Level up your rice from plain to something more interesting and delicious. This Black Beans Cilantro Lime Rice is one way to do it. A few simple extra steps and ingredients will transform you plain rice into to a rice that could pass as meal on its own. A Cilantro and Lime flavored rice mixed with black beans and topped with pan seared shrimp to make it a complete dish worthy of a meal.

About This Recipe

• Ease in Making the Recipe: I find this recipe easy in process and cooking time. Since we are using shrimp, the cooking time is faster than when using chicken. You can even make the process faster and easier if you have a leftover rice.
• Ingredients: Rice, shrimp, beans, cilantro plus herbs, spices and seasoning. All the ingredients are easy to find.
• Texture, Taste & Flavor: Very flavorful and it taste really fresh from the citrus lime flavor and fresh Cilantro. This is a complete meal on its own and quite filling.
• Make-Ahead: Yes you can make this a day ahead. The flavor gets even better the following day because all the flavor have the time to mingle and blend.

Ingredients for Black Beans & Shrimp Cilantro Lime Rice

• Rice – Basmati or Jasmine are great options for fried rice. If you have leftover rice, this is a great time to use it. Leftover rice tends to be drier which makes the rice less soggy. You will not need the water/broth as the rice is already cook. I have the instructions below when using leftover rice.
• Seasoning and Spices – Salt, Black Pepperand Italian seaoning are what I used.
• Water or Broth – This will be use to cook the rice. Broth adds another layer of flavor but water will work as well.
• Cilantro – Use fresh Cilantro for a nice fresh flavor. We are going for a fresh taste in this dish.
• Black Beans – I used canned black beans for easier preparation. You can use dried black beans and cook it.
• Juice and Zest of 1 Lime – Use fresh Lime for better flavor and taste. You can add more or less depending on how tart you want the flavor to be.
• Shrimp Marinade – This is a simple mix of lime juice, salt, pepper and minced ginger. You can use any marinade that you like but adding lime to the marinade intensify the lime flavor that I was going for in this rice dish.

How to Make Black Beans & Shrimp Cilantro Lime Rice

There are two parts in making this rice dish or 1 if you are using a leftover rice.

The first part is marinating and cooking the shrimp. You can leave it in the fridge for 1 hour or 30 minutes minimum or even overnight if you are making a large batch. Once marinated, cook the shrimp until no longer translucent. You can add more seasoning and spices at this stage.

The second part is cooking the rice. Thoroughly wash the rice and drain the excess water. Toast in a heated pan with oil to slightly dry it. This lessen the rice from being soggy. You can use water or broth to cook the rice. Once the rice is cook, you can now add the black beans, cooked shrimp, cilantro, lime juice and the seasoning and spices. Cook for few more minutes. Cover and ler rest before serving. This will make the texture of the rice better.

Can I use leftover rice  to make this?

Yes. Surprisingly, I actually find the texture better when I used left over rice to make this. My assumption was because the rice has become slightly dry already so adding lime juice in it doesn’t make the rice mushy as compared to when adding it right after cooking.  Cooking time will be less as the rice is already cooked. All you have to do is to toast it in olive oil then add the cooked shrimp, beans, herbs, spices and lime juice.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked Basmati or Jasmin Rice
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian Sasoning
• 1 1/3 cup Water or Broth (Amount of water could vary depending on the type of rice, adjust as needed)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Cilantro
• 1/4 cup canned Black Beans
• Juice and Zest of 1 Lime (or 2 for stronger citrus taste)

Shrimp Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/2 lb Shrimp (more or less)
• 1 tablespoon Lime Juice
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Ginger Paste

Instructions:

1. Marinate the Shrimp: In a bowl, marinade the shrimp with lime juice, salt, paprika and ginger paste.
2. Cook the Shrimp: In a heated pan, add the oil. Cook the shrimp until no longer translucent. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Cook the Rice: Wash and rinse the rice. In the same pan were you cooked the shrimp, transfer the washed rice. Mix for few minutes to lightly toast the rice. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and stir. Pour the water or broth. Cover and cook for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is cooked to your liking. Cooking time and amount of liquid could vary depending on the type of rice you are using.
4. Add Beans, Cilantro and Lime Juice: Add black beans, cilantro, shrimp and lime juice and zest. Turn off the heat. Stir and cover for 10 minutes. If the rice is still too wet, you can continue cooking for 10 minutes to reduce the water. I prefer my rice not too mush so as soon as the rice is cook and not too wet, I stop the heat.
5. Serve: Garnish with chopped Cilantro and lime wedge on the side. This can be served on its own or served with chicken or fish cooked to your liking.

Serves 2

Nutritional Information

Nutritional Information was calculated using Veryfitwell Recipe Calorie and Nutrition Calculator. For details about Nutritional Information in this website, please read the Disclaimer page.

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