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CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

Spicy Shrimp with Cilantro Dipping Sauce

appetizer· Easter· seafood· seafood entrees· Summertime Favorites
October 12, 2020

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Spicy Shrimp with Cilantro Dipping Sauce – Shrimp is coated in a mixture of spices and grilled to perfection. Served alongside a tangy cilantro dipping sauce that will keep you wanting more

zoomed shot of a grilled spicy shrimp dipped in small bowl cilantro dipping sauce

It’s getting super close to my due date for baby #2. We’ve been nesting hard-core for the last week and I have no signs of slowing down. Getting organized has never felt so good!

With all the extra time spent on getting this home ready for a new baby, I’m leaning into easy recipes as much as possible. Well, let’s face it…I’m always leaning into easy recipes with a rowdy toddler running around. But now, more than ever!

Today’s recipe is a family favorite – even my picky husband loves it! For years, I’ve been trying to get him to eat shrimp. It’s easy to prepare, versatile, and packed with protein. But he just never loved shrimp.

Until now.

Without further ado, I present to you my Spicy Shrimp with Cilantro Lime Dipping Sauce!

zoomed shot of grilled spicy shrimp sitting on a serving plate with cilantro dipping sauce in the background
overhead shot of serving platter with grilled spicy shrimp with a small bowl of cilantro dipping sauce in the center of the platter
angled shot of serving platter of spicy shrimp with focus on cilantro dipping sauce

The easiest way to prepare shrimp

Shrimp has never been easy to prepare and yet so incredibly flavorful! The key is using dry spices, which takes the prep time (and cost!) down considerably. In addition, the shrimp are simply grilled or cooked in a skillet, which also is super low-maintenance.

To make these shrimp, all you need to do is to throw shrimp into a large bowl with the spices and olive oil, toss together, and then cook. Boom! That’s all there is to it!

Cilantro lime dipping sauce

To take these shrimp to a whole other level, they are served with a cilantro dipping sauce that is almost as easy to make as the shrimp but, if you can believe it, even more flavorful.

All the ingredients are simply thrown together into a food processor or blender and blended until smooth. The resulting sauce is creamy, but a little runny to make it perfect for just coating the shrimp without overwhelming it.

overhead shot of cilantro dipping sauce

Tips & Tricks

  1. To ensure the shrimp gets a nice char on the outside, make sure to pat them as dry as possible and the grill/skillet temperature is at least medium-high.
  2. The recipe for the dipping sauce makes a little more than you need for the shrimp. I love using the leftovers for topping my other fish/chicken dishes or even throwing over some rice & beans.
Print Recipe

Spicy Shrimp with Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time5 mins
Total Time15 mins
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

For the shrimp:
  • 1 pound extra large shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne (ground black pepper if you want less heat)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1½ teaspoon cumin
  • 1½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
For the cilantro dipping sauce:
  • ⅔ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup water
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • ½ cup cilantro leaves
  • ½ cup roughly chopped green onions
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Instructions

For the shrimp:
  • Toss shrimp together with olive oil and spices. Grill or saute over medium-high heat until shrimp turn pink and curl up. Remove from heat and place on serving platter with a bowl of cilantro dipping sauce. Serve immediately.
For the cilantro dipping sauce:
  • Add all ingredients to blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Give it a taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Serve with cooked spicy shrimp.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum

Pin for later:

collage of photos of spicy shrimp with cilantro dipping sauce along with descriptive text

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20 Comments

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Comments

  1. Farrukh Aziz says

    March 5, 2021 at 7:43 am

    Spicy shrimps with a dip sounds like something perfect for a snack! I’m sure my family will love it!

    Reply
  2. Rebecca Blackwell says

    October 18, 2020 at 9:48 pm

    I made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I want to put that dipping sauce on everything! Thank you for a great recipe!

    Reply
  3. Tammy says

    October 18, 2020 at 2:25 pm

    Ooh I’m all about that cilantro dip!! What a delicious and vibrant sauce. I’d love that over salads or on sandwiches too! Yum!!

    Reply
  4. Kushigalu says

    October 17, 2020 at 11:40 pm

    Drooling over this. Shrimp and cilantro dipping sauce sounds fantastic. I will be making this dipping sauce soon. Yum!

    Reply
  5. Denise says

    October 17, 2020 at 3:56 pm

    This Spicy Shrimp is easy, delicious and amazing! The flavors are perfect. Congratulations on baby #2!

    Reply
  6. Paula Montenegro says

    October 17, 2020 at 7:52 am

    Wow, such mouth-watering images! That cilantro sauce looks amazing and I can imagine using it for so many dishes, not just shrimp. Hot weather is starting here and I can’t imagine a better recipe to add to my rotation. Thanks for sharing and congrats on the baby!

    Reply
  7. Jenny says

    October 15, 2020 at 11:11 am

    Followed your instructions exactly and you are so right. This is the easiest way to cook shrimp, they came out delicious and the dipping sauce was a revelation. My husband loves anything cilantro and devoured the sauce. I will be making this combination again. Thanks so much for posting this fab recipe.

    Reply
  8. Debra says

    October 14, 2020 at 2:29 pm

    Oh man….that cilantro dipping sauce was so delish. I’m making another batch today to use as salad dressing. I could easily dip anything into it and be super happy.

    Reply
  9. Amanda says

    October 14, 2020 at 11:51 am

    This shrimp made such a delicious appetizer! The spices were perfect, and that cilantro dipping sauce added such a nice fresh flavor. They were super easy too.

    Reply
  10. Aleta says

    October 14, 2020 at 10:21 am

    Whoa, this looks SO good! I am always looking for new seafood recipes to make for my husband and we both loves cilantro, so this is a winner!

    Reply
  11. Heidy says

    October 14, 2020 at 7:12 am

    Oh my gosh this Spicy Shrimp with Cilantro Dipping Sauce was one of the best shrimp recipes that I have tasted in forever. I couldn’t get enough of it! The flavor was perfect. Spicy but not too hot! Everyone loved this recipe for Spicy Shrimp and I gave several your recipe link so they could print it.

    Reply
  12. Marina says

    October 13, 2020 at 11:01 am

    Will definetely try the cilandro dipping sauce, looks delicious x

    Reply
  13. Shayla Marie says

    October 13, 2020 at 9:43 am

    This looks absolutely wonderful. I love cilantro dipping sauce. I cannot have shrimp but I bet I could use an alternative!

    Reply
  14. Tawnie Kroll says

    October 12, 2020 at 10:30 pm

    The cilantro sauce and shrimp compliment each other perfectly – will be making again!

    Reply
  15. Alison says

    October 12, 2020 at 9:24 pm

    This dipping sauce is so flavorful. It adds such freshness to the spiced shrimp!

    Reply
  16. Liz says

    October 12, 2020 at 9:20 pm

    Yasss this looks so amazing! I love shrimp like this as garnish for my bloody mary!

    Reply
  17. Andrea Metlika says

    October 12, 2020 at 8:38 pm

    Such fantastic flavors here. We are shrimp lovers so will be doubling the shrimp for my crew.

    Reply
  18. Nart at Cooking with Nart says

    October 12, 2020 at 8:14 pm

    Looks so delicious! We like to put cilantro in out seafood dipping sauce too but it’s never the main ingredient. This is interesting and new to me 🙂

    Reply
  19. Lori Geurin says

    October 12, 2020 at 7:48 pm

    Congrats about your baby! This looks delicious – I love the lime and cilantro combo.

    Reply
  20. Mimi says

    October 12, 2020 at 12:05 pm

    This looks super yummy and congrats on Baby number 2!

    Reply

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Hi, my name is Sharon. I’m an accountant by day, risk-taking baker and food enthusiast by night. Come join me as I share my favorite recipes and test out new ones along the way!

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