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Shrimp Zucchini Boats with succulent pieces of shrimp and artichokes topped with parmesan cheese are a great low carb and tasty way to enjoy zucchini!
And if you have extra garden zucchini, you may want to make Zucchini Casserole or Banana Zucchini Bread.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to zucchini boats, especially when you make Shrimp Zucchini Boats. For this recipe, which I originally made for The Recipe Critic where I’m a contributor, we kept things super simple and filled them with shrimp, marinated artichoke hearts, garlic, and parmesan cheese. I wanted to keep this shrimp zucchini boat recipe super simple, yet filled with flavor. The end result was a delicious and protein filled meal. This is a fantastic recipe if you’re looking for a meal that will satisfy your taste buds while making you feel full.
What is a zucchini boat?
If you’ve never made zucchini boats, you’ll find that it’s a great way to use up zucchini from the garden.
A zucchini boat is basically a zucchini that has been sliced in half lengthwise. The inside gets scooped out, leaving behind a zucchini boat that you can fill with any filling you choose. For example, Sausage and Veggie Stuffed Zucchini Boats use the same concept but taste completely different when compared to these shrimp zucchini boats. I definitely recommend incorporating the zucchini you scoop out into the filling. Zucchini takes on the flavor of whatever you’re cooking, so the possibilities are endless.
The best zucchini to use is medium size, about 8-10 inches in length. Zucchini that is smaller than that really tastes the best but should be saved for other recipes because it’s not big or sturdy enough to hold the filling. Those super large zucchinis are best for grating to add to baked goods like bread and muffins.
How to make this recipe:
This recipe is really simple, but does involve a couple different cooking steps.
- First, you’ll need to prepare the zucchini boats. This is done by slicing the zucchinis in half and scooping out the inside. This is easily done with a rounded teaspoon. I always roughly chop the zucchini I scoop out so that I can use it later. Then, you will season and oil the boats and cook them so that they’re soft and tender, but still firm enough to hold the filling. I prefer to set them on a hot cast iron grill pan, but you can also do this step in the oven.
- Next, you will cook the filling. For this shrimp zucchini boat recipe, I recommend cooking the shrimp first. You want to be sure to get a nice golden brown color without over cooking the shrimp, so medium high heat is best. You’ll set the cooked shrimp aside and cook the zucchini chunks along with artichoke hearts and garlic.
- Finally, you’ll fill the zucchini boats with the vegetable filling and cooked shrimp. You can leave the shrimp whole, but I prefer the way it looks when the shrimp is torn into pieces. Topping the zucchini boats with grated parmesan will give them a great salty flavor as well as a nice golden brown top when you put them under the broiler.
Other favorite shrimp recipes:
- Shrimp Vermicelli Salad
- Shrimp Salad
- Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo
- Shrimp Scampi
- Grilled Chipotle Shrimp Skewers
What a great way to use up all that zucchini from the vegetable garden! If you’re like me and have more zucchini than you know what to do with, and have already made more zucchini bread and parmesan zuchini fries than you know what to do with, then it’s time to make shrimp zucchini boats!
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Ingredients
- 3 large zucchini
- 1 tablespoon garlic herb seasoning divided
- 1 teaspoon olive oil or olive oil spray
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 pound raw shrimp shell and tail removed, deveined
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup marinated artichoke hearts chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Slice 3 large zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out the center in order to create a well. Roughly chop and save all of the zucchini that you scoop out for later.
- Spray or brush zucchini boats with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Sprinkle them with about a half teaspoon of the 1 tablespoon garlic herb seasoning. Heat a grill over medium high heat and set the oiled zucchini boats cut side down. grill for about 5 minutes without turning in order to seal. Alternatively, you can bake in a 450°F oven, cut side down, for 5-10 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 of the 4 tablespoons butter.
- Add 1 pound raw shrimp to hot melted butter. Add remaining garlic herb seasonings as well as 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Allow to cook until bottom side starts to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes, turn and cook for another minute. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- In same pan melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add remaining zucchini and ¼ cup marinated artichoke hearts. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cloves garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
- Place grilled zucchini boats on a baking sheet. Fill with cooked zucchini filling. Tear each shrimp into smaller pieces and place on top of zucchini filling. Top with grated ½ cup parmesan cheese.
- Heat under broiler until cheese turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I changed up this recipe a bit. I added shallots, red pepper and bacon, all finely chopped. The first night I stuffed the zucchini but my partner doesn’t really love zucchini. So with the left over stuffing, I added it to some simple Parmesan/ lemon pasta the next night. It was so good. Would make again and just add to pasta!
Tried making these tonight and they were delicious!! Big hit in the house: “definitely top 3, maybe #1 favorite you’ve ever made”
The recipe was also very easy to follow, thank you for sharing this!
As I am NOT a zucchini fan, but it looked so delicious that I went and bought two small zucchini’s to try this.
I can honestly say that the filling is SPECTACULAR! But I’m still not a fan of zucchini. Only ate about 1 and 7/8 (about 1 whole tiny zucchini), but ate all of the stuffing/filling. I will probably try this filling on another veggie instead – maybe acorn squash (which I love). All in all, great recipe and I will make it again (sans zucchini!)
Thanks for trying it even though you don’t like zucchini! Bell peppers would be great too!
We love all these flavors and that they’re low carb too!
YUM!!! I love this delicious version!!!
Yes! This is perfect for all my garden zucchini!
Great idea for stuffed zucchini! My Hubby will love it!
So flavorful — low-carb is just an added bonus!