Shrimp With Chimichurri Rice

You’ll love the bright fresh flavors in this shrimp with chimichurri rice, with juicy orange segments, snappy parsley sauce, and briny shrimp. It’s a dinner winner!

At a glance

What stands out: Although the cook time says 40 minutes, you can prep and cook the shrimp while the rice cooks, which means you can have this rich dinner on the table in less than a half hour.

How long it takes: 30 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: skillet, mixing bowl, zester, sharp knife, saucepan for rice
Servings: 4

Oh our, were we blown away by this recipe! We were inspired by a recipe we saw in a magazine and thought to myself, this one has potential. It just all works together in reliable harmony: the juicy orange segments and all that fresh parsley in the tangy chimichurri-based dressing, along with the fluffy rice and briny shrimp. It’s just pure enjoyment.

You may not be familiar with chimichurri. It’s a sauce made primarily with fresh parsley, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and minced shallot. It’s somewhat like pesto but not as assertive. We make it often and try to keep a jar in the fridge.

We like to add it to roasted vegetables, air fryer chicken, or salmon. A spoonful of chimichurri jazzes up an omelet, plain rice, or a baked potato. Grain bowls or pasta get a flavor boost with chimichurri.

Another thing this recipe has going for it is that you can have it on the table in about a half an hour although it takes a little multitasking to accomplish that. You can handle it though and the reward is totally worth it.

About This Shrimp Recipe

We mentioned multitasking. Although studies show (see this article by Cleveland Clinic) that our brains can only focus on one thing at a time, let’s get real. Cooking is almost impossible without multitasking unless you happen to have a couple of sous chefs.

Without multitasking, we’d be eating one course meals. Yeah, just rice. Or just plain shrimp. Or a vegetable. Not all together, just one at a time.

Doesn’t happen like that, does it? Thankfully! We cooks always multitask. We are gifted! Okay, we settled that, so let’s move on to the recipe.

So here’s the plan: Thaw the shrimp under running water (unless you’re lucky enough to have fresh shrimp); start cooking rice using your favorite method; zest, peel, segment, and juice the orange; chop the parsley and shallot; stir up the sauce; and lastly, sauté the shrimp. Give it all a speedy toss and dinner is on the table. No sweat!

What You’ll Need

• Shrimp: The recipe calls for a pound of shrimp which is enough for four servings. Frozen shrimp is fine if fresh shrimp isn’t available. Adjust cooking time depending on what size shrimp you use.
• White Rice: Choose any type of long grain rice that you prefer. Brown rice is more nutritious but takes longer to cook. For fool-proof rice, cook it in your Instant Pot. Try white rice, jasmine rice, basmati rice, or brown rice.
• Orange: You’ll be using the zest, orange sections, and the juice from the orange. Always zest the orange first. Trust us, it’s way easier that way! Use a microplane or fine grater.
• Shallot: A cousin of the onion, shallots have a milder flavor and finer texture.
• Garlic: You’ll need a fresh clove of garlic for the chimichurri. Garlic cloves vary widely in size; if you love garlic, use a large clove. The shrimp is seasoned with a bit of garlic powder, too.
• Red Wine Vinegar: Mildly acidic and slightly sweet, red wine vinegar augments the orange juice in the sauce and is a traditional ingredient in chimichurri.
• Fresh Parsley: Chimichurri is primarily parsley or cilantro. Look for the freshest parsley you can find. We usually buy the Italian flat leaf variety but curly parsley works too.
• Fresh Mint: There’s just a hint of fresh mint in the sauce which makes it extraordinarily rich. You can substitute oregano if you prefer.
• Red Pepper Flakes: Red pepper flakes add a little tingle to the sauce. It’s not hot but just a little zingy.
• Garlic Powder, Salt & Pepper: Simple seasonings for the shrimp.

How To Thaw Frozen Shrimp

There are a few methods, all of which work well.

• Empty the bag of frozen shrimp into a colander; place the colander in the sink, and run cool water over the shrimp until they’re thawed.
• Another method is to place the frozen shrimp in a large bowl of cool water for 15 minutes or so. Don’t be tempted to use warm water to hurry things along; the warm water will affect the texture of the shrimp.
• If you’ve thought of it ahead of time, and this is the easiest way, the shrimp can be thawed overnight in the refrigerator.

How it comes together

Thaw the shrimp and start the rice. If your shrimp is frozen, use one of the methods above to thaw it out. Get the rice going in your Instant Pot, in a saucepan, or in a rice cooker.

Zest the orange. Now let’s turn our attention to the orange. Use a zester or a fine grater to remove the zest of the orange. You only want the thinnest layer of the outside of the orange; try not to dig too deeply because the white pith can be bitter. Set the zest aside for now.

Peel and segment the orange. Using a sharp knife, trim the orange peel and white pith away from the orange. Holding the orange over a bowl to catch the juices, use the sharp knife to segment the orange. Cut between the membranes to remove each section of the orange. If you’d like a visual demonstration of how to do that, take a speedy look at this YouTube video. Hint: A sharp knife makes all the difference for this task.

Roughly chop the orange segments and squeeze the orange juice out of the remaining membranes into the bowl.

Make dressing. Mince the shallot and garlic; add them to the bowl with the orange segments and juice. Add the red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, the orange zest, a bit of olive oil, and salt; mix thoroughly and set aside.

Add freshly minced herbs. Shake any excess water out of the washed parsley. Cut off the large stems; small stems are okay. Finely chop the parsley. You’ll need a cup of minced parsley which is quite a lot of parsley. You may end up using the whole bunch. Be sure to measure it after you mince it, not before. Do the same for the fresh mint although you won’t need nearly as much.

Mix the fresh herbs into the orange mixture. Doesn’t it look so pretty and rich? We could eat that by the spoonful. It smells wonderful, too.

Prep shrimp. Pat the shrimp dry and toss them with a bit of garlic powder, salt and pepper to season them.

Cook shrimp. Heat a skillet over medium high heat; add a bit of oil, and throw in the shrimp. They should sizzle a fair amount if the pan is good and hot.

The shrimp will only take a few minutes to cook. You’ll know they’re done when they curl up and become opaque. Try not to overcook them; overcooked shrimp tends to be a bit rubbery.

Combine and serve. You’re ready to serve dinner! Add the hot fluffy rice to the orange chimichurri mixture and toss together. Divide it between serving plates and top with the shrimp. Enjoy!

What To Serve With Chimichurri Shrimp

Wondering what to serve with this shrimp and rice dinner? We like to double the orange chimichurri ingredients and use half to dress a salad of tender baby spinach or leaf lettuce. A citrus salad goes well, too. If you prefer a cooked vegetable, sweet snap peas or air fryer asparagus would be reliable.

For a sweet finish, try this 3 ingredient lemon pudding or lemon sugar cookies. Maybe both!

Before you start

Make It Your Own

• Grill the shrimp. Try grilled shrimp instead of sautéed shrimp if you prefer.
• Not a fan of shrimp? Substitute mild tasting white fish, salmon, or even boneless skinless chicken breast. Adjust cooking times as needed.
• Try a different grain. If you prefer, make quinoa or pasta instead of rice.

Make-Ahead Ideas

To get a head start on this recipe, prep the orange chimichurri sauce up to a day ahead of time. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Keeping leftovers

Store leftover chimichurri shrimp and rice in a covered container in the refrigerator. Reheat individual portions in the microwave in 30-second increments until warmed through.

Free Meal Plans

Interested in weekly meal plans that include this recipe? Take a look at our Meal Plan #10 or Meal Plan # 59. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week! We add a new meal plan weekly.

Browse Meal Plans

• Yield: 4 servings
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 25 minutes
• Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup white rice, uncooked ( 3 cups cooked)
• 1 medium orange
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 cup chopped parsley, loosely packed
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint (oregano may be substituted)
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen, rinsed and patted dry (31/35 size)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Method

1. Cook rice according to package instructions.
2. Finely grate 1 teaspoon zest from the orange and set aside. Cut away peel and white pith from orange. Working over large bowl to catch juice, cut orange into segments. Roughly chop the segments and add to the bowl. Squeeze juice from leftover membranes into bowl.
3. Add shallot, garlic, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, orange zest, 2 tablespoons oil, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Mix well.
4. Chop parsley and mint, and add to bowl; mix well.
5. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet on medium-high. Season shrimp with garlic powder and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Fold rice into chimichurri mixture and serve topped with shrimp.

Notes

Any long grain white rice is fine, including jasmine or basmati, or try brown rice, quinoa, or even pasta.

Cilantro can be substituted for parsley, if desired.

Recipe inspired by Woman’s Day magazine, Feb 2021.