Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp (a la NYT)

I have to admit that when I first saw this recipe, I was skeptical. I mean I’m all for simple and quick foods, but this? This looked beyond simple – so far beyond that I doubt it can be anything but meh.

But then I saw it mentioned again, not once but twice, by two of my favorite bloggers no less. Luisa over at The Wednesday Chef called it a ‘minor miracle’ (!) and all Molly over at Orangette would say was that it was so perfect she’s still thinking about it. Really, can just throwing broccoli and shrimp in the oven really be that good? The only way to know is, of course, to try it for myself.

The result? Well, let’s just say that I recommend some slight amendments to your schedule tomorrow: cancel your dinner plans, run by the market on your way home, make a giant pan of this, and proceed to laugh maniacally at how you must have cheated the cooking gods by making something so amazingly delicious in less than half an hour.

So yeah, it really is that good.

While I’m sure this would go well with many starch options, in the spirit of simplicity and to allot more time for maniacal laughter, I recommend the easy route – a big pot of fluffy white rice.

a big head of broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
pinch of hot chili powder (or more, if you like it spicy)
1 lb large shrimp, shelled and deveined
a lemon

Preheat oven to 425F.

Put broccoli in a large bowl and toss with a big glug of the oil, coriander, cumin, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, and chili powder. Spread in a single layer onto a large baking sheet and roast for 10 min.

In the meantime, zest the lemon. Then, in another bowl, combine shrimp, another big glug of olive oil, lemon zest, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper.

After 10 min, add shrimp to broccoli and toss well. Roast for another 5min and toss everything again. Finish roasting everything until shrimp is just done and broccoli is tender and slightly golden on the edges, about another 5 min.

Squeeze some lemon juice over the whole thing right before serving.

—
Yield: 4 servings
Time: ~20 min

6 Comments

3 July 2009 at 4:16 am

thank you for posting this! i love quick and simple recipes that are really tasty. shrimp is so quick to cook, too.
3 July 2009 at 5:26 am

thanks triet!! you should definitely give this one a try… i’m plotting for when i’m gonna make this again actually. mwaha.
21 July 2009 at 9:44 pm

This recipe is totally delicious! We tried it at Triet’s recommendation sans shrimp. The coriender flavor really goes well with broccoli and cauliflower.
- 21 July 2009 at 10:07 pm
  
  Yay Krishna! I’m glad you guys tried this recipe — I think it must be my best quick-recipes find lately! :)
27 July 2009 at 6:23 am

Where do u get yr shrimps? Cuz at Andronico’s they’re like $19/lb.
- 27 July 2009 at 4:49 pm
  
  When I decided to try this recipe, I happened to be in the Mission, so I bought shrimps at a seafood market there. In the Sunset, I would probably try Sunset Super? It should definitely be cheaper than Andronico’s — from what I remember, I’ve never been impressed by the seafood selection at Andronico’s in the Sunset.

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