Optional Garnishes: Pine Nuts, Crumbled Feta Cheese, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, Lemon Wedges, Cherry Tomatoes
Instructions
Partially cook the shrimp: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a 12’’ skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to the pan and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook until the shrimp are pink on one side, about 2 minutes, and then flip and continue to cook until JUST BARELY cooked, about 1 additional minute. Remove shrimp to a plate and set aside, tenting very loosely to keep warm.
For the quinoa: Heat oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add in the onion, paprika and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add in the quinoa and broth, and bring contents to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.
Remove the lid and stir in the zucchini and shrimp. Cook until just warmed through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest, ½ the juice, and parsley. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter* and season with remaining ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes and remaining lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside for drizzling finished dish.
To Serve: Top the shrimp and quinoa with pine nuts, feta cheese and additional optional garnishes. Drizzle with butter. Enjoy!
Notes
1.I left the tail on my shrimp for aesthetic purposes only. You can leave the tail on, or remove it, just make sure you peel and devein the shrimp!2. The recipe calls for large (16/20 count) shrimp, but you can use smaller, or jumbo, shrimp depending on your preference. Simply scale the cook time, down or up respectively, when you are partially cooking the shrimp in recipe step #1.3. When cooking the quinoa you can either use vegetable broth, chicken broth or chicken stock. I personally used vegetable broth, but use whatever you have on hand or prefer!4. The easiest way to shred zucchini is using a box grater. I used the large holes on the box grater so the zucchini is slightly hidden (for picky kids), but not completely disintegrated (for us adults). ;)5. For the butter sauce, you can either melt the butter in the microwave, or melt it on the stovetop over medium heat. Personally, if you are looking to save time and energy, I’d go with simply melting it in the microwave on 50% power.