking, in a large skillet,  heat  1 tbsp oil on medium and add garlic and some red pepper flakes (however much you prefer). Saute until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn.

What NOT to do

What TO do

Once garlic is ready, add in DE-TAILED shrimp. I was so nonchalant about this meal I totally forgot to chop off the tails. Whoops. Had a great time removing them from the garlic & oil. Season shrimp with salt & paprika. Cook shrimp until golden brown. Once shrimp are ready, transfer entire pans contents to small/medium saucepan. Heat the pan on low and keep a lid on the pan.  This way the shrimp stay warm and continue to soak up the garlic, while the rice is being prepared. 

Directions for Rice:

After rice has soaked for at least 10 minutes, add rice, 1 tbsp olive oil & sugar to your large skillet. Make sure rice is completely coated with oil. You may need to add a bit more to the pan. The directions say once rice becomes aromatic add juice from 1 lime. Well my rice never got "aromatic" so after a few minutes, I added the lime juice. I got a bit excited and dropped the lime in. Whoops.  I also added a bit of extra lime juice because I love limes. Stir for about a minute. Add 2 cups of water and cover with lid. Most rice only requires 1 cup of water. Bismati requires 2. 

After all water is absorbed, usually 10-15 minutes later, add in chopped cilantro. Use as much as you prefer. 

Remove from heat and gently mix in chopped cilantro. Taste and add more cilantro/lime juice if you feel necessary.

Remove shrimp from sauce pan, leaving garlic behind and serve with rice immediately. Garnish with lime & more cilantro.  Enjoy!