Healthy Shrimp and Broccoli Recipe
When you’re chicken’ed out and in the mood for something different, this super fast and easy lemon butter shrimp and broccoli is the ticket. I love roasted, grilled, or broiled broccoli because it gets a bit of lovely charred taste while still retaining its crisp-tender nature. And paired with the tender, juicy, and succulent shrimp it’s a great texture and flavor combination. The lemon-butter adds the perfect touch to both the shrimp and the broccoli and provides a bit of richness to this otherwise very healthy meal. It’s perfect for busy weeknights, no-fuss lunches, and as a bonus it’s naturally gluten-free.
What’s in Shrimp and Broccoli?
To make this healthy shrimp recipe, you’ll need:
Broccoli Olive oil Salt and pepper Raw shrimp Unsalted butter Lemon juice
How to Make Sheet Pan Shrimp and Broccoli
The lemon butter baked shrimp and broccoli is ready from start to finish in less than 10 minutes thanks to your broiler. Place the broccoli florets (you can use the stalks too if you’d like) on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and broil on high, with the oven rack about 4 inches below the broiler, for about 5 minutes. Remove the sheet pan, flip the broccoli, add the shrimp, a bit more olive oil, and return to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes. That’s all the time it takes for the shrimp to cook through. Drizzle everything with melted butter spiked with fresh lemon juice and get ready to dig in. If you want to serve it with some rice or potatoes, go for it – otherwise you can keep it lower carb like I did.
What Type of Shrimp Should I Use?
I use one pound of fresh, raw shrimp that were deveined but still had the shells on that I then removed. They were U12 shrimp (or 12-count), meaning about 12 shrimp per pound. If you use 15-18 count shrimp, they will be smaller and cook even quicker than the 2 1/2 minutes it took my shrimp to cook I don’t recommend using anything smaller than about 18-count shrimp because they will cook so fast under the broiler you easily run the risk of overcooking them. Not to mention, I don’t find they have as much flavor. Use shrimp you can literally sink your teeth into.
Tips for Making This Recipe
If you’re not used to broiling things, make sure to keep a close on on your food because food can go from raw to burnt in a matter of seconds. You don’t need to stand in front of the oven door with it ajar for this recipe, but you do need to be present, in the kitchen, and don’t forget about your food. My sheet pan was so hot that after I broiled the broccoli for 5 minutes, that upon placing the shrimp on the pan, they started turning pink and cooking on contact. Shrimp cook very quickly and even my large U12 shrimp (12 shrimp per pound) cooked in less than 3 minutes. Overcooked shrimp aren’t juicy, they’re tough and chewy, and undesirable so make sure not to overcook them.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes:
ALL OF MY SHRIMP RECIPES! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
Shrimp Ceviche — The EASIEST way to make traditional shrimp ceviche and it tastes the BEST!! Ready in 30 minutes, great as an appetizer, side, or as a healthy main course that everyone LOVES!!
10-Minute Honey Barbecue Grilled Shrimp – Fast, EASY, healthy, ready in 10 minutes, and the perfect way to enjoy shrimp!! Tender, juicy, and full of such great FLAVOR from the barbecue sauce and honey!!
Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas – EASY, ready in 30 minutes, tastes AUTHENTIC, and made on ONE sheet pan to keep things simple – especially on busy nights!!
