Garlic Shrimp Rice Bowl is an easy dinner and incredibly delicious. This shrimp recipe can be served with a variety of vegetables and can easily be made healthier by substituting rice for brown rice, quinoa, or just vegetables. This garlic sauce brings the dish together with a balance of sweet and salty flavors.
Garlic Shrimp Rice Bowl
If it was up to me, we would be having seafood for dinner every day. It’s fast, always delicious, and has a lot of nutrients. Fish is especially high in nutrients but shrimp is fast. Even the biggest shrimp is done within a few minutes.
This Garlic Shrimp Rice Bowl makes a great weeknight dinner because it can be ready in less than 30 minutes. The longest part of this dish is preparing the rice. Although, if you have rice prepared ahead of time or even have some leftover rice in the fridge, this dish can take 10 minutes to make.
The star here is the sauce because it bring the whole dish together with its sweet, tangy, and salty flavors. Even though this sauce goes perfectly with shrimp, you can also try it with chicken and make garlic chicken rice bowl.
What kind of veggies can be used:
If you want to add some more vegetables to the dish or substitute rice, there are several options that will compliment the flavors of the dish without overpowering it. Try adding bell peppers or carrots for a little sweetness and crunch. Broccoli, is perfect for soaking in that beautiful sauce and adds a good amount of fiber. Cauliflower is another great healthy vegetable to add.
Whichever vegetables you choose, make sure to slice them thinly or cut them into small florets. This is a fast dish so you would need to saute vegetables fist, before adding shrimp to the pan. Cook veggies a little or a lot, depending on how soft of crunchy you prefer them.
Substituting rice:
One of the most common questions I get with rice bowls is how they can substitute rice. There are a few options and it depends on what is the reason for substituting.
My preferred rice to use in rice bowls is jasmine rice. If you want to be a little healthier, you can use brown rice instead of jasmine or white.
For an even healthier substitution, use quinoa.
I highly recommend using vegetable or chicken broth to cook rice and quinoa because it add a lot of flavor to the rice. Make sure to lightly season it as well.
You can also eliminate rice all together if you wish and use extra veggies. Although, it will be a stir-fry at that point instead of a rice bowl.
Note: rice and quinoa, both can be prepared ahead of time.
Can I use onion instead of shallot?
There is a specific reason for using shallot in this recipe because of its flavor. It’s really quite different from a regular onion. Shallots are closer relatives to leeks, garlic, and scallions and have a sweeter, garlicky flavor. It compliments this garlic sauce and shrimp perfectly.
So I highly recommend using a shallot if at all possible. If one is not available, then use Vidalia onion since it’s a bit sweeter. You can even add some leek.
Is this dish gluten free?
Yes, this dish is gluten free IF you use gluten free soy sauce. Typically, soy sauce contains gluten so make sure to pick up a gluten free one at your local grocery store. Most grocery stores carry gluten free soy sauce.
What other easy dinners to try:
Key Lime Coconut Shrimp and Coconut Rice
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Garlic Shrimp Rice Bowl
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 3/4 cup chicken stock (can substitute vegetable broth)
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 4 large garlic cloves pressed
Rice Bowl:
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 large shallot thinly sliced
- 1 cup scallions chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup uncooked rice
Instructions
- Start cooking rice first because it will take the longest. Cook rice according to package instructions. I recommend cooking rice in chicken or vegetable stock for more flavor. When rice is about half way done, start on the shrimp.
- Combine ingredients for the sauce in a mixing bowl, whisk and set aside.
- Preheat a cooking pan over medium heat. Add a little oil to the pan.
- Add thinly sliced shallots and saute until starts to brown.
- Add chopped scallions and shrimp. Saute shrimp until starts to turn opaque and flip to the other side.
- Saute shrimp for another minutes. Stir sauce because corn starch has settled and add it to the pan.
- Stir and let it simmer until sauce thickens. When sauce thickens, take off heat and serve over rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Joan says
I hate it when people say I loved your recipe” and then tell all the changes they made, but . . I didn’t have scallions nor shallots, so I just used onions and also chopped some boc choy. It was delicious. Thank you for a recipe that be adapted, and still be great!
LyubaB says
I am so glad you liked it, Joan!