Citrus Marinated Shrimp

Description

This Citrus Marinated Shrimp recipe is an all around champ when it comes to making something delicious while keeping calories low and protein high.  Shrimp is perfect for when you are looking to eat healthy with just around 80 calories per 3 oz serving and around 20 grams of protein.  Most of us these days are on a high protein journey with all of its health and weight loss benefits, so why not make it delicious without adding a ton of extra fat and calories.  This shrimp is marinated in big flavors like lemon, lime, orange, and ginger along with garlic and cilantro.  When it comes to using citrus, I almost always use the zest to maximize every bit of flavor that I can.  When you use the zest and juices of citrus together, you are not only getting the vibrant flavors of the juices, but the zest holds all of those delicious oils that make your citrus smell oh so wonderful when you cut it open and really brings a ton of flavor to any marinade. Once your marinade is all ready, you’ll need to reserve about ¼ cup of it so you can brush it on for an extra boost of freshness and flavor near the end of cooking.  After a quick 30 minute soak in the citrusy marinade, your shrimp is ready to head to the grill.  I personally like to thread mine through skewers just so it’s easier to handle.  If your shrimp are spinning around like little tops on your skewer as you flip them, you can either double up and use two skewers, or be patient and your shrimp won’t spin so much once they start to cook and plump up.  Shrimp cooks very quickly, so make sure you don’t start any projects while they are on the grill otherwise they can overcook.  After about 5 minutes, your shrimp should be nearly ready and it’ll be time to brush on your reserved marinade.  Once your shrimp are cooked all the way through it’s time to serve!  To serve these, I like to have them on a salad, over quinoa, toss them with grilled veggies, or just eat them on their own.  However you choose your adventure on how to serve these, this recipe for Citrus Marinated Shrimp will be a great go to recipe to have on hand.  Speaking of choosing your own adventure, did you know about that time I had to choose my own adventure?  During my most recent travels, I found myself in one of the biggest pickles I’ve ever been in.  Literally!  I was on vacation with my family and we were looking for something fun to do when we spotted a flyer for a local amateur soapbox derby.  It seemed like a good idea so we decided to sign up.  The choices for the cars were pretty standard; rocket ships, race cars, and various abstract designs.  After weighing my choices, my eyes landed up on my ultimate choice, a giant pickle.  After gearing up and listening to the safety briefing, the race finally began.  At first it was  a pretty typical soap box derby with some mild rolling hills, and then things took a turn.  After about ½ mile of gentle racing, my pickle car had a malfunction that made it suddenly veer to the right and head right down one of the steepest and longest hills I’ve ever seen!  My brakes were barely working, so my choice was to either stop Fred Flintstone style or to steer my pickle car like I’ve never steered before.  One obstacle after another, I dodged strollers with babies, carts full of fruit, and about 12 horses pulling people on carriages. Finally, I had reached the bottom of the hill, and not far behind me was the rescue vehicle from the soapbox derby that was valiantly arriving on the scene to tow myself and my busted pickle car back to the starting point.  Luckily, nobody had received any injuries from my out of control pickle, but I was frazzled and hungry for some lunch.  Shortly after we returned our cars and wandered into a local seafood restaurant that served the most delicious citrus marinated shrimp.