In case you haven’t yet noticed, I am in love with lime and cilantro. This combination is fresh and makes most any grilled fish, chicken, or salad absolutely delicious! I made this combination for the first time over Labor Day weekend and it got rave reviews.
For starters, marinated and grilled fish takes minutes. Really. I then save a bit of the delicious marinade to spoon over the cooked fish and a little over the salad…DELISH! This brown rice salad is a wonderful accompaniment to the Grilled Chili Lime Shrimp. The brown rice lends the perfect texture, the green onion and red bell pepper a little crunch, and the crumbled cheese a little salt and cream. It’s perfect.
Why not make a whole bag (about 5 cups uncooked) of brown rice and freeze it for later use? Defrost and use in this salad or any other quick weeknight dinner. It’s best to use completely cooled rice for the salad.
Grilled Chili Lime Shrimp
1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, and skewered
Marinade:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons chili powder (mild or to your own taste)
1 clove fresh garlic, crushed
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1) Combine all of the marinade ingredients, whisk well to combine. Reserve a couple of tablespoons of the marinade to spoon over the cooked shrimp. Use the rest of the marinade for the raw shrimp. Marinade for 20 minutes before grilling. Skewer the shrimp and cook over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes. Shrimp will be bright pink when they’re done. Spoon the reserved marinade over the shrimp when ready to serve. Makes 4 servings.
Lime Cilantro Brown Rice Salad
Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh or bottled lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Salad ingredients:
2 cups cooked and cooled brown rice
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 large bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
4 ounces *Fresco Mexican cheese, crumbled
1) Whisk dressing ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
2) Add the salad ingrediens to the dressing bowl. Mix well to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Makes four 1/2 cup servings.
*Fresco Mexican Cheese is made from cow’s milk. It tastes a bit like mozzarella yet has a crumbly almost grainy consistency. It doesn’t melt completely like mozzarella.
**If you’d like a more spicy shrimp, add a couple of pinches (or more) of cayenne to the marinade.
***If you’re using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes before using to prevent burning on the grill.
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