This dinner idea is so easy and so nutritious! Packed with protein and vitamins, it’s quick and super delicious!
You’ll need broccoli rabe, shrimp, olive oil, garlic cloves, oregano and basil.
There is some great stuff going on in this recipe. To begin, hopefully you like shrimp! I have used in the past already cooked shrimp and just saute it in the olive oil, garlic and herbs. But it is much better tasting and better for you to use wild caught raw shrimp and saute it in the garlic and olive oil. Always purchase wild caught, and never farm raised!
The best thing to know is that 48% of shrimp is pure protein! That means after you do your WELL-FIT activity, by eating this recipe, you’re giving your muscles the amino acids that they need to repair and build, promoting a leaner, stronger body and a nice speedy recovery after heavy workouts. This is a post workout meal I make after some of our basement workouts, it’s quick and filling! More great information can be found at healthyhubb.com!
We don’t have a Whole Foods in my town and I wish we did. They have great practices regarding seafood standards and not having chemicals added to their shrimp, you can read more here: Shrimp Standard. Wild shrimp is a healthier option and when I first moved here, there wasn’t an option for wild shrimp at our ShopRite! No joke. Now they do offer wild caught. We do have a fish market I sometimes stop to purchase our seafood.
I do my best when choosing food items and I am so happy to now have wild caught seafood options more readily available. If you live in a place where it is daunting to know which shrimp brand/bag to buy, first look for WILD CAUGHT RAW. If you can’t find it raw, sometimes there is WILD CAUGHT but it’s already cooked. Odd, but yes, sometimes available. You can read about frozen shrimp in a very good and informative article found here Frozen Shrimp. You’ll find that generally all shrimp was previously frozen, and buying by the frozen bag is a good idea! For me it’s great because I can control when to thaw them out and cook and I keep them cold up to the very minute it’s time to get cookin!
The downside of this bag and most of the others that are not wild caught raw, is that it does have salt added.
Look closely at these two options, both are simply shrimp and that’s it.
To thaw them I put them in a bowl submerged with cold water, let them thaw a bit, drain them in a colander and then do again with more fresh cold water until they’re thawed thoroughly. You want to use them quickly when they’re cold and honestly I’ve found if some still have a bit of ice to them, it’s ok when I saute them. Shrimp also shrink and cook down, so I like to choose a good medium sized shrimp, but if you like smaller ones, do it!
Warm the olive oil and sliced garlic in a skillet on a medium heat.
When the shrimp are thawed, remove the tail and shell, and then add to pan with garlic and olive oil. Saute over medium heat until cooked thoroughly.
Continue to add oregano and basil to meet your flavor preference!
Keep the shrimp cooking on a low-medium heat while you get the broccoli rabe going.
I tell you I love vegetables, broccoli and broccoli rabe are a few of my favorites!! Such good robust flavor added to any meal, especially this one, it compliments the shrimp very well! And you know it’s packed with good vitamins and minerals!
Here’s a great site to read about some superfoods: Dr. Axe Food is Medicine There you’ll see broccoli rabe is one of the top 10 on the list! Nutrient-dense and loaded with health benefits; potassium, iron, calcium, fiber and vitamins A, C and K as well as lutein, this is one vegetable to think of adding to any dish really! It’s one of those foods I love to include in my diet because it’s doing work for my body!
To recognize broccoli rabe, it has leafy greens with it, whereas broccolini will just be long stem with the broccoli florets. Here’s broccoli rabe:
Whereas this is broccolini, which is good too just doesn’t pack as much flavor in my opinion:
So using the broccoli rabe, in a separate skillet, start the same, warming sliced garlic in olive oil. Then add the broccoli rabe. It might not fit at first but eventually it will cook down and you can stir it around.
Add some oregano and basil to the broccoli rabe and allow it to saute for about 5 minutes. Combine the shrimp and broccoli rabe together in the same skillet if you wish to allow the flavors to blend, or simply combine both on a plate and serve! Overall for both to cook is about 10 minutes, 15 minutes tops!
| Prep Time | 5-10 mins |
| Cook Time | 10-15 mins |
| Servings |
people
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- 20-25 Wild Caught Shrimp thawed with shell and tail removed
- 1 bunch broccoli rabe
- 5 cloves Garlic sliced
- 2 tsp oregano about 1 tsp for shrimp & 1 tsp for broccoli rabe
- 2 tsp basil about 1 tsp for shrimp & 1 tsp for broccoli rabe
- 2 tbsp olive oil about 1 tbsp for shimp & 1 tbsp for broccoli rabe
Ingredients
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- In one skillet combine sliced garlic and olive oil, simmer at medium heat just until it's warmed and fragrant.
- Add Shrimp and allow to cook on medium heat until curling. Add basil and oregano and cook a minute or two longer on low heat. If the shrimp is not completely thawed it won't make much of a difference.
- In another skillet combine sliced garlic and olive oil, simmer at medium heat just until it's warmed and fragrant
- Add broccoli rabe. It might be a little much for the pan at first, but it will begin to cook down and will fit better.
- And oregano and basil and allow broccoli rabe to cook in olive oil and garlic until soft, for about 10 minutes
- Toward end, combine both the shrimp and broccoli rabe in one pan so all ingredients mix together, stir together over low heat for about a minute or two, then place on plate and serve!