Mediterranean Shrimp Bowl (Print Version)

Succulent shrimp with Mediterranean vegetables, quinoa, and creamy tahini sauce ready in 35 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Shrimp

01 - 1 lb 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

→ 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
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

# Directions:

01 - Cook quinoa 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 the shrimp and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until pink and opaque. Remove from heat.
04 - In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, water, minced garlic, cumin, and salt until smooth. Add additional water to reach desired consistency.
05 - In serving bowls, layer the cooked quinoa, baby spinach or arugula, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and red onion.
06 - Top each bowl with sautéed shrimp and drizzle generously with tahini sauce.
07 - Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges. Serve immediately while shrimp is still warm.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes, perfect for weeknight dinners when you actually want to eat at a reasonable hour.
  • The tahini sauce is so good you'll find yourself drizzling it on everything else you cook for weeks afterward.
  • You can prep all the vegetables while the shrimp cooks, so it feels assembled rather than cooked, which is somehow more satisfying.
02 -
  • Don't skip tossing the shrimp with seasoning before cooking—those few minutes of marinating in the bowl actually makes a difference in how flavorful they become.
  • The tahini sauce thickens slightly as it sits, so make it just before serving and add water gradually until you get the consistency you want, not the consistency you think you should have.
03 -
  • Toast the cumin in a dry skillet for 30 seconds before adding it to the tahini sauce if you want the flavor to be more pronounced and warm rather than subtle.
  • Make the tahini sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge—it actually tastes better the next day after flavors have time to meld, which means you're one step ahead when dinner time arrives.
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