Sheet-Pan Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bake

Sheet-pan cooking deserves its reputation as an easy, speedy way to get a healthy, filling meal on the table, and this sheet-pan chipotle lime shrimp bake is one of the best recipes. Roast the potatoes until crispy, then pile on fresh asparagus and Broccolini. Nestle in raw jumbo shrimp, and pour melted butter spiked with lime juice and chipotle peppers over the entire spread. Freshly squeezed limes provide a key element—and not just for their zesty flavor. The squeezed lime halves go on the sheet pan for the final bake to release even more juice with caramelized overtones.

This shrimp bake looks so elegant that guests may think you bustled around the kitchen for ages. Surprise: The prep time takes just 10 minutes. Avoid these sheet-pan dinner mistakes to make dense and delicate vegetables turn out fork-tender and keep the meal stress-free. Like many sheet-pan supper recipes, this dinner has incredibly quick cleanup too.

Ingredients for Sheet-Pan Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bake

• Baby red potatoes: Baby red potatoes, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt get this party started. Waxy baby red potatoes hold their shape well as the flesh softens to creamy mouthfuls. Baby Yukon Golds and bags of little tricolored potatoes are the best types of potatoes for sheet-pan meals. The potatoes turn crispy when roasted in extra virgin olive oil.
• Limes: The dominant flavor in this recipe comes from fresh lime juice and the remaining rind and flesh. You might think you’ve squeezed out every drop of liquid, but when roasted, the lime halves release more juice and pick up a slight smoky flavor.
• Melted butter: We recommend unsalted butter. You can always add salt to taste.
• Ground chipotle: Chipotle peppers are smoked, dried jalapenos that add a deeper spiciness than plain ground chiles. You want the powder here; canned chipotles in adobo have additional chiles in the sauce.
• Asparagus: When roasted in the oven, asparagus spears become extra-flavorful. Slender spears aren’t necessarily more tender; they came from a younger plant. Instead of choosing by size, pick spears with tightly closed tips and crisp stalks with minimal flex. Dried-out cut ends indicate longer, and perhaps poorer, handling.
• Broccolini or broccoli: Broccolini has become a favorite among broccoli lovers because its long, thin stalks are simultaneously crisp and tender. The plant is a cross between head-forming and Chinese broccoli. If you can’t find Broccolini, cut a head of broccoli into small florets or spears that include small clumps of florets and a long stalk.
• Shrimp: Bigger is better when roasting shrimp in the oven; the larger size cooks more slowly and evenly. Use raw jumbo shrimp (16 to 20 per pound), thawed if frozen, to avoid rubbery, overcooked shrimp.
• Cilantro: Fresh cilantro completes this intensely flavored dish. If you avoid the herb because cilantro tastes like soap, substitute flat-leaf parsley or basil.

Directions

Step 1: Roast the potatoes

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the potatoes on a greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and stir to combine. Bake for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Mix the glaze

Meanwhile, halve and squeeze 1/3 cup juice from the limes, reserving the fruit. Whisk together the lime juice, melted butter, ground chipotle, remaining 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and the pepper.

Step 3: Spread out the vegetables and shrimp

Remove the pan from the oven and stir the potatoes. Arrange the asparagus spears, Broccolini, raw jumbo shrimp and reserved squeezed lime halves on top of the potatoes. Pour the lime juice mixture over the vegetables and shrimp.

Step 4: Bake and serve

Bake until the shrimp turn pink and the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes longer. Sprinkle with minced fresh cilantro.

Editor’s Tip: Check the shrimp often during the final baking time. As soon as they turn opaque pink and start to curl into a C shape, pull the pan from the oven—even if the timer’s still counting down—to avoid rubbery, overcooked shrimp.

Sheet-Pan Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bake Variations

• Keep the potatoes crisp: Roasted potatoes usually stay crispy, but here they’ll soften once you add the vegetables and shrimp. For the crispiest potatoes, make it a two-sheet-pan meal: Leave the potatoes on one pan, spread the vegetables and shrimp on another pan lightly coated with cooking spray, and slide both in the oven for the final baking time. Drizzle a smidgen of glaze on the potatoes for even flavor, but pour the bulk over the vegetables and shrimp.
• Change the base: For a filling alternative to potatoes, roast sweet potato cubes, cauliflower chunks or chickpeas until crispy and then add the shrimp, vegetables and sauce. Riced cauliflower and small pasta like orzo are also suitable bases.
• Tone down the lime: Squeeze two limes into the butter to temper the intentionally lime-forward flavor. For even more control over the citrusy taste, halve the limes and bake them unsqueezed. When the dish comes out of the oven, serve the charred limes as a garnish to squeeze over each serving as desired.
• Vary the vegetables: Many other vegetables bake well in this sheet-pan dinner. Toss in garlic cloves still in their skins to bake with the potatoes, and then squeeze out the roasted garlic when you add the shellfish and vegetables. Instead of the asparagus and broccoli, swap in chunks of bell pepper, sliced zucchini or summer squash, long green beans or slender young carrots.
• Leave the shrimp shells on: Slow the cooking speed of the shrimp by leaving them in their shells. The shells shield the meat from the oven’s heat and release bonus seafood flavor. Set out extra napkins and let everyone peel their shrimp at the table.

How to Store Sheet-Pan Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bake

Let the sheet-pan chipotle lime shrimp bake cool to room temperature, then pack it into an airtight container. Divide the shrimp and vegetables evenly among several single-serving containers if you want to eat them as a make-ahead lunch. Keep the containers in the refrigerator.

How long does sheet-pan chipotle lime shrimp bake last?

This sheet-pan bake lasts for three to four days in the refrigerator. The buttery sauce might solidify in pools at the bottom of the airtight container, but it will quickly soften when reheated. It will also soak more deeply into the potatoes, so those leftovers will be softer as well.

How do you reheat sheet-pan chipotle lime shrimp bake?

Reheat the chipotle lime shrimp and vegetables in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Leave the pan uncovered until the buttery glaze remelts and the vegetables sizzle. If the shrimp still aren’t warmed through, cover the pan, remove it from the heat and let it rest a couple of minutes longer. Individual servings are also best reheated in a stovetop skillet; a microwave might make the asparagus soggy and the shrimp chewy.

Sheet-Pan Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bake Tips

What’s the best way to clean and devein shrimp?

It’s easy to clean shrimp for this or any recipe, and it’s worth buying them with the shell: The shell protects delicate shrimp from the time they’re processed and flash-frozen on the boat until they reach your kitchen and thaw. (That processing usually removes the head, but if it’s intact, pop it off with a twist and tug.) Jumbo shrimp often have a sturdy enough shell that it helps to splay it open from the head end first. Then pinch the meat with one hand and the shell’s back ridge with the other and wiggle the two apart, pulling out the flesh in a single piece. If you like, check along the back for a dark vein and nudge it free with the tip of a paring knife.

What else can you serve with sheet-pan chipotle lime shrimp bake?

This all-in-one meal doesn’t need much to accompany it, but you can serve a green salad or sweet blueberry cantaloupe salad. Other garden-fresh side dishes that go well with this meal include honey garlic green beans and tomato, avocado and grilled corn salad. Set out peppered cornbread to wipe up the last of the shrimp’s spicy lime butter.