Lemon Shrimp Recipe

Friday night dinners were a weekly tradition when I was growing up. I’m lucky to live just 5 minutes away from my Japanese grandparents and cousins, so every Friday I would wait eagerly by the door to go to Obachan’s house and eat some authentic asian food and then run to the backyard with my cousins to play with dirt and climb trees. My Obachan makes a delicious shrimp tempura and I would load up as many as I could on my plate, squirt a bit of this tasty brown sauce on the side, then dig in.

Youuu GUYS. SO GOOD.

Everything you could want. The crunch. The juicy inside. Mhmm her tempura is comfort food at its finest.

So what do you do when you a) don’t trust yourself with hot oil and b) are looking for a healthier alternative? You come up with a dish that has all the flavor and taste but is healthier and made in the safety of the oven! Even better? Only 5 ingredients and the recipe comes together in a flash. PARTY. You bring the drinks and I’ll bring a few of my tasty crustacean friends. OMG decapods.

What am I even saying?

I don’t know. It’s hard to concentrate when you have this picture all up in yo’ face.

The thing that makes this taste as good as the fried version is the crispiness of the panko. Also the perfect lemon flavor. Oh, and the parsley adds a great accent as well. Basically I like all of it, okay?

If you’ve never worked with panko before, you’re in for a treat. Normal breadcrumbs just can’t compare to the crunch factor you get from panko after it’s been all nice and toasted in the oven! I was out grocery shopping with my sister before making my 5-Ingredient Lemon Panko Shrimp and she insisted that we had a big stash of panko in our family’s pantry. Guess what?

SHE’S A BIG FAT LIAR.

Apparently we have 3 containers of the Italian version, but there was not a single panko crumb to be seen. I threw a short hissy fit at having to go back and make a second trip, but it just so happens that there’s a Starbucks at the entrance of the grocery store and I was able to cool down the fiery temper within me with a caramel frappuccino (it took me 7 tries to spell that right) and everything was okay in the world.

The moral of this story is never trust your sister with important things, like your supply of panko breadcrumbs. Got it?

One last word before we part to stuff shrimp in our mouths. This is best eaten straight out of the oven when the crispiness is at it’s maximum. They’re delicious either way, but if you’re looking for the AHHHH YUM experience, eat em’ when they’re hot and fresh.

Hey lovelies! TGIF! Today started off on an active note with a morning hike in the heat and ended with some fantastic food.

Before hitting the hills, Kyle and I got breakfast at Starbucks. I had a regular Americano with a morning bun and banana. The morning bun was delicious! Sweet, but not overly so. I would definitely recommend it! Kyle had a ham and swiss sandwich that exceeded our expectations as well

Since we’re really smart, we thought of turning on our runkeeper apps to see the elevation changes and distance hiked AFTER being halfway done, but we’re guessing that we covered a little over 4 miles. It was a sweaty, sweaty, sweaty one! We started off with shirts on, but as soon as it was time to trek back up hill, we were ready to rip em off and get our tan on. We live in a really unique area with a chaparral environment. It almost a savannah-like feel to it but the ocean is just a half mile away or so. The trails can take you all around the area, even down to the beach, so Kyle and I are planning on spending a half day or so exploring within the next couple of weeks.

Let me tell you, there’s nothing better after a long hike than a glass of ice cold water! Next time we’ll remember to bring some with us, hopefully.

Now, let’s talk FOOD!

I’ve been eating this garlic lemon shrimp orzo for the past two days and am in love with it’s simple yet delicious flavors. The lemon and garlic work together fantastically and the dish comes together quickly- perfect for busy weeknights!

It’s also man approved by Kyle, who says that he could eat this all day long! I love finding recipes that are simple, healthy, and genuinely tasty!

The simple flavors really shine and the garlic mellows out after being cooked. If you’re a big garlic lover like me and aren’t planning on kissing anyone soon, go ahead and add some garlic salt to the mix as well!

Let me know if you try it out! xoxo Christine