Melissa Clark's Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp

You should totally make this for dinner tonight. No, really, you should. It's fast, it's delicious, it dirties only one pan (two, if you decide to make some rice, which I think you should), and it's so simple you can enlist your partner to help with measuring spices and seasoning the shrimp and opening and closing the oven door, proving that one day the two of you might find pleasure together in the kitchen at once. A minor miracle, if you ask me. And possibly my favorite meal of the past month.

Did I mention it was delicious? We ate the whole mess between the two of us, despite the fact that it's meant to serve four. You probably already know how wonderful roasted broccoli is, and if you don't, you should. But did you know just how much roasting shrimp could imbue it with such sweetness and tenderness? I didn't. Those plump, pink curls fairly pop in your mouth. And the combination of shrimp and broccoli, well, the Chinese have long known it to be a felicitous pairing, so I suppose it was only a matter of time before the rest of us caught on, too.

I had to make a few minor changes to the recipe, because I didn't have any whole coriander or cumin. So I halved the amounts and used ground spices instead. I liked the recipe so much that I'm not sure I'd make this any other way again. The ground spices spread out and subtly perfume everything. And then I made the mistake of using the same amount of regular salt instead of kosher salt. If you're going to use kosher salt, fine, follow the recipe. If you're going to use regular salt, go easy (halve it?). You can always add more salt afterwards, if need be.

What I love is how two fairly pedestrian ingredients are combined with a few smart flavorings to incredible effect. The idea to roast, season with Middle Eastern spices, and finish with a Mediterranean double whammy of lemon peel and lemon juice (don't leave out that final squeeze - it's key) is inspired. Further more, it's the kind of thing I wish I saw more often in newspaper food sections: tasty inventiveness that really works for the home cook. I dare say this might become a weekly standard in our house.

Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp
Serves 4

2 pounds broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds (or 1/2 teaspoon ground)
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds (or 1/2 teaspoon ground)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot chili powder
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 1/4 teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
Lemon wedges, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss broccoli with 2 tablespoons oil, coriander, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and chili powder. In a separate bowl, combine shrimp, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

2. Spread broccoli in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes. Add shrimp to baking sheet and toss with broccoli. Roast, tossing once halfway through, until shrimp are just opaque and broccoli is tender and golden around edges, about 10 minutes more. Serve with lemon wedges, or squeeze lemon juice all over shrimp and broccoli just before serving.

Comments

[ulla]

I love Melissa Clark(her recipes are fantastic!) I bought broccoli at the west side market and am planning on making this dish! It looks so yummy!:) Glad to hear it yielded good results!

[Lisa (dinner party)]

I made roasted broccoli last night too and I have to say it's my new favorite way of eating broccoli. I love all the little burnt edges. Must try it with the shrimp, though.

[Jade]

You are my hero tonight! I'm trying to hard to "meal plan" and not buy groceries every day...and I have all the ingredients for this in my kitchen! yay! Thanks Luisa :)

[klp]

I saw this recipe yesterday and wished once again that the husband was not allergic to shellfish. Sigh.

I think the article mentions trying it with chicken thigh meat, but I doubt that would be as good. Roasted broccoli is my favorite way of cooking broccoli too. Sigh (again).

[hannah]

this is SO right up my alley.

[maggie]

Oh, this makes me so sad that my fiance doesn't like shrimp. I'll have to make it on my own, sounds so good. Isn't it fun when a recipe really works?

[Adrienne]

Oh this one looks like a winner... now I just have to go find some broccoli :)

[Dawn in CA]

Isn't it wonderful when a recipe turns out to be greater than the sum of its parts? And so simple... love it.

[Sylvie]

That looks like a lovely meal, light and quite healthy too.

[Jesse]

roasted broccoli is my favorite! sounds so yummy!

[A Mouse Bouche]

Looks like a much healthier--and dare i say tastier?--version of the shrimp and broccoli i get at chinese restaurants. And the one pan is a huge plus for ms. lazypants over here.

[Leisureguy]

I totally agree on using ground cardamon instead of the pods. They don't work all that well for me---seem to be the sort of thing that you remove before serving (cf. star anise).

[michaela]

I love to roast shrimp and agree it makes them taste amazing!

[Victoria]

This looks delicious and beautiful. (Felicitous is such a gooooood word.) I have grilled shrimp but never roasted shrimp before, so I am looking forward to trying this. Yum.

[pip of meetmeatmikes]

Oh YES! I think I'll make some peanut sauce to go with this too! What a really great, smart, one dish recipe! Thanks a bunch!

[g00blar]

Any idea of how one could substitute broccoli rabe (or one of those broccolini hybrids) for the broccoli? Just less time in the oven?

[Kristin]

I don't even like broccoli and this still sounds really good. I should take that back. I found that I like broccoli but only if it's roasted with parmesan cheese on top and squeezed with lemon. I'll keep this one in my files for a busy night.

[May]

Oooh, what a great recipe! I must try this! I recently discovered how amazing roasted shrimp is!

[christy]

I can't wait to try this. I love roasted shrimp and luckily have just come out of a vegetarian hibernation. I have not had roasted broccoli. I think it's about time. Thanks! :-)

[Leah]

yes please. immediately.

[Katie K]

I made it Tuesday night. I used the whole spices, having a large stash from Kalustyan's. An instant favorite.

[Anne]

Sold! Even my nubbie home cook husband can make this. Once again your lovely writing has hooked me. Or caught me in a trap, like how you fetch shrimp.

[Alejandra]

I roast cauliflower all the time and I just realized I've never done it with broccoli. This combination sounds like a nice easy (lazy) night dinner that I'll probably be trying out next week. Thanks for the tip!

[Laura]

Made this last night for dinner and it was perfect.. Fresh, healthy, satisfying..
Thanks for rescuing me from another "what in the world am I going to make for dinner?" night!

[Andrea]

I ALSO made this last night and it was perfect- only had to buy two things at the store, and it was unbelievable. Your recipes never faily me-- bravo. Keep more like this coming!! Molto grazie!

[wester]

I did make this for dinner today. I had some broccoli in my "vegetable bag" (Dutch version of CSA box), and I got some shrimp as well.

It was really good, the flavors work amazingly well together. Definitely making this again in the future.

[john]

What a wonderful break from the Barefoot Contessa's Spicy roasted shrimp cocktail. I'm going to also try it with brussel sprouts!

[yvonne]

I made it last night and it is truly delicious. My boyfriend loved it.

[Lynh]

It WAS so tasty! My sister made it over the weekend and recommended it to me. She says it's delicious, even without shrimp. SCORE! PS. I almost never disagree with your tastes--bay leaf in rice pudding? check. everything recommended by fuschia dunlop--Absolutely- but I really really liked it with the whole spices. Maybe I'll try it with the ground and get back to you, but the combination with lemon was simply addictive.

[Heather]

Why don't you link back to the original article in the Times? I sent an email of the Times article to a friend and she thought you had lifted the recipe! It is silly but would certainly clarify for people who find your blog for the first time.

[Luisa]

Heather - I do, in the very first sentence. (Also, I clearly wrote in the post title who this recipe comes from, as I do with all my posts.)

[cheryl]

I just discovered roasted shrimp thanks to Mark Scarbrough. I'd roasted zillions of vegetables, sure, but never thought to toss shrimp in the mix until a month ago. Now I'm hooked.

One baking sheet to clean, a mess of potential variations, and quick as a wink.

[gastroanthropologist]

I love broccoli and always forget how delicious it is roasted - and with shrimp and lemon!!! The peanut sauce pip suggested sounds like a perfect dip for this.

[Scott at Realepicurean]

I love broccoli right now and it looks like a fantastic idea to serve them with prawns! (shrimp are something a bit different over here, very small!)

[Michael]

Do try it again with the whole coriander and cumin. The coriander lodges in the branches of the broccoli and adds a bit of flavorful crunch every now and then.

[MsGourmet]

Oh now this is delish!

[tatwood]

Very fast, very pretty, not very good.

[la ninja]

raaaaaaaaaaaaa!
problem solved for tomorrow night, hoorah, hoorah!

an (obviously) enthusiastic fan/lurker-lurker/fan
la ninja x

[Yooli]

I saw this in the NYT and wanted to try it. Made it for dinner tonight and it was definitely a keeper. I think next time I might try to make it with a batch of Ras El Hamut I have sitting around, and maybe throw in some chickpeas to make it a rounder meal. I'm also thinking about doing this with green beans - I think they'd be lovely roasted.

[la ninja]

I finally made this today and loved, loved, loved it! Indeed a keeper at this neck of the woods too!
Thx

[Tonya @ What's On My Plate]

I'm so intrigued by this! Adding it to my LONG list of things to try from this blog.

[The Hungry Roach]

This is s DEFINITE keeper. Made it for an easy dinner party and people loved it! I would actually make more of the spice mixture than specified - those flavors are unbeatable!

[Lauren Locke]

this is my favorite new dinner, i can't believe how flavorful it was and how pefectly the textures combine.

[Emily]

Made this just the other night, and absolutely loved it! Like you two, my boyfriend and I managed to finish the whole thing between ourselves with some Jasmine rice.
Definitely going to become a staple around here.

[ellen]

Such a great recipe - I made it before I saw your post on it. We are obsessed with roasted broccoli in our house - I eat it the way other people do potato chips - can't get enough. I think simple roasting like this is the key to weeknight dinners - throw it in the oven while you do other after-work chores.

[Kristine in Santa Barbara]

Me, man and teen-child loved it! I used frozen, peeled shrimp with tails on from Trader Joes. Thawed the shrimp in cold water while prepping the vegetables. Rice takes total of 12 minutes in the pressure cooker. Truly fast and easy. And I loved the simple but delicious spice/lemon combo. The more of these recipes for "every night" dinners, the better.

Thanks so much for blogging this AND for your enthusiasm about it. You sold me.

[suzer]

This looks so fantastic I'm trying it right now!

[Glynis]

This was very tasty! Thanks for sharing!

[Cathy Long]

This was great! I really liked it! I didn't have corriander or cumin (and they only had organic (expensive) stuff at the grocer, so I used Old Bay seasoning instead. It gave it a nice, spicy flavor but not too over-whelming! Thanks for the recipe!

[Sara]

This sounds like a perfect healthy weeknight dinner. I love it.