This recipe for juicy sous vide shrimp is so easy to make. You can use fresh or frozen shrimp. Sous vide at 140 degrees F for 15 minutes, then serve with veggies, rice and my recipe for avocado cream sauce!
It’s no secret that sous vide is my favorite cooking method. In fact, I’ve even written two cookbooks all about it! This method is so perfect for cooking finicky things, like seafood and steak. Have you tried my sous vide tri-tip yet? Hop to it!
Once you’ve tackled this recipe, I know you’re going to be excited to try more of my best sous vide seafood recipes. I’ve got plenty!
Why I Love Sous Vide Shrimp
Have you ever accidentally overcooked shrimp into crunchy pink oblivion? I’m not too proud to say that I have. Sous vide is guaranteed to help prevent that!
With sous vide, it’s near impossible to overcook anything. This is because the cooking environment is the same temperature you want your food to reach. So cool, but a little difficult to wrap your head around, I know! Check out my Beginner’s Guide to Sous Vide for more information.
Another great thing about this cooking method: you vacuum seal the meat with all the flavors you want to impart (butter, salt, pepper, lime, and cilantro in this case) and it holds so much big, bold flavor. Perfect for sous vide shrimp!
Equipment Needed for Sous Vide Shrimp
The good news is, you don’t need much!
You’ll need:
- An immersion circulator – I recommend the Vesta Precision Imersa Elite
- A container (you can just use a stockpot, or my favorite sous vide containers are Everie containers)
- A handheld vacuum sealer, like the Vesta Precision Handheld Vac n Seal, or simply a plastic zipper top bag. I have a blog post all about air removal methods to help you out!
Time and Temp for Sous Vide Shrimp
You’ve got a few different options for your sous vide shrimp depending on your desired texture. My favorite time and temp for sous vide shrimp is 30 minutes at 140 degrees F. But you’ve got options!
| Result | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Very Rare (almost raw – good for ceviche) | 125 degrees F | 15 minutes – 1 hour |
| Rare (just starting to firm, tender) | 130 degrees F | 15 minutes – 1 hour |
| Medium Rare (opaque and tender) | 135 degrees F | 15 minutes – 1 hour |
| Medium (tender but with a snappy bite) | 140 degrees F | 15 minutes – 1 hour |
How to Make Sous Vide Cilantro Lime Shrimp
Sous vide shrimp is incredibly easy, you’re going to love this!
Add the shrimp, salt, pepper, lime juice, and butter to a vacuum seal bag or zipper top bag and give it a toss to evenly coat with seasonings and distribute the butter. Seal the bag and remove as much air as possible without damaging the delicate shrimp! Use your vacuum sealer or another air removal method for this.
Drop in the water bath, keeping the seal above the water, and cook for 15 minutes-1 hour.
While the shrimp is cooking, make the avocado cream sauce by blending all the ingredients until smooth. Give it a taste test and adjust the lime juice and salt if you like!
When shrimp is done, remove the shrimp from the water bath, discard the liquid in the bag, and toss the shrimp with the cilantro.
Serve with cilantro lime rice and the avocado cream sauce for a complete meal! These shrimp also make fantastic tacos.
The texture of these shrimp is amazing. Snappy, juicy, and spot on. The best part? They can hang out in the water bath until you’re ready for ’em, up to an hour, and they’re still going to be as good as ever. No overcooking stress with the help of sous vide!
Common Questions
Yes, you can use frozen shrimp for sous vide shrimp! A few things to note if using frozen shrimp:
-There will be a lot more liquid in the bag and you should discard this after cooking.
-Minimum cook time for frozen shrimp is 30 minutes.
This is important: use raw shrimp when sous viding! If it’s already cooked, it doesn’t need to be cooked again.
You can also view this recipe as a step-by-step web story here.
Get the Recipe:
Sous Vide Cilantro Lime Shrimp
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Shrimp:
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp lime juice, juice of 2 limes
- 3 tbsp butter, cut into rough chunks
- 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
Avocado Cream Sauce:
- 1/2 avocado, skin & pit removed, roughly diced
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat water bath using immersion circulator. Preheat to 125 degrees F for very rare, 130 degrees F for rare, 135 degrees F for medium-rare, and 140 degrees F for medium. 140 degrees F is my favorite.
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add them to a vacuum seal bag or zipper top bag. Add lime juice and toss until shrimp are coated. Add butter and distribute evenly through the bag. Remove the air using a vacuum sealer or other air removal method.
- Once the water bath is preheated, add the bag of shrimp. Cook for a minimum of 15 minutes, up to an hour.
- While the shrimp is cooking, add all ingredients for the avocado cream sauce to a food processor. Process until smooth. Taste and add more lime juice or salt if you desire.
- Remove shrimp from bag and toss with cilantro. Discard the liquid in the bag.
- Serve shrimp with rice and your favorite veggies and top with avocado cream sauce, or make shrimp tacos with corn tortillas and shredded cabbage.
Notes
- If using frozen shrimp:
- There will be a lot more liquid in the bag and you should discard this after cooking
- Your new minimum cook time is 30 minutes
- If you’re not ready to eat immediately after sous viding, store in the fridge up to 3 days in sealed bag.
Sounds delicious as published, but there is no cilantro in the recipe. Do you add it to the bag with the shrimp or should it be a component of the avocado cream sauce?
Sorry for the confusion, it’s been updated!
Have you cooked this starting with frozen shrimp? I know I need to add time, but don’t want to over do it. Any advice?
Yes! Add 20 minutes when cooking from frozen.
How is it cilantro lime shrimp with no cilantro in the recipe? Does it go in the cream sauce?
Sorry for the confusion, it’s been updated!
We had this for dinner the other night and loved it! Served it over rice to soak up the yummy sauce and topped it with fresh homemade pico de Gallo along with the avocado cream sauce. So good!!!
Yay!