Lemon Shrimp Orzo with Asparagus is a 30-minute Mediterranean-style supper that appears like an expensive restaurant-quality main dish. It’s light, rejuvenating, and best for a fast Summer season meal or an easy weeknight supper. The orzo is covered in a tasty lemon garlic butter sauce and topped with capers and fresh herbs (basil and thyme).
Lemon shrimp orzo (30-minute meal)
This easy weeknight supper is truly light yet pleasing. You can make this rejuvenating Summer season pasta meal not just in the Spring and Summer season however basically year-round (as long as you can discover asparagus). Lemon shrimp orzo is so simple, it’s absurd. A lot taste for just thirty minutes of work. And the meal looks and tastes like something you would purchase at a high-end dining establishment. Perfect for showing your loved ones on weekdays or on unique events. I hope you attempt it and it may become your brand-new preferred meal to contribute to your supper rotation!
Quick summary of the recipe
The shrimp is pan-seared with Italian spices, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. After the shrimp is prepared, you will eliminate it from the frying pan and deglaze the frying pan with lemon juice, gewurztraminer, and minced garlic, including butter at the end. Then, you will integrate all these scrumptious juices together with prepared orzo, prepared asparagus, prepared shrimp, and capers. Squeeze in a lot more lemon juice into the last meal. If you’re searching for more supper motivation utilizing comparable tastes, do not miss out on these 2 delicious recipes:
Why you’ll enjoy it
- Easy however elegant! As easy as this recipe is, it looks and tastes like a restaurant-quality meal The entire recipe takes just thirty minutes to make, so it’s a best supper for amusing visitors. Invest more time with your friends and family and not in the cooking area!
- The juiciest shrimp. Shrimp is rapidly burnt to excellence in a pan with olive oil and flavorings. This recipe will reveal you how to prepare shrimp correctly to make it scrumptious, juicy, tender, and never ever dry and rubbery.
- Nutrition. Lemon shrimp orzo is high in protein and loaded with veggies (asparagus).
Lemon Shrimp Orzo with Asparagus
Lemon Shrimp Orzo with Asparagus is a 30-minute Mediterranean-style supper that appears like an expensive restaurant-quality main dish. It’s light, rejuvenating, and best for a fast Summer season meal or an easy weeknight supper. The orzo is covered in a tasty lemon garlic butter sauce and topped with capers and fresh herbs (basil and thyme).
Ingredients
Asparagus
- 1 pound asparagus ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
Orzo
- 1 cup orzo raw
- 2 cups chicken stock or veggie stock or water or veggie stock or water
Shrimp
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.5 pound raw shrimp peeled, deveined, tails off (big – about 15-20 count per pound)
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian spices
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon newly ground pepper
Sauce
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup newly squeezed lemon juice 1 big lemon
- 1/4 cup dry gewurztraminer
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
Garnish
- 3 tablespoons capers
- fresh basil
- fresh thyme
Guidelines
Prepare orzo
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In a medium pan (the very same one you utilized for cooking asparagus) integrate 1 cup of raw orzo and 2 cups of chicken stock (or water). Give a short boil, minimize to a noticeable simmer, and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes (according to package directions).
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Inspect the orzo 5 minutes into the cooking, and stir it to avoid it from adhering to the bottom of the pan.
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Orzo is prepared when all the water is soaked up and the orzo has a great texture of prepared pasta. You may need to include more water at the end if the orzo is undercooked or the water vaporizes too quickly.
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While the orzo cooks, continue with the remainder of the recipe.
Prepare shrimp
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Heat a big, high-sided, frying pan till hot on medium heat. Include olive oil – it ought to run quickly however not sizzle or burn. Include shrimp without overcrowding (you may need to prepare in 2 batches). Sprinkle shrimp with flavorings (Italian spices, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper).
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Prepare shrimp, turning it one or two times, on medium heat, about 3-4 minutes overall, till pink in color.
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Get rid of shrimp from the frying pan.
Make sauce
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Include minced garlic, lemon juice, and gewurztraminer to the frying pan where you prepared the shrimp and deglaze the pan. Decrease heat, and cook till the sauce lowers simply a bit and garlic is softened. Get rid of from heat and fold in butter, off heat, letting it melt in the sauce.
Assembly
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Include prepared orzo, prepared asparagus, and 2 tablespoons of capers to the frying pan with the lemon garlic butter sauce. Stir to integrate. Taste and season with more lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and/or simply salt and pepper.
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Include prepared shrimp to the orzo and stir it to reheat on low heat.
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When serving, leading with the staying 1 tablespoon (or more) of capers, sliced fresh basil, and thyme. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the shrimp if you like.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The dietary details on this site is just a price quote and is offered benefit and as a courtesy just. The precision of the dietary details for any recipe on this website is not ensured. It ought to not be utilized as a replacement for an expert nutritional expert’s guidance.
What is orzo?
Orzo is a short-cut pasta looking like long-grain rice fit. It is made from flour, like typical pasta. Frequently, orzo is made with semolina (durum wheat utilized for making pasta).
How to prepare orzo?
Prepare orzo in a 1:2 ratio (1 cup of orzo with 2 cups of chicken stock or water) for about 10 minutes on a low boil (simmer) – medium-low heat. All the water (or chicken stock) need to get soaked up by the orzo. You may need to include additional liquid (about 1/4 cup, in some cases more), if the heat is expensive, and some water vaporizes, leaving the orzo undercooked. The correctly prepared orzo ought to have a soft texture, similar to routine prepared pasta.
What sort of pan to utilize?
Utilize a big, high-sided, heavy-bottomed frying pan such as an 11-inch or 12-inch cast-iron frying pan or a good-quality stainless-steel pan. This will assist prevent the burn areas and will guarantee even cooking without lemon shrimp orzo getting stayed with the bottom of the pan.
Can you make it gluten-free?
Make this recipe gluten-free by utilizing orzo plainly identified as “gluten-free”. Or, just utilize long-grain rice rather.
Can you make it dairy-free?
Avoid the butter and simply utilize more premium additional virgin olive oil rather. Or, utilize your preferred dairy-free butter option.
Cooking Tips
- Usage big raw shrimp, not little kind. Likewise, do not utilize pre-cooked little shrimp. When you utilize big raw shrimp and prepare it with spices, you get a lot of more juices therefore far more taste! Utilizing bigger shrimp likewise makes a gorgeous discussion.
- With raw shrimp, ensure it’s peeled and deveined.
- Take the tails off. It’s much easier and less unpleasant to consume the shrimp with a fork and knife rather of getting the shrimp out of the velvety sauce by the tail. So, I suggest eliminating the tails.
- Do not overcook shrimp. Prepare it for just about 2 minutes per side, simply till it turns pink in color. Overcooking the shrimp will lead to a rubbery texture.
- Usage newly squeezed lemon juice – it’s not as acidic and has a much richer taste. You can likewise utilize lime juice.
- Do not avoid capers. They include a great briny taste to orzo.
Variations, alternatives, and add-ins
- Usage other kinds of seafood, such as scallops, lobster meat, crab meat, or salmon.
- Veggies. Include your preferred veggies. My favorites are asparagus, green beans, broccoli, spinach, kale. You can likewise include bell peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini.
- Rice. Usage long-grain rice, wild rice, and even wild rice rather of orzo.
- Include olives, carefully sliced rather of capers or in addition to them.
- Sprinkle with newly grated cheese: Parmesan, Asiago, Gruyere, or Pecorino Romano.
- Include pine nuts as a topping. I like to toast pine nuts briefly (and thoroughly!) in the oven for an even richer taste.
- Include other garnishes, such as fresh herbs (basil, thyme, or oregano), sliced green onions, or sliced chives.
- Make it spicy. Red pepper flakes will include heat. Utilize these moderately, to taste, so that they do not overwhelm the meal.
Storage and reheating ideas
Since this recipe does not utilize any cream or cheese, it is really simple to shop and reheat. You can likewise quickly make it ahead and freeze.
- Refrigerator. Shop prepared lemon shrimp orzo in an airtight container in the fridge for approximately 3 days.
- Freezer. Freeze it in an airtight container for approximately 1 month.
- Reheat in the microwave. Reheat in a microwave for about 1 minute. Taste and reheat for 30 seconds more, if required.
- Reheat on the stovetop. Reheat this meal in a big, high-sided frying pan on the stovetop on low-medium heat. Include a percentage of olive oil + lemon juice when reheating to avoid the shrimp orzo from adhering to the bottom of the pan.
What to serve with it
Due to the fact that lemon shrimp orzo currently integrates carbohydrates (orzo) with protein (shrimp) and veggies (asparagus), serve it with an intense and vibrant or easy salad. Here are a few of my favorites:
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Blueberries, Feta cheese, Pecans, and an easy Balsamic dressing
Arugula Salad with Lemon Enthusiasm, Pine Nuts, Parmesan, and Balsamic Dressing
Avocado Mango Salad
Apple Spinach Salad with Pecans, Cranberries, Goat Cheese, and Maple-Lime Mustard Dressing
Arugula Salad with Pears, Apples, Cashews, and homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette
Easy Spinach Salad with Pine Nuts, Parmesan Cheese