Jumpstart Recipe Garlic Paprika Shrimp & Broccoli

This scrumptious paprika shrimp recipe is one of our favorite Xyngular jumpstart recipes. It’s great for any low carb—even keto—diet and is full of flavor, alongside a mega serving of vitamins and minerals in the shrimp and broccoli. Read on for how to make the most of this yummy paprika shrimp recipe!

Garlic Paprika Shrimp & Broccoli Recipe

Serves 4
Per Serving—
Calories: 232 Fat: 11g Protein: 20g Carbs: 12g

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika, or another paprika)
1 pound raw shrimp with tails, peeled and deveined
1 lemon, sliced in half, crosswise
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a steamer set over boiling water, steam broccoli, covered, until crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove, season with salt, pepper and squeeze of lemon.
Set cooked broccoli aside, covered to keep warm.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic begins to sizzle, about 2 minutes.
Add paprika and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute.
Add shrimp to skillet. Cook shrimp until it starts to change color, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes; flip and cook another minute or two.
Add salt and a squeeze of lemon. Stir to combine.
Remove from heat. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

How Healthy is Shrimp?

Shrimp is commonly considered a healthy food, widely consumed throughout the world. It is a low-calorie, no-carb, high-protein shellfish that can also tout a long list of vitamins and minerals—think plenty of selenium, vitamin B12, and iron, among many others. It’s also packed with iodine, antioxidants, and the ever-important omega 3s we all need for proper brain and heart health!

Just keep in mind that for all those positives, shrimp are high in cholesterol so this paprika shrimp recipe may not be a meal to have on constant repeat if cholesterol is a concern in your diet.

You should also look for wild-caught shrimp when purchasing to avoid possible farm-raised antibiotic contamination. Getting wild-caught shrimp and other seafood usually ensures the highest quality!

What is the Best Way to Cook Shrimp?

Because shrimp isn’t something most people regularly cook at home, you might be wondering how best to cook your shrimp. Luckily, there is little effort or time required to enjoy the rewards of delicious home-cooked shrimp! However, proper cooking technique is key to tender, juicy shrimp. No one wants to put in the work only to find that their shrimp is overcooked and rubbery!

Here are some simple tips for how to perfectly cook shrimp on the stovetop each time.

If buying frozen shrimp (which is great because it usually comes peeled and deveined), thaw quickly out of the bag in a colander. Run it under cool water for just about five minutes, then pat and pat dry.
When you’re ready to cook them, make sure your pan is hot enough—your shrimp should sizzle the second they hit the pan.
Look for the simple signs that they’re done. Shrimp start out grey and squishy, but as they cook (we’re talking in about 3-5 minutes depending on their size!) they curl into a nice plump “C” shape, the grey flesh turns an opaque pearly white, and the tails become a bright red.
When preparing this paprika shrimp recipe, make sure each shrimp is well coated in the oil, garlic, and paprika on both sides to get the best flavor in each bite.

What are the Best Ways to Cook Broccoli?

There are many different ways to cook broccoli. While the most popular (and nutritious...but more on that later) way to cook broccoli is to steam it, many love alternate techniques. Broccoli can be prepared by:

Steaming
Sauteing
Stir-frying
Roasting
Boiling

What is the Most Nutritious Way to Cook Broccoli?

Broccoli is a vegetable powerhouse when it comes to nutrition. It’s a fairly low-carb vegetable with most of its carbohydrates coming from fiber, a good complex carb. It’s high in water content, but also surprisingly high in protein for a veggie. Broccoli is also full of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin K1, folate, potassium, manganese, and iron. Broccoli has even been shown to lower cholesterol levels, which is a great way to offset the cholesterol-rich shrimp in our paprika shrimp recipe!

Now, to preserve these awesome nutritional benefits when cooking broccoli…

Studies have shown that the most nutritious way to cook broccoli is to steam it. In fact, steaming broccoli causes it to lose somewhere between just 0-11% of its nutritional value, whereas other preparations cause much greater loss—like boiling it, which can effectively remove up to 97% of broccoli’s incredible antioxidants.

Stick with steamed broccoli to ensure the greatest nutrient retention while cooking!

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