Honey Cilantro Lime Shrimp

This Honey Cilantro Lime Shrimp looks like one heck of a fiesta on your plate. Chock full of sweet and savory, tangy and salty, this shrimp is everything you’ve ever wanted and then some. Make a triple batch if you plan to share. 

If you love everything shrimp, then you’re going to go gaga for recipes like my Easy Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp, this Garlic Lime Shrimp Marinade, or these Southwest Shrimp Salad Stuffed Avocados. 

To sauce or not to sauce, that is the question. 

In all honesty though, this is a question I ask myself when making these recipes with saucy ingredients. Me, I’m a huge fan of sauce. Any kind, any style, meat or no meat — give me a big bowl of homemade marinara and I’m all in. I could eat it with a spoon, soup-style. 

Because I only share recipes I would eat myself and serve to my family or guests, I make them as authentically “me” as possible. I feel like that’s the ticket on this blog and in life in general, share what’s real and people will be naturally attracted to that. 

I realize I might be the first person to ever overly philosophize about sauce. (Or philosophize about sauce at all?) These are the things I think of, that keep me up at night. Weird, right? 

ALL THAT is to say, I tend to make a lot of dishes on the saucy side because I prefer to serve them over rice or noodles or sop up the sauce with chunks of baguette or thick-sliced French bread or, sometimes, my spoon. If this isn’t your jam, you can always halve the sauce. This makes for a lightened-up version of this dish as well. Sauce or no sauce, you’re going to love it! 

HOW DO YOU MAKE HONEY CILANTRO LIME SHRIMP? 

Four simple steps separate you from enjoying the best shrimp dish of your entire life. 

First, I whisk together the butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, and garlic. Second, to a skillet set at medium-high heat, I add the shrimp and then I pour over the sauce. Third, I let that sauce come to a boil while I keep stirring the shrimp here and there to make sure it all cooks up evenly and the sauce thickens a bit. This takes about 6-8 minutes. 

Finally, I sprinkle cilantro over the shrimp and sauce, give a quick stir, and serve it right away. Whether that means all by itself or over rice or pasta, that’s up to you. 

WHAT DO I SERVE WITH HONEY CILANTRO LIME SHRIMP?

I like to serve mine in the following ways: 

• Over rice! White, brown, cauliflower (if you’re eating on the healthy side) — it all works wonderfully with this shrimp recipe. 
• On top of noodles — I like a wide egg noodle but you could use penne, spaghetti, angel hair pasta…just about any kind will work. 
• You could also serve this over a hardier grain like quinoa, barley, or millet if you want a dose of whole grains. 
• Serve this in a dish and use your favorite bread to sop up the juices. 
• If you are a fan of grits, I’ve heard nothing goes better with shrimp! 

WHAT KIND OF SHRIMP SHOULD I BUY?

That’s up to you. For ease of use, I like to buy my shrimp already peeled and de-veined. It cooks faster and is less mess for me (or you) the cook. 

If you buy shell-on shrimp, and you want to peel and de-vein it beforehand, check out my instructions for doing that can be found in my Easy Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp recipe. 

I also prefer to buy the large or jumbo shrimp because they still cook up fast but don’t dry out as quickly as the smaller ones will. Plus, who doesn’t like a nice, big, meaty shrimp over a tiny little cocktail one? 

ARE CILANTRO AND CORIANDER THE SAME THING? 

Cilantro leaves and coriander seeds come from the same plant — the coriandrum sativum plant. 

The cilantro herb is used often in Mexican food and Asian food. It has citrus undertones and people either seem to love it or hate it. Some people even think it smells or tastes like soap (that’s a genetic trait — really!). 

Coriander is a seed that is used often with cumin and cinnamon. It’s sweet and has a slightly nutty flavor. Coriander is used a lot in Latin American foods and Indian foods as well. 

However you plan to make and serve this dish, I can guarantee you’ll love it!