Mediterranean Shrimp Bowl (Printable)

Succulent shrimp with Mediterranean vegetables, grains, and creamy tahini sauce.

# What You'll Need:

→ Shrimp

01 - 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
05 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
06 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Grains

07 - 1 cup cooked quinoa, brown rice, farro, or couscous

→ Mediterranean Vegetables

08 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
09 - 1 cup cucumber, diced
10 - 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
11 - 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
12 - 1 cup baby spinach or arugula

→ Tahini Sauce

13 - 1/4 cup tahini
14 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
15 - 2 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
16 - 1 clove garlic, minced
17 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
18 - 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

→ Garnish

19 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
20 - Lemon wedges for serving

# Step-by-Step:

01 - Prepare grains according to package instructions and set aside to cool slightly.
02 - In a medium bowl, toss shrimp with olive oil, minced garlic, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
03 - Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add seasoned shrimp and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until pink and opaque. Transfer to a plate.
04 - In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, water, minced garlic, cumin, and salt until smooth. Add additional water gradually to achieve desired consistency.
05 - Divide cooked grains among serving bowls. Layer spinach or arugula, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and red onion over grains.
06 - Top each bowl with sautéed shrimp. Drizzle generously with tahini sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Everything cooks quickly, so you're eating within half an hour, not wondering why you started cooking at all.
  • The tahini sauce is creamy and tangy enough to make even the simplest vegetables taste luxurious.
  • It looks impressive but requires zero fancy techniques, just layering and drizzling.
  • You can swap almost any component and it still works, which means fewer trips to the grocery store.
02 -
  • Overcooking shrimp turns them into little erasers, so pull them off the heat the second they turn opaque.
  • If your tahini sauce seizes up and gets thick and grainy, add more water and whisk hard, it'll come back together.
  • Slice your red onion as thin as possible, thick slices are too sharp and will dominate every bite.
  • Taste your tahini sauce before drizzling, some tahini is more bitter than others and may need extra lemon or a pinch of sweetness.
03 -
  • Toast your quinoa in a dry pan for a minute before cooking it, the nutty flavor makes the whole bowl taste more complex.
  • Buy pre cooked grains from the grocery store if you're short on time, they heat up in the microwave and no one will know the difference.
  • Double the tahini sauce recipe and keep extra in the fridge, it's good on everything from roasted vegetables to grain bowls all week long.
  • If your shrimp release a lot of water in the pan, pat them dry with a paper towel first, it helps them sear instead of steam.
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