You'll have to try this grilled shrimp marinade this summer. It's easy and delicious, and perfect for summer barbecues. Serve it on tacos, on salads or on its own with a dipping sauce!

shrimp skewers on a plate next to a rice bowl

Summertime is all about easy dinners for my family. (Well, that's all year long, too!)

But in the summer, we like to spend as much time outside as humanly possible. This year my kids and I are doing the 1,000 Hours Outside challenge and I am trying to sneak those hours in every possible way.

Grilling our dinners has been a great way to sneak in a few evening hours.

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Easy grilled shrimp marinade recipe

During Grilling Month in April, I made these grilled shrimp skewers. The marinade needed its own post because it is so very good!

Starring lemon, garlic and herbs, the shrimp soak up all the flavors of this citrus marinade and really brighten any meal.

You can serve the shrimp on all kinds of things, like:

a green salad
a carb, like pasta, rice or risotto
sandwiches, like a po-boy
tacos or lettuce wraps
tostadas, burritos or burrito bowls

Ingredients

Here's what you need to make this incredible shrimp marinade for grilling.

lemons for juice & zest
olive oil or avocado oil
minced garlic
salt
black pepper
dried parsley
red pepper flakes

If you don't have fresh lemons, don't fret. I usually keep lemon juice concentrate in my fridge for those days when I don't have fresh lemons. (Our new place has a lemon tree, though, and I can't WAIT to have fresh lemons all the time in a few months.)

For the shrimp, you will need about 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined.

How to make a shrimp marinade

This is going to seem so easy — and I promise it is. You only need a few minutes to make an amazing grilled shrimp marinade.

Here's what to do:

Take a bowl with a lid. Add all the ingredients to the bowl.
Whisk it well.
Add the shrimp.
Let it sit for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
Longer is better — but don't leave it in for more than 24 hours!
Then, skewer them and grill your shrimp.
Shrimp only needs about 2-3 minutes per side to cook.

The marinade should fully cover the shrimp in your bag/bowl. If it doesn't, feel free to add additional lemon juice and oil (1 part lemon, 2 parts oil - example: ¼ cup lemon juice and ½ cup oil).

Note: If your bowl doesn't have a lid, you can add the shrimp to a big ziptop bag and pour the marinade over top.

If you let your shrimp marinate for too long, the citrus juices will begin to "cook" the shrimp and you'll wind up with ceviche. Not ideal when you want grilled shrimp!

Tips for making marinated grilled shrimp

If your shrimp are fully frozen, it's best to let them thaw out first. Check out these tips for dethawing shrimp quickly and safely. However, if they are just slightly frozen from your butcher, they should thaw enough while marinating.

I like to make this marinade on my lunch break, then let the shrimp sit in it all afternoon. When we're done with work, we make a few sides like Mexican rice and and then throw the shrimp skewers on the grill.

They only need a few minutes to cook, so we do this last. Shrimp cooks incredibly fast, so you'll want to stay with the grill the whole time. You'll be cooking each side of the skewer from 1-3 minutes!

Essential grilling tools

Honestly, you don’t need much more than a good pair of tongs and a grill that works.

But if you’re willing to invest in a few grilling tools, you’re setting yourself up for grilling success. Here’s what I recommend:

No-stick spray: Weber Grill Spray is the perfect spray to coat the grates and makes it easy to clean.
A grill brush: A good-quality grill brush will help you clean off any burnt-on residue without scratching the grates.
Utensils: A great pair of tongs and a turner will go a long way in helping you flip anything you cook, from burgers to chicken wings to corn on the cob.
Grill basket: Use a metal basket for kebabs, veggies like carrots or cut squash or small cuts of meat that might fall through the grill grates.

More Grilling Recipes

If you love to grill, or even if you're a newbie and want to learn how to grill, check out these easy recipes for the grill:

Grilled Zucchini and Squash make a great side dish for just about any meal.

Grilled Chicken Fajitas are a great companion to these shrimp if you want to serve more than one protein. The marinade for these is to die for!

We love these Grilled Pork Chops. They also have a really yummy Italian marinade that you are going to want to try. Once you know how juicy a marinade makes your meat, you're going to want to do it all the time!