This Shrimp Rice Bowl is simple, easy to make, and so delicious! It has cilantro lime rice, mango pico de gallo, sliced avocado, and spicy fajita shrimp. You can prep most of it ahead of time, and all the ingredients are super simple. Everything can be doubled for a bigger crowd and served for lunch or dinner!
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Why You'll Love This Shrimp Rice Bowl
The perfect mix of flavors and textures - This shrimp bowl has it all! Spicy shrimp, zesty cilantro rice, refreshing fresh mango salsa, and creamy avocado. It's gluten-free, dairy-free, light, healthy, filling, and perfect for warm weather!
Easy and simple - While this bowl is technically 3 recipes put together, it's still incredibly easy to make and straightforward. The whole thing can be ready in under 45 minutes! You can even prepare the pico de gallo ahead of time to get it ready even faster!
Great for lunch meal prep - You can store both the pico de gallo and the rice in the fridge for a couple of days, and the shrimp for a day or so. I like tossing the leftovers with lettuce for a quick salad or putting them into a wrap to make a burrito with added Jalapeno Mayo!
Ingredients
- Mango Pico de Gallo - You'll need fresh ripe mango (I recommend Ataloufo mango), tomatoes (Roma tomatoes work the best), red onion, jalapeno, fresh cilantro, fresh lime juice, and sea salt. To make the fresh salsa extra special, sprinkle in some Tajin!
- Cilantro Lime Rice - Basmati rice with freshly squeezed lime juice, lime zest, and finely chopped fresh cilantro makes the whole dish so much more flavorful. If you don't like cilantro, you can always use different herbs.
- Raw shrimp - You want to look for raw, peeled, and deveined shrimp. I like to keep the tails on for cooking because they add more flavor, but you can remove them. The size of the shrimp is up to you. I usually go with 26-30 count/pound for more pieces, but for this recipe, I went with 21-25 count/lb.
- Fajita Seasoning - You can make your own or use store-bought. I also like to use Taco Seasoning here when I don't have fajita seasoning.
- Avocado - Ripe, creamy avocado adds healthy fats, some protein, and creaminess. It's optional, but it goes with everything else really well.
Variations and Substitutions
- Protein - You can make this with salmon, other fish, chicken, pork, or even beef! Crispy tofu could work as well if you want to make it vegetarian!
- Fresh salsa - If you don't have mango, try my Pineapple Pico de Gallo or even this Peach Pico de Gallo, which is especially good when you make this with chicken instead of shrimp! You could also add fresh veggies like cucumber, cherry tomatoes, or bell peppers tossed with olive oil and lime juice if you don't have the salsa ingredients.
- Herbs - If you don't like cilantro, you can add fresh parsley and chives to the rice and the pico de gallo, though it will change the flavor a lot.
- The base - You can make this bowl with brown rice, quinoa, or even cauliflower rice if you don't have white rice.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Make the mango pico de gallo - Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and gently toss together to combine. Cover and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Cook the rice - Rinse your rice in cold water a few times until the water runs clear. Drain and add it to a small saucepan or a rice cooker.
- Add water and sea salt and bring to a boil. Stir to prevent it from sticking, lower the heat, and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
- Take it off the heat, fluff with a fork, and cover for 2-3 minutes.
- Add fresh cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice. Stir to combine and set aside.
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- Cook the shrimp - Toss your shrimp with avocado oil in a small bowl. Season them with fajita seasoning and toss again with your hand to make sure all are evenly covered.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook for 2 minutes, lower the heat slightly, flip them, and cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side.
- Carefully add a splash of water at the last minute and allow it to partially evaporate to create a little bit of a sauce.
- To plate everything, divide the rice between your plates, add the shrimp, the mango pico de gallo, and a ¼ of a sliced avocado to each bowl. Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks!
- Leave the tails on the shrimp - The tails add more flavor, so I recommend cooking the shrimp with them. You can always pull them off before serving if you prefer.
- Rinse the rice - This is super important for good, fluffy rice. This will get rid of any excess starch that makes the rice extra sticky. The brand of rice can also make a huge difference. Look for rice that doesn't have too many broken grains of rice.
Storing and Make-Ahead Options
Both the pico de gallo and the cilantro rice can be made ahead. I recommend cooking the shrimp right before serving, but they do make delicious leftovers the next day.
- Mango pico de gallo - It does release a lot of water as it sits, especially if you add sea salt or Tajin right away, but it's still good to eat. You can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days.
- Cilantro lime rice - The rice can also be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days, but it tastes the best the first 1-2 days.
- Fajita shrimp - You can store any leftover shrimp in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 day.
You can reheat the rice in a small saucepan with a splash of water to avoid it burning. Cook it until warmed through, stirring it often.
The best way to reheat the shrimp is in a non-stick skillet with a splash of water or a little bit of cooking oil for a few minutes, flipping them halfway, until fully warmed through.
FAQs
I don't recommend it. You'll still need to cook the shrimp in a pan with all the spices to infuse them with flavor, but since they're already cooked, it will only dry them out.
I always recommend getting frozen shrimp, unless you live by the ocean. Fresh shrimp are usually defrosted shrimp, so it makes no difference. Plus, if you buy them frozen, you can be sure they're fresher than the defrosted ones.
Other Shrimp Recipes
If you have shrimp in your freezer that you don't know what to do with, below are four more recipes with similar flavors, or just my favorites, you should try! The pasta is my favorite! To see all the latest ones, head over to Fish and Seafood.
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Print📖 Recipe
Shrimp Rice Bowl
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Shrimp Rice Bowl is simple, easy to make, and so delicious! It has cilantro lime rice, mango pico de gallo, sliced avocado, and spicy fajita shrimp. Simple ingredients and so good!
Ingredients
Mango Pico de Gallo
- 1 cup diced mango (I used 1 ataloufo mango)
- 1 cup diced tomato, seeds removed (1-2 Roma tomatoes)
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 jalapeno, seeds removed and finely diced
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ teaspoon tajin (optional, sub ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt)
Cilantro Lime Rice
- ½ cup basmati rice
- 1 cup water
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1-2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
- zest of ½ lime
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Fajita Shrimp
- 0.5 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (21-25 count per pound gives you 5 shrimp per person, use a larger count for more smaller shrimp)
- 2 teaspoon avocado oil (or other cooking oil)
- 2 teaspoon fajita seasoning or taco seasoning
- ½ avocado, sliced
Instructions
Mango Pico de Gallo
- Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and gently toss together to combine. Cover and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Cilantro Lime Rice
- Rinse your rice in cold water a few times until the water runs clear. Drain and add it to a small saucepan.
- Add water and sea salt and bring to a boil. Stir to prevent it from sticking, lower the heat, and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
- Take it off the heat, fluff with a fork, and cover for 2-3 minutes.
- Add fresh cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice. Stir to combine and set aside.
Fajita Shrimp
- Toss your shrimp with avocado oil in a small bowl.
- Season the shrimp with fajita seasoning and toss them with your hand to make sure all are evenly covered.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add the shrimp in a single layer.
- Cook for 2 minutes, lower the heat slightly, flip them, and cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side.
- Carefully add a splash of water at the last minute and allow it to partially evaporate to create a little bit of a sauce.
- To plate everything, divide the rice between your plates, add the shrimp, the mango pico de gallo, and a ¼ of a sliced avocado to each bowl. Enjoy!
Notes
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. Ideally, I recommend storing the pico de gallo separately because it releases a lot of water as it sits. The rice and the pico can be stored for up to 3 days.
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