Sautéed Shrimp With Arugula and Tomatoes

It doesn't get easier than this quick and easy shrimp dinner, which has just five ingredients. The plump, sweet shellfish are sautéed with juicy cherry tomatoes, peppery arugula, and a touch of garlic for a light, company-worthy main course. You only need one skillet and about seven minutes at the stove to make it. To cut down on prep time even further, buy peeled and deveined shrimp from the fish counter. Serve the dish over rice or quinoa for a gluten-free dinner or add a side of pasta to bulk it up. Healthy, and full of flavor, it's definitely worth keeping in your back pocket.

Ingredient Needs for This Quick Shrimp Dinner

You only need five simple ingredients (plus oil, salt, and pepper) to make this light, flavorful sautéed shrimp dish:

Shrimp: Grab a pound of large shrimp, then peel and devein them before cooking or purchase them that way to save prep time. To thaw frozen shrimp, you can either let them sit in the fridge overnight or transfer them to a bowl of cold water for 10 to 15 minutes. Either way, pat them very dry before cooking to ensure they brown—rather than steam—when they hit the hot pan.

Tomatoes: A cup of small tomatoes like cherry or grape adds a welcomed juiciness to this dish. They'll only take a few minutes to burst and become tender, just don't stand too close to the pan while they're sizzling as they can splatter while they soften.

Garlic: A single clove of garlic is our allium of choice for this recipe, which you'll want to mince or grate on a microplane before adding. If you or someone you're cooking for is avoiding garlic, swap in a thinly sliced shallot instead.

Arugula: A few cups of arugula, which wilts down quickly when tossed with the hot shrimp and tomatoes, ups the nutrient quotient of this dish and adds a fresh, peppery note. If you prefer, you can use an equal amount of baby spinach or kale instead.

Lemon juice: For a final bit of brightness, finish the dish with a big squeeze of lemon juice. You'll get the best flavor from fresh lemon juice, rather than bottled, so we strongly suggest using that here. Stir in a teaspoon of zest along with the juice for even more citrus flavor.

How to Peel and Devein Shrimp

Before cooking the shrimp, they need to be peeled for easy eating, as well as deveined, which means removing the dark digestive tract that runs along their backs.

To do this quickly and easily, use kitchen shears or a paring knife to cut along the back of each shell, then pull out the vein. Remove the shells and tails, which you can freeze for a future seafood stock or sauce.