I’m in tender, juicy, light and buttery seafood heaven. Because —> THIS. Garlic Butter Shrimp and Quinoa.
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Wooowza! Best quinoa I’ve ever had! Family all loved this. Will be making quinoa this way all the time now.
KATHERINE JAMES
But also because I’m in Washington, D.C., and after spending a weekend eating some reallyreallyreally awesome seafood, for example, shrimp (with pineapple salsa and guac), lobster (mac and cheese), and crab (cakes with caramelized brussels sprouts), I am more than ready to sign my life away and move to a more coastal location permanently. I can’t blame my nice state for its sometimes unfresh seafood, but purely based on location, Minnesota just cannot keep up with a place like this. LOBSTER FOR DAYS.
Which leads to me say this: splurge on good shrimp for this dish. Good shrimp meaning the freshest you can get your paws on in whatever area you live. For me, it means going to a really nice grocery store that’s a bit out of the way and buying it directly from the seafood counter, not frozen (although a commenter brought up a great point that sometimes frozen is best in terms of quality – it depends on the ingredient list, so check your labels – the fewer the better). I am a big believer in convenience, but this dish is really all about the shrimp so it is completely worth a little extra drive to a store with great seafood to have mouthwateringly juicy, fresh shrimp to work with here.
HOW TO MAKE OUR GARLIC BUTTER SHRIMP AND QUINOA:
What you just witnessed in that photo was the important step of the drenching of the butter. Oops. I think I meant drizzling. But you know that I really meant drenching.
The shrimp in this dish (and all shrimp ever) just begs for garlic butter, and garlic butter has always been one of my favorite was to prepare seafood. And just food in general, actually. So let’s give those little shrimpies what they’re asking for and make our mouths sing for joy.
You know that I’ve always been a person with mixed feelings on quinoa. Being a food blogger, the peer pressure is crushing. BUT THIS TIME. It’s actually good. Like, I took one bite and said, yum, I want another bite. Now. And another. And soon it was me, a fork, and a very large pot of quinoa making ourselves cozy in the corner. So simple and so good. Onion, garlic, chili powder, and broth. Who’d’ve known?
Yep, that was just a double contraction. Be impressed.
This shrimp and quinoa is made on the stovetop but you can serve it as if it were a casserole because casserole dishes say something special about food, like I LOVE YOU.
Optional add ins include fresh parsley, lemon juice, and extra sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper. The simpler and fresher the flavors and ingredients, the better.
Serve with a green salad or some kinda vegetables. Roasted or caramelized. And welcome to my happy place.
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Garlic Butter Shrimp and Quinoa
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
This Garlic Butter Shrimp and Quinoa is ready in 30 minutes and is full of garlic butter flavor. One of my favorite ways to do shrimp!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 5 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
- 2 cups uncooked quinoa
- 1 teaspoon chili powder, divided
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, divided
- 1 pound raw tail-on shrimp
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh parsley for serving
- fresh lemon juice for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of the garlic and saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add the uncooked quinoa and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute for another 1 minute to add flavor to the quinoa. Add the broth, bring to a boil, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. When the quinoa is done, it will be soft throughout. Fluff with a fork and toss with fresh minced parsley.
- While the quinoa is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. When the pan is hot and the butter is melted, add the shrimp and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon chili powder directly in the pan. Season with salt and pepper and saute until no longer translucent and golden brown on the outside. Just at the end of the saute, add 1 teaspoon garlic and swirl around in the pan until the garlic is very fragrant.
- Melt the remaining 5 tablespoons butter with the 2 teaspoons garlic to make a sauce for drizzling (for this, crushed garlic or garlic paste would work really well but minced is also fine).
- Serve the quinoa and shrimp together in one dish, topping with fresh chopped parsley and lemon juice if desired. When the butter is melted and cooled slightly, drizzle over the shrimp and quinoa. Serve immediately, while still hot.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition Facts
- Daily value: 20% Total Fat 13.3g
- Daily value: 38% Cholesterol 114.1mg
- Daily value: 18% Sodium 423.2mg
- Daily value: 10% Total Carbohydrate 30.2g
- Sugars 1.4g
- Daily value: 35% Protein 17.7g
- Daily value: 5% Vitamin A 78.3µg
- Daily value: 2% Vitamin C 1.1mg
Keywords: quinoa and shrimp, shrimp recipe, shrimp casserole
I’m confused as to how this is a freezer dish? It says to serve immediately but is under the category of the perfect dish to freeze?
Can I make this and freeze it? if so, what would be the thawing & cooking instructions? I am doing meals for a new baby coming?
Made this, though using rice so my kids would eat it, and it was perfectly flavored, not too strong, not too bland. Loved it!
Can this shrimp and quinoa casserole be frozen? Before cooking? After cooking?
Hi, Karen! We haven’t tried freezing it (either before or after cooking) before and we’re not sure it would turn out well. If you give it a try, let us know!
Here we go again – another great recipe that my husband and I loved – two winners in a row! I had riced cauliflower that I added to it all to have some veggie in it. Otherwise – just made it as it was and sooo good. Thanks. Will be making another of your recipes tonight!
This looks so good
Made this tonight, and it was excellent. I cut the recipe in half as I live alone and didn’t need more than that. When I make it again, I’ll add more onions. I don’t even like onions normally, but they really made the dish. I made some adjustments as I’m in the midst of getting rid of some fat on my body. Instead of oil, I used zero calorie butter flavor cooking spray. Instead of butter, I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, and I skipped the melted “butter” on top. Trust me, it was still plenty flavorful. I’ll add a little more salt next time to bring out the flavors a bit more. All in all, an incredibly tasty dish, and extremely quick and easy.
How does this become a freezable meal? Am I to cook everything, freeze and then bake later and if so for how long and at what temperature?
Thanks for the help.
Diane
To freeze this, we would make it completely as written, put it in a freezer-safe container, and stick it in the freezer when it has cooled to room temp. To thaw, we would put it in the fridge for a day or so, then re-heat in the oven. If it’s a little dry after reheating, try adding a little vegetable or chicken broth.
Can I freeze this before baking? I am trying to meal prep dinners before I give birth.
We haven’t tried to freeze before baking. If you wanted to freeze after baking, we’d suggest these instructions: Make it completely as written, put it in a freezer-safe container, and stick it in the freezer when it has cooled to room temp. To thaw, put it in the fridge for a day or so, then re-heat in the oven. If it’s a little dry after reheating, try adding a little vegetable or chicken broth.
If you cook it, can you just put it in the freezer and reheat in the oven? I’m gonna make this for my brother and his wife to cook when their baby gets here but I’m gonna make it and freeze it first.
To freeze this, we would make it completely as written, put it in a freezer-safe container, and stick it in the freezer when it has cooled to room temp. To thaw, put it in the fridge for a day or so, then re-heat in the oven. If it’s a little dry after reheating, try adding a little vegetable or chicken broth. Hope that helps!
Wow, such an amazing blog I really like it and I also cook this recipe it was delicious.
Hi I cooked this recipe and was delicious.
I made this tonight. I’ve never made quinoa before. We all LOVED the shrimp (even my daughter who claims not to like shrimp)! The kids and I enjoyed the quinoa. My husband was the only one that wasn’t a fan. He thought it was flavorless.
Hello! I found this recipe on a Pinterest page for “make ahead freezer meals”. What is the best method to tackle this tummy looking dish so that it is freezer and re-heatable friendly? Thanks!
This came up under freeze ahead meals for me, any thoughts on how to make it ahead of time (prepping for baby and want to have some yummy meals for when he’s born)
your article is very good. I can’t wait to try it at home. Thank you for sharing the recipe with me. I’m waiting for your next article.
really nice shrimp recipe thanks for shring
Thanks for sharing your recipe, i love food as much as I love my kids. I’ve been reading your blogs for awhile now and I really love how you make everything so easy. If I could give you a thousand thumbs up, I would have done it.
It took longer than thirty minutes to make, but was definitely worth it. It was outstanding. Definitely making again.
Thank you.
i can now make a quinoa for super and enjoy the meal
This looks delish! Do you think this would hold up well if frozen?
Can this be made ahead of time?
Not so great. Pics look better than the taste.
A helpful hint regarding quinoa is to rinse it in a fine mesh strainer before cooking. This takes away the bitterness.
This is definitely what’s for dinner (!!!) and I’m so fortunate to live in coastal New England!
Can this be prepared ahead?