Published by Best Fitness Routine. Editorial standards · Report a correction. Educational guidance; no individual clinical review is claimed unless a qualified reviewer is named.
About This Healthy Recipe
Garlic lime shrimp skewers cook quickly in the oven while quinoa and a tomato-cucumber salad provide the rest of the meal. Lime juice is split between the raw shrimp coating and a clean salad dressing before seafood is handled. Parsley adds fresh herb flecks to the garlic-lime coating.
The 55-minute total allows 35 minutes preparation and assembly plus 20 minutes for quinoa cooking/standing. The short shrimp bake overlaps the grain schedule or uses its remaining preparation margin; there is no extra marination time.
All shrimp coating and tray oil are counted, even where a small amount is not eaten. The salad dressing is measured separately and never touches raw seafood. For another preparation, see Cilantro Lime Shrimp Quinoa Cucumber Bowl.
Why Readers May Like It
- 1Measured portions, clear cooking guidance and practical doneness checks.
- 2Clear dry, cooked and drained ingredient weights.
- 3Four measured meal portions with skewers, sauces and listed sides included.
Recipe Summary and Estimated Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated from the listed ingredient weights and the specific USDA records or manufacturer references linked below. Weights labeled dry, raw, cooked or drained must be matched to that state.
4 servings
One serving is one quarter of the base batch. Values are estimates rather than laboratory analysis.
Per one quarter of the base recipe
Per one quarter of the base recipe
Per one quarter of the base recipe
Per one quarter of the base recipe
Brands, drained weights, substitutions and final serving sizes can change these values.
Ingredient-by-Ingredient Nutrition Breakdown
Gram weights are the calculation basis; household measures are approximate. The table includes all listed oil, sauce and toppings. All listed marinades, oil, sauces and sides are included. The estimate counts the full measured amounts, even if some remain on cooking equipment. Discarded plain cooking water is not counted as food.
| Ingredient | Amount used | Weight | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw shrimp or prawns, peeled, deveined, tails removed | about 1 lb 5 oz edible raw weight; similar medium-large sizes | 600 g | 510 kcal | 120.6 g | 0 g | 3.1 g |
| Quinoa, dry, before rinsing | about 1 1/6 cups | 200 g | 736 kcal | 28.2 g | 128.3 g | 12.1 g |
| Water for quinoa | about 1 3/4 cups; adjust plain water to packet | 420 g | 0 kcal | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Cucumber with peel, raw, diced | about 2 1/4 cups | 320 g | 48 kcal | 2.1 g | 11.6 g | 0.4 g |
| Tomatoes, raw, diced | about 2 cups | 320 g | 58 kcal | 2.8 g | 12.4 g | 0.6 g |
| Lime juice, raw: 20 g shrimp, 40 g salad | 1/4 cup total | 60 g | 15 kcal | 0.3 g | 5.1 g | 0 g |
| Garlic, raw, peeled and grated | 3 cloves | 12 g | 18 kcal | 0.8 g | 4 g | 0.1 g |
| Olive oil: 16 g shrimp coating, 4 g trays, 8 g salad | about 2 tablespoons total | 28 g | 248 kcal | 0 g | 0 g | 28 g |
| Table salt: 1 g shrimp, 1 g quinoa, 1 g salad | about 1/2 teaspoon total | 3 g | 0 kcal | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Ground black pepper for shrimp coating | about 1/2 teaspoon | 1 g | 3 kcal | 0.1 g | 0.6 g | 0 g |
| Fresh parsley, raw, finely chopped, for the shrimp coating | about 2 tablespoons loosely packed | 8 g | 3 kcal | 0.2 g | 0.5 g | 0.1 g |
| Full recipe estimate | 4 servings | — | 1639 kcal | 155.1 g | 162.5 g | 44.4 g |
How This Nutrition Estimate Was Prepared
- Match each listed ingredient to its linked food record or stated label reference.
- Multiply the per-100-g values by the listed gram weight and add the unrounded ingredient values.
- Divide the full calculation by four servings, then round for the cards.
- Recalculate if you change the ingredient brand, amount or serving yield.
Ingredient cells are rounded independently. The footer sums displayed cells; per-serving cards use the unrounded calculation, so small rounding differences are expected. Final cooking yield and brands can change the estimate.
Ingredients
Measured ingredients
Step-by-Step Preparation
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Equipment links are paid affiliate links; use suitable tools you already own.
Equipment
- Oven-safe metal skewers (paid link)
- Thin-tip food thermometer (paid link)
- Two rimmed baking sheets (paid link)
- Digital kitchen scale (paid link)
- Lidded saucepan (paid link)
- Fine mesh strainer (paid link)
- Chef knife and board (paid link)
- Mixing bowls (paid link)
- Kitchen tongs (paid link)
- Oven gloves (paid link)
Before You Start
The 55-minute total allows 35 minutes preparation and assembly plus 20 minutes for quinoa cooking/standing. The short shrimp bake overlaps the grain schedule or uses its remaining preparation margin; there is no extra marination time.
Allow about 55 minutes for preparation, cooking all batches and any stated resting. Some tasks overlap; doneness checks take priority over the clock. Measure the listed oil before cooking and keep the sides within the stated four portions. Use the raw, dry, cooked or drained state specified for each ingredient.
Start the quinoa and oven
5 minutes plus 15-minute simmer during preparationRinse the weighed dry quinoa in a fine strainer and place in a lidded saucepan with 420 g water and 1 g salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or as its packet directs. Heat the oven to 425°F / 220°C conventional, or 390°F / 200°C fan, while the grain cooks. A digital kitchen scale (paid link) helps keep the measured quantities consistent.
Make the clean chopped salad
10 minutesBefore handling raw seafood, dice the cucumber and tomatoes and combine them with 40 g lime juice, 8 g olive oil and 1 g salt in a clean bowl (paid link). Cover and refrigerate. This salad and its dressing are finished food, so their utensils must not be used in the raw shrimp bowl.
Prepare the measured shrimp coating
3 minutes plus 5-minute covered quinoa stand during preparationWhen the quinoa is tender, take it off the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes. In a separate mixing bowl combine the remaining 20 g lime juice, garlic, chopped parsley, 16 g oil, 1 g salt and black pepper. Set aside 4 g tray oil. This is the coating for raw shrimp, not a sauce to pour over the finished meal.
Pat dry and coat the raw shrimp
5 minutesKeep the peeled, deveined shrimp chilled until needed. Pat dry and weigh 600 g edible raw pieces, excluding tails and shells. Fold them through the garlic-lime coating and thread promptly; there is no long citrus marinade in this schedule. Wash hands and clean all raw-seafood contact surfaces before handling cooked grain or salad.
Set up eight oven-safe skewers
8 minutesSpread 4 g oil across two rimmed trays. Thread equal shares of shrimp onto eight all-metal oven-safe skewers about 30 cm / 12 inches long, piercing each curved shrimp through two points where practical so it turns with the skewer. Leave slight gaps and put four skewers on each tray. Discard coating remaining in the raw-contact bowl.
Bake and turn the seafood
8–12 minutes, overlapping grain schedule or preparation marginBake for about 8–12 minutes, turning the skewers and swapping tray positions halfway through. Use gloves and clean tongs. Check that the shrimp become pearly and opaque throughout; with a thin probe inserted into thick pieces away from the metal, confirm 145°F / 63°C on both trays. Continue cooking any underdone pieces.
Finish and divide the quinoa
4 minutesFluff the quinoa after its covered standing time. If it finished earlier, keep it hot at 140°F / 60°C or above until service. Divide the whole grain into four portions and share the cold tomato-cucumber salad and its clean dressing equally. Do not add drips from the raw shrimp bowl to the grain.
Serve without an extra sauce
3 minutesAdd two cooked shrimp skewers to each quinoa-and-salad plate. Warn that the metal stays hot and slide food off before eating. The measured salad dressing supplies the fresh lime finish; extra butter, oil or bottled dressing would need its own calculation. Refrigerate any saved components promptly and separately.
How to Know It Is Ready
Shrimp must be pearly and opaque throughout and thick pieces must reach 145°F / 63°C away from the metal. Quinoa should be tender; salad stays chilled until assembly.
Garlicky tender shrimp, fluffy quinoa and a crisp tomato-cucumber salad with bright lime dressing.
One quarter of the skewers, listed sides, sauce and measured oil.
What This Meal Provides and What to Consider
Meal Balance
- The measured batch supplies about 38.8 g protein per serving.
- Skewers, listed accompaniments and measured cooking oil are included in the complete portion.
Things to Consider
- Crustacean shellfish in shrimp. Check seafood packaging for sulphites or other declared additives and check quinoa packaging and cross-contact for the intended eater.
- Energy, sodium and saturated fat still depend on ingredients and portion size. This meal does not guarantee a particular fitness or health result.
Who May Enjoy This Recipe?
Skewer meal planning
Home cooks looking for a measured seafood lunch or dinner.
Home cooking
All shrimp coating and tray oil are counted, even where a small amount is not eaten. The salad dressing is measured separately and never touches raw seafood.
Measured portions
People who want to understand how ingredient weights relate to a four-serving batch.
How to Adjust the Meal
Smaller appetite
Serve a smaller portion and save the rest safely. Recalculate nutrition for the portion you actually eat.
Larger appetite
Choose an appropriate larger portion or accompaniment and include those ingredients in the meal calculation.
Protein adjustments
If changing the main protein, marinade or side, use its product label and recalculate. The amount can also change texture and cooking requirements.
Substitutions, Dietary Notes, and Allergens
Practical Substitutions
- Bulgur can replace quinoa only with a revised dry weight, water, time and nutrient estimate, and it introduces wheat. Lemon can replace lime at the same measured juice weight for a different flavor with an updated estimate; it does not remove the shellfish allergen.
- Changing the protein, piece size or marinade changes cooking time and nutrition. Follow the safe doneness guidance for the replacement and recalculate the estimate.
Allergen Information
Crustacean shellfish in shrimp. Check seafood packaging for sulphites or other declared additives and check quinoa packaging and cross-contact for the intended eater.
Check packaged ingredient labels for the allergens relevant to you. A substitution changes both the recipe and the calculation.
Storage and Meal Preparation
Refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours, or within 1 hour when surroundings exceed 90°F / 32°C. Use shallow containers and a refrigerator at 40°F / 4°C or colder. Follow the component-specific storage limits below; rice has a shorter storage window where specified. Reheat hot leftovers to 165°F / 74°C.
Keeping This Skewer Meal
Slide cooked food off the skewers with a clean utensil and refrigerate it and the grain in separate shallow containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F / 32°C. Keep at 40°F / 4°C or below and use within 2 days of the earliest-cooked component, following an earlier ingredient use-by date. Do not leave a deep bowl on the counter to cool completely. Keep the raw vegetable salad in a separate chilled container.
Reheating the Meal
Reheat only the portions needed. Put the cooked pieces and grain in a covered microwave-safe or oven-safe dish, turning or stirring for even heating. Check several areas for 165°F / 74°C, including the center of thick pieces; a fixed heating time is not a safety check. Keep any cold sauce or salad refrigerated and add it after reheating.
Follow USDA leftovers guidance. For another skewer and accompaniment combination, browse Lemon Dill Salmon Skewers with Quinoa and Cucumber Salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
This method coats and cooks promptly. A long citrus soak changes the texture of shrimp and does not replace safe cooking or refrigeration; it is not included in the stated schedule.
Flat metal skewers and piercing a curved shrimp through two points can help. Do not pack them tightly; hot air still needs to reach the flesh.
The stated method keeps it raw and cool. Roasting the vegetables creates a different texture and schedule, so treat that as a separate variation rather than adding a salad bowl beside raw shrimp.
Use the serving controls to scale gram quantities and serving count. Use additional trays or cook more batches; cooking time does not simply double. Household notes describe the base four-serving recipe.
Nutrition Sources and Recipe Notes
These values are planning estimates, not individualized nutrition advice. Use labels for your exact products when precision is important. The recipe has not been kitchen-tested and the image is a generated illustration of the intended dish.
Nutrition Data Sources
See our Nutrition Calculation Methodology for weights, rounding and substitutions.
Food Safety Reference
Useful Tools for This Recipe
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Equipment links are paid affiliate links; use suitable tools you already own.
These tools fit the preparation above. Use suitable equipment you already own, or compare options if you need an item.
Oven-safe metal skewers
Use eight all-metal skewers about 30 cm / 12 inches long, sized to fit the trays; handles must also be oven-safe.
Compare on Amazon → (paid link)Paid link · opens in a new tabThin-tip food thermometer
Checks thick chicken or shrimp pieces away from the hot metal skewer and verifies reheated portions.
Compare on Amazon → (paid link)Paid link · opens in a new tabTwo rimmed baking sheets
Give eight skewers space in a single layer without crowding or overhanging the oven shelves.
Compare on Amazon → (paid link)Paid link · opens in a new tab
