These easy shrimp burrito bowls start with a quick Spanish style rice, which is piled high with smoky shrimp and ALL the burrito-style toppings. A cooling drizzle of 5 ingredient avocado crema sauce brings these bowls home!
Even though I grew up visiting Cape Cod each summer, seafood isn't usually my go-to.
Maybe it's the grounded nature of my earth sign ♑ 🐐 coming through, or the fact that I spent two years as the poissonier--aka fish cook--in a high volume Michelin star restaurant (meaning I bore a perpetual aroma of seafood, despite handwashing and wardrobe changes). Whatever the reason, I'll opt for the addictive crispness of a golden-brown seared piece of chicken or the self assuredness of richly marbled steak over the delicate, briny-sweet flavors of seafood almost every time.
That said, these shrimp burrito bowls are my exception. I have intentionally crafted this recipe to cast aside all accusations of daintiness when it comes to seafood. There ain't nothing delicate about them!
The shrimp is tossed in a load of smoky-savory seasoning before being skillet seared until crisp. Many other shrimp burrito bowls recipes start with plain or cilantro lime rice (delicious!), but I wanted to turn the dial up so I came up with a quick, thick and creamy Spanish style rice--bordering on risotto territory!--for rich flavor and a burst of red-orange color.
To cool things down, an easy creamy avocado crema sauce that takes less than 5 minutes to make and bursts with the refreshing flavors of cucumber, avocado, and lime.
These shrimp burrito bowls bear weighty flavors, posses full satiation powers, and stand their ground as a solid lunch or dinner option.
Now that's something even a stubborn ol' goat like me can appreciate.
ingredients for shrimp burrito bowls
ingredient notes & swaps
- Neutral oil includes lightly flavored, high smoke point options like sunflower, canola, vegetable, and light olive oil.
- If you want to make extra spicy shrimp burrito bowls use hot red chili pepper instead of bell pepper, or a combination of the two.
- Use long grain white rice and stay away from shorter grains like arborio or sushi rice as it has too high of a starch content for this recipe. Lundberg Family Farms rice is usually my go to brand-I love their regenerative organic farming methods!
- You can use fresh or frozen shrimp for these shrimp bowls. I used 26/30 count jumbo shrimp, which means there are usually between 26-30 pieces of shrimp per pound at this size. If you choose something larger or smaller, you may need to adjust the cooking time. Buy them peeled & deveined to save yourself some time, and pull the tails off or leave them on depending on your preference.
- Goya Adobo seasoning is a blend of salt, garlic powder, oregano, turmeric, and other spices. I like the version that includes black pepper. If you have a different brand of something comparable, go ahead and use it or mix up your own!
- If your scallion is very large just use the green and light green part, saving the white part of the lower stalk for another use.
shrimp burrito bowls
These easy shrimp burrito bowls start with a quick Spanish style rice, which is piled high with smoky shrimp and ALL the burrito-style toppings. A cooling drizzle of 5 ingredient avocado crema sauce brings these bowls home!
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
for the Spanish rice:
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
for the avocado crema:
- ½ cup chopped hot house cucumber (with skin!)
- 1 whole scallion, broken in large pieces
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ avocado
for the shrimp:
- 1 pound raw shrimp
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon Goya Adobo seasoning
- Neutral oil, as needed
for the toppings (use as many or few as you like!):
- Black beans
- Shredded lettuce
- Pico de gallo or salsa
- Queso fresco or cotija cheese, crumbled
- Tortilla chips, crushed
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot over medium heat, then add the chopped peppers and sauté lightly for about 1 minute. Stir in the rinsed and drained rice and sauté the mixture until lightly toasty, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the chicken stock, tomato sauce, garlic powder, cumin, and salt.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, and let the mixture boil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the surface of the liquid comes down to be even with the top of the rice.
- Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 15 minutes.
- Check for doneness, then fluff with a fork and set aside.
- While you're waiting for the rice to cook, make the avocado crema! Start with the cucumber, scallion, and lime juice in your blender first.
- Give it a whir until juicy and pulpy, like a smoothie (that you probably wouldn't want to drink right now!)
- Add the sour cream and avocado.
- Continue blending until smooth and creamy. Taste and season with salt and additional lime juice to taste. Set aside.
- Time to start on the shrimp! In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin, and Goya seasoning.
- Toss the shrimp in the seasoning blend-I like to do this on a plate but you can also toss the shrimp in a bowl if that's easier. The shrimp will look like they are covered in wet sand. I know, not ideal but it's about to get better I promise!
- Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Arrange your shrimp in the hot oil in a single layer, taking care not to crowd the pan (you may need to do this in batches). Cook the shrimp for about 2 minutes per side, until firm and no longer translucent.
- Time to assemble! Corral your shrimp burrito bowl ingredients and toppings over to the table and build up your bowls however you like!
- Drizzle each of your spicy shrimp burrito bowls with some cooling avocado crema to finish!
Notes
- The high sugar content of the tomato sauce can cause your rice to have a tendency to stick while cooking, so make sure to check on it frequently and give it a stir as needed.
- Shrimp cook quickly, so I recommend waiting until your Spanish rice and avocado crema are completely finished before cooking any of your shrimp.
- I cooked my shrimp in 2 batches using a 10-inch skillet. You may need to re-oil the pan between batches!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: mexican
FAQs
What else goes in a burrito bowl?
The beauty of a good burrito bowl recipe is that it can be adjusted to suit your tastes and preferences! I make my shrimp burrito bowls with rice, but you could easily swap in other grains like quinoa or farro, or skip the carbs entirely and make your bowl on a big bed of veggies instead.
The toppings I use are what I think pairs best with the flavors and textures of the grilled shrimp and Spanish style rice, but other add-ins like sliced radish, chopped tomatoes, shredded Mexican blend cheese, fresh cilantro, chipotle sauce, or salsa verde would all work well too.
Looking for more hot n' spicy goodness? Try my Cherry Salsa Recipe as a starter or served alongside this shrimp bowls recipe! Or, cool things down for dessert with a slice of totally chill No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake.
dig in!
Enjoy & let me know what you think 🌙 💛
