This bowl is packed with healthy Mexican-inspired ingredients such as black beans, corn, tomatoes, and lettuce, all served on top of rice with a spicy cilantro dressing.
Let’s Talk About That Spicy Cilantro Dressing
Speaking of that dressing, this spicy cilantro dressing couldn’t be simpler to make, but its flavor is complex: heat comes from a jalapeño, acid from the lime and apple cider vinegar, and a fresh, herbal taste from the cilantro. If you don’t like much heat, simply remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeño—that way you’ll get all of the fresh green flavor of the chili without the burn. A quick spin in a mini-blender or a mini food processor brings out a creamy texture—without the dairy!
Which Shrimp to Buy
I use shell-on, 21 to 25 count shrimp in this recipe. The shell-on shrimp are less expensive and I’ve had better luck with the freshness with this type of shrimp rather than those that are already peeled and deveined. That being said, you can absolutely buy them already cleaned and prepped, which gets dinner on the table faster.
How to Assemble the Bowls
It’s fun to serve these shrimp taco bowls buffet-style, so that everyone can choose exactly what they want. If you’d like to do it that way, just line your ingredients up in little bowls and let people customize their dinner! If you’d prefer to assemble the bowls and serve them that way, start with about a half-cup of rice per bowl, then add the black beans, corn, tomato, avocado, radishes, romaine, and shrimp. Drizzle with spicy cilantro dressing, and garnish with chopped chilies, cilantro, and lime. To serve this as a green salad instead of a rice bowl, just halve (or omit) the rice and toss six cups of romaine with a half-cup of cilantro dressing, and top with beans, corn, tomato, avocado, radishes, and shrimp.
More Bowls to Try!
Black Bean Burrito Bowls Zucchini Noodle Chicken Pesto Bowls Pressure Cooker Chipotle Chicken and Rice Bowls Mediterranean Chickpea Bowls with Tahini Sauce BBQ Chicken Burrito Bowls
Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to overnight. When your gas or charcoal grill is hot, use tongs to oil the grill grates with a small folded piece of paper towel dipped in oil. Place the skewers on the grill. Using tongs, press down gently on the skewers to encourage pretty grill marks and awesome charred flavor. Flip the skewers after about 3 minutes and finish cooking on the other side for 1 to 3 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque almost all the way through. They will continue cooking for a few minutes after they’re off the grill. Serve with small bowls of limes, chopped chilies, and chopped cilantro.
