Skinny Shrimp Piccata with Zoodles is low-carb, gluten-free, and cooks in under 20 minutes in just one skillet. Fresh, light, and delicious!
We’re officially 10 weeks out from meeting baby boy #2 which means I’ve officially reached the “get way too full way too fast” point of this pregnancy as my stomach is currently being squished by a wee baby knee. Aw! But also…ow!
That said, I’m a volume eater – love me some GIANT salads, BIG steaks, and HUGE plates of pasta – so when the amount of food I’m able to eat gets slashed, you better believe that what I do get to eat has to be full of flavor.
Skinny Shrimp Piccata with Zoodles is also fitting the bill! All the flavor of buttery, lemony piccata made with a fraction of the butter, jumbo shrimp instead of breaded and pan-fried chicken, and zoodles (zucchini noodles, y’all) instead of regular spaghetti noodles. No compromises made on the capers, lemon, and parmesan cheese though – like I said, what I’m eating these days has to be packed with flavor and these three ingredients are what make piccata, piccata!
Less than 20 minutes cooking time, made in one skillet, low-carb, gluten-free, and no compromise on flavor. I was actually shocked at how delicious this recipe was after taking my first bite, and couldn’t wait to test it again for the blog.
Now, if you don’t like shrimp, feel free to go the chicken breast route. You could marinate them in a lemon dressing first, or season with garlic salt and pepper, like I did with the shrimp, before sauting. I think salmon would be unbelievable paired with the crisp-tender, lemony zoodles, too!
Start with 4 small, thin zucchini. I look for zucchini that are the same circumference from top to bottom, but if you can only find ones that are a little misshapen, that’s fine too! Thin zucchini are preferable to big fat zucchini as they contain more liquid which could make your dish watery at the end.
Slice the tops and bottoms off the zucchini then send them through your spiralizer fitted with the fattest blade to create zoodles. I own a Paderno Spiralizer and love it!
Add the zoodles to a colander set atop a bowl then sprinkle with salt and toss with your fingertips to coat. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour then use a kitchen towel or paper towels to remove the excess water from the surface of the zoodles by pressing and/or gently squeezing. This is the step that will save you from watery zoodle dishes so definitely don’t skip it.
Once the zoodles are ready, pat 1lb jumbo shrimp (16/20 count) very dry with paper towels then season both sides with garlic salt and pepper.
Add 1-1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to a large, 12″+ skillet over heat that’s just a touch above medium, then add half the shrimp and saute for 2 minutes a side, or until cooked through. With shrimp this large, I like to roll them on their tails at the end to make sure they’re cooked through.
When the shrimp have 30 seconds left to cook, squeeze in fresh lemon juice for a burst of bright flavor then saute until the juice evaporates, which should happen very quickly. Remove the shrimp to a plate then repeat with the second half of the shrimp.
Once all the shrimp are cooked, melt 2 Tablespoons butter in the skillet then add 2 minced garlic cloves and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the zoodles to the skillet then turn the heat up to medium-high and saute until crisp tender, 3-4 minutes. Finally add 2 Tablespoons capers, 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, and a big squeeze of fresh lemon juice then toss to combine.
Season to taste with salt and pepper then swirl the zoodles onto plates, top with the shrimp, and dig in! Hope you love this lighter, low-carb Simple Shrimp Piccata with Zoodles!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 small thin zucchini
- 1 lb 16/20 count jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- salt, garlic salt, and pepper
- 1 lemon, cut in half
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons capers
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Directions
- Spiralize zucchini using the fattest noodle blade then add to a colander set atop a bowl. Lightly salt the zoodles, toss with your fingers to coat, then cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to one hour to drain. Pat or gently squeeze excess liquid from the zucchini with paper towels or a kitchen towel then set aside.
- Pat shrimp very dry between paper towels then season both sides with garlic salt and pepper. Heat 1-1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large, 12”+ skillet over heat that’s just a touch above medium then add half the shrimp and saute for 2 minutes a side, or until cooked through. When shrimp have 30 seconds left to cook, drizzle in a little lemon juice then remove shrimp to a plate once the lemon juice has evaporated. Heat remaining 1-1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in the skillet then saute remaining shrimp, repeating the lemon juice step at the end.
- Melt butter in the skillet then add the garlic and saute until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add zoodles then turn heat up slightly and saute until crisp tender, 3-4 minutes. Add a drizzle of lemon juice, the capers, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste, then toss to combine. Plate then top with cooked shrimp and serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
This recipe is GREAT! I remove shrimp tails always – for someone talking about it earlier – made as is – just tweaked to fit amount for two of us – added a small
Pinch of red pepper flakes. So good! This is a keeper and has a spot in the printed cookbook. Thanks for sharing!!
Made this for dinner tonight and I was really surprised at how good it was. I don’t have to watch my diet, so I usually make Piccata recipes using linguini. Never tried any veggie noodles before and I was amazed at how much flavor this dish had. I did add more garlic than called for and added a few Korean red pepper flakes. But other than that I made it as written and my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
So glad you gave it a chance, Brian! This is a great recipe all on its own even if you’re not using it to specifically cut down on carbs – like you said. Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!