tropical shrimp (or chicken, salmon, or steak!!) bowls
with coconut rice and pineapple-avocado salsa
Today’s recipe is a delicious spring meal that, no matter the weather outside, will transport you somewhere sunny and warm. We’re cooking citrus-cilantro shrimp that you can either grill or cook indoors, and we’re serving it with coconut rice (a cult favorite here at What to Cook!), fresh pineapple-avocado salsa, and a super simple slaw (… that I forgot to include when styling the photos for this post, oops). It’s a delightful meal for anytime — including Mother’s Day, if you’re celebrating this weekend!
If you don’t require a Mother’s Day meal for Sunday, just keep scrolling down to the recipe! This is a really great meal no matter what.
If you are celebrating Mother’s Day, this is a lovely meal to mark the occasion!
To all the moms out there: I’ve created a little guide to help your husband/wife/partner/whoever is celebrating YOU this Mother’s Day, best celebrate you. Simply forward this to them and say, “I would love for you to cook this for Mother’s Day!!” It’s not demanding to ask for what you want!
To all the partners celebrating a mom this weekend: Hi! I’m Caroline. The mom in your life has perhaps cooked you one of my recipes? Maybe you’ve even cooked my recipes! They’re really easy! If you’ve received this email, it’s because the mom in your life would love for you to cook this meal for her. And I’ve put together a very simple guide to go along with the recipe so that you can absolutely nail Mother’s Day and make her feel SO loved and adored!!!! PS, these are also great guidelines for celebrating any special occasion — a birthday, a big promotion at work, or a random day just to let her know you love her.
Are you just now realizing that you forgot to mail your mom a Mother’s Day card? I’ve got something way better than a card — send her a What To Cook subscription instead! You can schedule the welcome email to land in her inbox Sunday morning.
Seriously, she’s going to be bragging to all of her friends about you.
First things first: the following recipe is a complete-meal lunch or dinner (AKA you don’t need to make any additional sides, etc.). If you want to cook her brunch instead — first, make sure that’s what she wants. For some bozo reason, Mother’s Day has become synonymous with brunch, but many of us would rather have a light/low-key breakfast and lunch, and a special dinner cooked for us instead! PS, if she does indeed want brunch, see the notes section below this recipe for an idea.
Grocery shop ahead of time — like today or tomorrow. Or bring the kids with you if you do it on Sunday. Or order it all via InstaCart. Whatever you do, do not involve her in the grocery logistics. Do not ask her if you already own cumin. Go look!
While you’re shopping, grab a dessert — either from a local bakery or the grocery store. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just some cookies or ice cream she loves is perfect.
OK, this has nothing to do with cooking this meal, but, if the mom you’re celebrating hasn’t specified how she’d like to spend this Mother’s Day, here’s a suggestion of what you can say/do: “Hi! We can’t wait to celebrate you on Sunday! Here’s what I’m thinking: You sleep in, and I’ll get the kids out of the house and take them to the park/to get donuts/whatever. On our way home, we’ll grab your favorite coffee and pastries that we can all enjoy together without dirtying up the kitchen. Then I’d love for you to head out for some alone time, if you’d like it, to the ____________ (massage that I booked you/pool to read a book/on a hike with your best friends…). While you’re away, the kids and I are really excited to cook you dinner. We’re planning to make the newest What To Cook recipe, Tropical Shrimp Bowls, but let me know if you’d rather have something else. The kitchen/house might be kind of messy when you get home, but I’ll have it cleaned up as soon as possible. I don’t want you to lift a finger today!”
I know I’m being over the top here but: remember, Father’s Day (or whatever occasion applies in your family!) is just around the corner. What goes around, comes around!!!!
Set a pretty table. You should do this hours in advance so that you’re not trying to juggle this while you also cook. If you cook dinner AND have a pretty table, she is going to freak the F out. It shows intention and care and she will feel so adored. Here’s how to do it:
Tablecloth! Does she have a stash somewhere? Grab a springy looking one.
Flowers! You gave her flowers this morning (right…!?), so now you’re going to set them in the center of the table.
Candles! She probably has some somewhere. Grab those. Set them around the flowers and light them right before you eat. To clarify: I’m talking about votive candles (the little tiny white ones) or taper candles (the tall skinny ones), not scented candles :)
Placemats and napkins, if you’ve got them! Placemats are those things that go under your plate :) Again, she might have a stash! If not — grab some computer or construction paper, have the kids draw cute things and/or write “I love you mom!” all over them, and set the table with those as your placemats. She will LOVE THIS. Cloth napkins are hard to beat, but a nice paper napkin will work, and you can find some at the grocery store. I would love for you to avoid using a folded up paper towel for your napkin here, if possible! We want this to feel special and that ain’t it!
Plates, forks, knives, cups, water.
A special drink! Doesn’t have to be booze — but if she drinks, grab her favorite bottle of wine or make her favorite cocktail.
Music! Here’s a playlist:
Cook this meal. I promise, you can do it! This recipe is very easy to follow and filled with step-by-step details (that’s why it’s so long!). My biggest tip is to read the whole recipe from start to finish — including the notes section beneath it! — before you start cooking. Here are some additional pointers to make things even easier:
Be SURE (!!!) to buy peeled and deveined shrimp. Peeling and deveining shrimp absolutely sucks. Don’t make this mistake. Frozen shrimp are perfectly acceptable and delicious.
Let the kids “help.” If they’re young, give them a kid-safe knife (a butter knife works) and let them hack away at the bell pepper or pineapple. It doesn’t matter if it looks like it went through a meat grinder by the time they’re done with it — it’ll still be delicious, they’ll feel so happy that they cooked dinner for mom, and mom will feel so happy that they’re cooking with you. If they’re older, give them more responsibility and you’ll knock this menu out in no time!
Take shortcuts if you need them!!!
You can skip the coconut rice (but dangggg, it’s good) and use microwaveable frozen rice instead. I love Innovasian frozen sticky rice, if you can find it. Trader Joe’s has frozen rice, too.
You can also skip making the homemade pineapple salsa! Grab any store-bought tropical salsa instead. Or, buy store-bought pico de gallo and simply stir in about 1 cup of finely chopped pineapple (or mango, or strawberries).
Or, buy store-bought guacamole and store-bought chopped pineapple or mango, and serve them as two separate toppings for the bowls! You’ll need to chop the fruit smaller than the store did.
You can buy a teriyaki sauce and sub it for the homemade marinade and sauce. I won’t be mad. And she’ll never know the difference!
Prep some elements ahead of time. You don’t need to prep anything in advance for this meal, but you can if that makes pulling it off easier! Scroll down and read the “prep ahead” note beneath the recipe for ideas.
Serve whatever dessert you bought. This is a great place for kids to help!
Send her to bed to read her book or watch her show while you put the kids to bed (if applicable) and clean up :)
Congrats, you just blew her absolute mind!!!
If you loved this meal, I can guarantee you’ll love these too: sriracha shrimp sushi bowls, jerk chicken with coconut rice and strawberry salsa, and blackened fish taco bowls. Similar vibes and preparation method, but they each have completely different flavors.
Serves 4
Cook time: 45 minutes
