Recipes

Firecracker Shrimp

This fresh dish says, "Hello, summer!" and is perfect for dinner on a sunny patio

By Catherine RBarr /

Credit: Catherine Roscoe Barr

Marinate your shrimp in a healthy paste of almonds, jalapenos, cilantro, green onions, garlic, cumin and olive oil

Put your swimsuit on standby because beach season is here, and this meal is the perfect addition to your get-bikini-ready healthy eating plan 

This recipe came from the fabulous The Whole Foods Market Cookbook, which is full of delicious and nutritious recipes. I took a sunny stroll to the market with my dog Charlie this morning to get all of the fresh ingredients for this quick and easy meal.

The shrimp is supposed to marinate in the delicious paste of almonds, jalapenos, cilantro, green onions, garlic, cumin and olive oil for an hour, but I’m sure it would still be tasty if you were in a rush and didn’t have time to let it sit.

The lemon juice mixed in at the end and accompanying tomato and avocado make this an incredibly fresh and satisfying meal, and the low number of calories are welcome now that bikini season is finally upon us. 

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup almonds
  • 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and halved (I forgot to buy these so I used 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper instead)
  • 1 bunch cilantro, stems removed
  • 6 green onions, roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic 
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1/8 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 dozen medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/8 cup lemon juice
  • salt to taste
  • 1 small avocado, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

Instructions

  1. Place the almonds, jalapenos, cilantro, green onions, garlic, cumin, olive oil, and water in the bowl of a food processor or in a blender, and blend for 1 minute, until a smooth paste is formed.
  2. Marinate the shrimp in the refrigerator in a covered container for at least 1 hour in the paste.
  3. In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
  4. Cook shrimp, shaking pan continuously, until pink and opaque, about 4 minutes.
  5. Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice, and season with salt.
  6. Serve shrimp with avocado, tomato and rice or bread.