Grilled shrimp is a delicious variation from the normal BBQ fare. Everyone always gets very excited when I’m cooking these shrimp. They smell amazing while they cook on the grill, and are perfectly seasoned with garlic, lemon, and herbs. The simplicity of the seasoning makes these skewered shrimp versatile and easy to pair with your favorite side dishes like my Savory Coconut Rice or Corn on the Cob.
Grilled Shrimp Marinade
Looking for a marinade for shrimp kabobs? You have come to the right place! Marinating shrimp for the grill is quite easy, and because shrimp are small, it only takes about 20 minutes for them to soak up all of the flavor. In fact, you don’t want to marinade shrimp for much longer than that, or they can get tough from the citrus juice.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients in Grilled Shrimp Marinade
Shrimp: Start with fresh or frozen and thawed, raw shrimp. This recipe will work with any size shrimp, but I choose the 21-25 count size for mine. If your shrimp are larger or smaller than that, just adjust the cook time a minute or two. Don’t buy pre-cooked shrimp for this recipe, as we’ll be doing the cooking ourselves. If you want to know how to easily cook shrimp for shrimp cocktail, see this post showing how to poach shrimp. You’ll never want to buy pre-cooked shrimp again after seeing how easy it is.Olive Oil: Our shrimp marinade for grilling starts with olive oil for flavor and moisture. A little oil keeps the shrimp juicy! You can substitute avocado oil or vegetable oil if that’s what you have on hand. Lemon Juice: This citrus juice will tenderize the shrimp as well as add a bright, fresh flavor.Salt and Pepper: Shrimp doesn’t come seasoned! Salt and pepper is all we need to enhance the natural flavor of the shrimp.Parsley: Roughly chopped fresh parsley adds a bright green color for contrast and also gives a bright flavor to the grilled shrimp.Garlic: You’ll need three cloves of garlic, minced finely, for this recipe (feel free to use more!). I prefer to mince my own, but you can use prepared minced garlic if you prefer. Garlic is our main flavor note in this recipe, so don’t skimp for this shrimp!
How To Make Grilled Shrimp on Skewers
Tips For Making Garlic Grilled Shrimp
This recipe is super simple, but here are a few tips that should help you get the best results.
Use sturdy skewers. I like to use stainless steel kabob skewers. They are reusable and easy to wash, and they don’t require any prep before using. You can use bamboo skewers if you like, but make sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before using. If you don’t soak them they will light on fire and burn.Don’t marinate too long. The acid from the lemon juice in this shrimp marinade will start to cook the shrimp if you leave it in there for too long. While this is a cooking method used for things like shrimp ceviche, it’s not what we’re going for here. Plan ahead so that the shrimp only sits in the marinade for 15 to 20 minutes.Don’t overcook the shrimp. Shrimp really only need a few minutes on a hot grill to cook, and they will continue to cook for a minute after you remove them from the grill as well. Pull them off just as soon as the color of the shrimp changes from translucent to opaque for best results. Overcooked shrimp is tough and rubbery, and not as flavorful as it could be.Grill the lemon. Juice half of a lemon and add the juice to the marinade, and save the other half to add on to the grill. Warming the lemon will release more juice that you can then squeeze over the shrimp once they’re cooked.Make it your own. Do you like spicy shrimp? Add some crushed red pepper to the marinade to kick up the flavor a bit. Want to give a different flavor? Try basil or cilantro in place of the parsley.
What to Serve with Garlic Grilled Shrimp
Sometimes I make these shrimp as an appetizer for an outdoor get together. I serve them with shrimp cocktail sauce and lemon wedges and they are gone in a flash! For a delicious grilled dinner, try pairing these grilled shrimp with baked potatoes on the grill, grilled corn on the cob and any other grilled vegetables you like. These grilled veggie kabobs would be perfect! They take a bit longer than the shrimp, so start them first before cooking the shrimp skewers.
Frequently Asked Grilled Shrimp Questions
Enjoy grilled garlic shrimp all year long by cooking on your outdoor grill or inside on a grill pan. Make sure to pin this recipe so everyone can enjoy it! © Little Sunny Kitchen
