20 minute spicy bbq shrimp rice bowls
I haven’t bowled ya’ll over with a new rice bowl in quite some time. I was due for a strike.
It’s okay, I mentally barfed at that joke, too.
Mondays, I’m finding, are truly when I run out of leftovers and need to restock my larders with supplies. I used to save my big grocery trips for Wednesdays, then slowly I morphed into a Monday-Wednesday schedule, and now Mondays have solidified themselves into my replenishment days. Perhaps, then, the recent lineup of more meal-prep friendly dishes is unsurprising.
Summer is here, with a slap and a bang, and that means many of us are firing up various types of grills, grill pans, open flames, etc. I realized I have very few, if any, grillable recipes available, and with July 4th looming over us like a big shadowy American flag, I figured it was about time. Bonus points for making the dish rather perfect for weekday lunches, too!
I love BBQ anything, and since I had plenty of sauce left over from last week’s corn pizza, a rice bowl was a fitting idea for filling up my sad, empty fridge. Well, empty except for my 20 jars of condiments, so let’s make a 21st! Thankfully, garlic sauce is probably one of my favorites to have on hand, and that’s what we’ve got here, yo.
These easy 20 Minute Spicy BBQ Shrimp Bowls use pantry ingredients but are a slamming flavor bomb of awesome. Serve the charred shrimpies over steamed rice with a handful of fresh ingredients – which can be easily swapped for your favorites – and slather with lots of creamy garlic sauce for a dope-ass meal you can also enjoy the rest of the week for work lunches.
Extra bonus – double or treble the recipe as needed for a July 4th cookout, or for any gathering involving larger quantities of noms!
Shrimp on the Barbie
I was trying to figure out a way to weave that into the recipe title, but it sounded hokey so I opted against the attempt. So, I’ll just put it as a header.
To start, if you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in water for about 30 minutes. This prevents them from charring into dust when thrown onto the hot grates, and makes them easier to trim down if you need to fit a certain sized pan like I did.
We double up on bbq with the shrimp for this recipe: with a seasoning blend, and with a finishing brushy brush of sauce after the shrimp are cooked. The bbq spice mix is probably familiar to you if you’ve been around here awhile (if you have, hugs! If you haven’t, hugs!): brown sugar, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, black pepper, and salt.
Make sure your shrimp are thawed, peeled and deveined, and very dry. I let mine sit in a swaddle of paper towels while I goof around doing other shit for the meal. For the shrimp, I tend to use jumbo, which will yield about 6-8 skewers depending on how big your skewers are.
Toss the shrimp in a little olive oil, then the seasonings until nicely combined. Thread the shrimp onto your skewers, leaving some wiggle room on either end.
Heat your grill, grill pan, or skillet (all work fine) to medium high heat. Cook the shrimps for about 2-3 minutes per side until they get a lovely char and turn opaque. I cooked in batches to prevent overcrowding, so feel free to do the same so you don’t have some weird half-done shrimp on your hands. Awk.
Move the fragrant, tasty dudes to a plate and brush with BBQ sauce. Use whatever you like or have on hand, but I am partial to my homemade bourbon sauce if you’d like to give it a go. Yep, kissing my own ass over here.
Garlic Breath
Now, you could totally do ranch for these bowls, but garlic sauce holds a special place in my black hole of a heart, so I made some of that instead. The ingredients are very minimal: vegan or regular mayo, Greek yogurt, lots of fresh minced garlic, lemon juice, black pepper, and salt. Mix it up and taste to see if you need any more of a component.
The bowl assembly starts now! Start with your bed of rice, then a couple skewers, and your choice of accoutrement. I love fresh crispy cucumber, avocado, and of course those vivid pickled onions, as well as basil and cilantro if I have them. Smack lots of garlic sauce on top and a little more bbq sauce.
A whole bowl of yumbo.
These are fab for entertaining, and I’d definitely stuff this in my back pocket for Independence Day consideration. Well, not literally, it’d be a bit odd and messy to keep shrimp in my back pocket. The recipe, however, I’d recommend you stow away in a safe place. Like your phone bookmark tab. Though I’m not sure that’s safe anymore.
I’m just digging my own grave, so I’ll stop writing now. I’m getting the munchies. Maybe that’s why my narrative took a sharp left turn.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Winner winner shrimpie dinner:
One Skillet Lemon White Wine Shrimp and Orzo
15 Minute Brown Butter Shrimp Scampi
Sheet Pan Hot Honey Ranch Shrimp Bowls
Weeknight Spicy BBQ Shrimp Tacos
Spicy Buffalo Shrimp Bowls with Creamy Lime Ranch
20 minute spicy bbq shrimp rice bowls
Ingredients
- 1 lb jumbo or colossal shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/3 cup bbq sauce, homemade or store bought
- 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced
- 1-2 avocados, sliced
- steamed rice, pickled red onions, and fresh basil, to serve
garlic sauce
- 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (or regular)
- 1/4 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- If using wooden skewers, soak in cool water for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking. If needed, cut down the soaked skewers to fit the size of your grill pan or skillet.
- Thaw the shrimp completely and dry with paper towels. Add to a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
- Stir together the brown sugar, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, black pepper, and a pinch of koshers alt. Sprinkle onto the shrimp and toss to combine.
- Thread 4-5 shrimp onto your skewers. The number depends on the size of your skewers and shrimp.
- Heat the grill pan, grill, or skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches as needed, cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side until nicely charred and opaque. Remove from heat and immediately brush with barbecue sauce. Repeat as needed with the rest of the shrimp skewers.
- To make the garlic sauce, mix together the mayo, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic cloves, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Pile rice into a shallow bowl. Top with skewers, sliced avocado, cucumber, and pickled onions, as desired. Drizzle garlic sauce and finish with fresh basil, or another favorite herb.
