Shrimp is the most-consumed seafood in the United States, and for good reason. In addition to just being delicious, shrimp is a good source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and even vitamin D, which can be difficult to get from food. Shrimp is also low in mercury, and wild-caught shrimp is less likely to contain toxins than farmed.
So, now that you've gone out and bought yourself some wild-caught shrimp, what are you going to make with it? Shrimp is extremely versatile and can be used in dishes from a wide variety of cuisines. We've gathered a selection of healthy shrimp dinner recipes to help you decide what to put on the table this week.
Shrimp Recipes with Pasta
Who doesn't love American-style shrimp scampi? Garlicky, buttery shrimp served on a bed of carby goodness? Sign me up (but only during sweater season please!) Indeed, all that butter doesn't typically make for a light meal. Luckily, there are some low calorie shrimp scampi recipes out there. We also love the sound of the recipe below, with cherry tomatoes, garlic, white wine, and a touch of cream.
Shrimp pasta with white wine tomato cream sauce
- high in protein, selenium, manganese, phosphorus, and vitamin C
- can easily be made gluten free if you use GF linguine
- perhaps a bit high in calories due to the generous amount of linguine (530 calories/serving)
The amount of linguine in this recipe could easily be reduced to 2 oz per person if you serve the pasta with a side salad!
Shrimp & Orzo
- 31 grams of protein per serving for just 479 calories
- contains over 20% of your daily fiber requirement
- it may be hard to find whole wheat or gluten free orzo, if that is important to you
Orzo may look like rice, but it is actually a type of pasta! This particular pasta dish is full of flavor from the garlic, lemon, herbs, and feta cheese. You'll definitely want to put this Mediterranean-inspired dish on your meal planner.
Shrimp with Greens
You can't write a post about healthy shrimp dinner recipes and not include a section about salad. Don't worry—these salads put your pricey wild-caught shrimp to good use.
Shrimp and Avocado Salad
- gluten free and dairy free
- rich in several vitamins and minerals thanks to shrimp, pineapple, and avocado
- 635 calories per serving, but well spent on such a nutritious meal!
Shrimp and Cucumber Lettuce Wraps
- gluten free and dairy free
- just 182 calories per person (4 lettuce wraps each)
- low in fat and carbohydrates, might not be filling enough alone
Shrimp with Rice
The next two recipes are Asian inspired and best served with rice. We personally eat Basmati rice with just about everything, but normal long-grain white rice or Jasmine rice would perhaps be more fitting.
Both of these recipes suggest using a wok, but you can get away with a normal frying pan if you don't have one. Make sure you heat it up well in advance and let it get hot! Like all stir-fries, these recipes are super quick and great options for weeknight dinners.
Super Speedy Spicy Sweet and Sour Shrimp
- dairy free, can be made gluten free with GF soy sauce
- 15g sugar per serving
Thai Shrimp
- dairy free, can be made gluten free with GF soy sauce
- very high in sodium due to the fish sauce
Shrimp in Soup
After pasta, salad, and rice, we've got one final suggestion: shrimp in stews and soups. Why shouldn't a warm, comforting bowl of soup be healthy too?
So far we've had meals with Mediterranean, Tex-Mex, and Asian flair - let's finish up with something traditionally Creole.
Seafood Gumbo
- extremely nutritious and filling
- also contains crab and oysters = more omega-3s!
- 783 calories per serving
We hope you'll add some of these healthy shrimp dinner recipes to your repertoire. We also recommend the following cookbook for more ideas:
Recommended Reads
The Ultimate Shrimp Book
This book contains 650 shrimp recipes - enough recipes to keep you eating shrimp for years and years to come!
If you start to get sick of shrimp (is that possible?!), check out this post about healthy fish recipes too.
Author
Written by Crystal Schlegelmilch on November 7th 2019
