Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Make Grilled Shrimp Skewers for an easy and delicious dinner. Serve them for a party or enjoy them for a weeknight dinner.
Grilling Month is coming to an end next week, and next week is all about SIDES! But today I wanted to share one last protein recipe. (I hope you didn't miss these Grilled Turkey Burgers or Grilled Chicken Thighs.)
My kids really love shrimp. It doesn’t happen to be one of my usual favorites, but I fell in love with this recipe for marinated grilled shrimp skewers because they are absolutely packed with flavor.
Grilled Shrimp Skewers Recipe
Grilled shrimp skewers are marinated and cooked right on the grill for a delicious sear.
The marinade is lemony, garlicky and herby, but you are free to customize it with other herbs and spices if you wish. You can even switch out lime for lemon. Or try these shrimp and pineapple skewers!
But however you make it, the best part is the number of ways you can enjoy these delicious skewers. From tacos to stir-fries to pasta, there is so much to love about this recipe.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- There is SO much protein in shrimp (because they are so lean as well) that it makes a great meal for active families.
- You can get the family involved by helping to juice the citrus, mix the marinade or even help place the shrimp on the skewers.
- You can use the shrimp in so many ways, from tacos to stir fry to pasta dishes.
Essential grilling tools
Here's what you'll need to grill these shrimp skewers
- Wooden skewers: You'll need wooden or bamboo skewers to spear the shrimp. They're great for veggie kebabs too.
- No-stick spray: I never grill without grill spray, which helps to coat the grates and makes it easy to clean.
- A grill brush: Use a good-quality grill brush to clean off any burnt-on residue without scratching the grates.
- Utensils: You'll want a pair of tongs and a turner to help you flip the kebabs.
- Grill basket: Use a metal basket for veggies like carrots and cut squash or small cuts of meat that might fall through the grill grates.
Ingredients
Here’s what you will need to grab at the grocery store to make this recipe:
- 2 pounds of shrimp, peeled and deveined (you can leave the tails on for grilling for presentation or remove them)
- a lemon
- olive or avocado oil
- minced garlic
- salt
- black pepper
- dried parsley flakes
- red pepper flakes
How to make grilled shrimp skewers
Making shrimp on the grill is easier than you'd think.
- Prepare shrimp by peeling and deveining. Here’s a great tutorial on how to do that! (You can also buy peeled and deveined shrimp from the store.)
- Mix together the marinade and pour over the prepared shrimp in a large bowl or plastic bag.
- Allow them to marinate for at least 30 minutes up to overnight. Longer than 24 hours can start to break down the meat because of the lemon juice in the marinade. (Then you'll wind up with ceviche!)
- After marinating, remove shrimp individually from the bowl and place them onto a grilling skewer.
- When you're ready to start cooking to shrimp, preheat the grill to medium-high heat (375°F-400ºF). Once the grill is preheated, clean grill grates with a grill brush.
- Prepare grill grates by spraying with grill spray or using half an onion to naturally season the grates to prevent sticking.
- Use grill tongs to place shrimp skewers onto grill. Cook each side 1-3 minutes. You'll know the shrimp is cooked when it turns a vibrant pink color! Be mindful not to overcook shrimp (it will lose some of its color and start to curl).
Tips for success
Use grill spray to keep your grates clean and to help keep the shrimp from sticking. You can also use half a raw onion.
The marinade should fully cover the shrimp in your bag/bowl. If it doesn't, feel free to add additional lemon juice and oil. The ratio you will need is 1 part lemon to 2 parts oil (e.g. ¼ cup lemon juice and ½ cup oil).
If your shrimp are fully frozen, it's best to let these thaw first. However, if they are just slightly frozen from your butcher, they should thaw enough while marinating.
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 for 1-3 minutes!
If possible, use fresh lemons for this recipe. (We are lucky to live in Arizona — we used some freshly picked lemons from around town. Our citrus season is the BEST and we love using it fresh citrus in recipes, like these chicken fajitas, orange lemonade or orange cupcakes).
What serve with grilled shrimp
Serve it as an appetizer: Make cocktail sauce to serve with your grilled shrimp.
Make shrimp tacos: Use your favorite tortillas and add some zingy lime crema.
Make burrito bowls: Make Mexican rice and serve with shrimp and your favorite salsa.
Add it to stir fry: Veggies and shrimp are a great combo for a healthy dinner! Try this shrimp stir fry recipe.
Stir it into pasta: Try this yummy lemon shrimp pasta.
Mix it into a dip: This shrimp dip or boom boom sauce would be delicious.
Put it on a salad: Shrimp on a salad is underrated. Try this spinach salad as a base.
Serve it alongside veggies: This is a simple dinner idea. Take your shrimp and add a green veggie like broccoli. That's all you really need!
Garnish a Bloody Mary: Add a piece of leftover shrimp to your brunch cocktail! Bloody Marys are so fun to garnish.
More grilling recipes
Try these Grilled Pork Chops for a delicious, show-stopping dinner entree.
Grilled Chili Cilantro Lime Chicken is a go-to weeknight dinner in the summers at our house.
Grilled Chicken Thighs are so versatile and are easy to add to the grill if you have a picky eater who doesn't love shrimp!
Did you make this recipe?
If you make and love this recipe, please leave a ★★★★★ review below! It means so much to me when you try my recipes, and I'd love to know how it goes. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.
Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Ingredients
- 2 pounds large shrimp peeled and deveined (see note)
For marinade
- ¼ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ½ cup olive or avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- Prepare shrimp by peeling and deveining.
- Mix together all ingredients for the marinade and pour over prepared shrimp in a large bowl or plastic bag.
- Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes up to overnight. (Longer than 24 hours can start to break down the meat because of the lemon juice in the marinade.)
- After marinating, remove shrimp individually from the bowl and spear with a wooden skewer.
- When you're ready to start cooking shrimp, preheat the grill to medium-high heat (375°F-400ºF). Once the grill is preheated, clean grill grates with a grill brush.
- Prepare grill grates by spraying with grill spray or using half an onion to naturally season the grates to prevent sticking.
- Use grill tongs to place shrimp skewers onto grill. Cook each side 1-3 minutes. You'll know the shrimp is cooked when it turns a vibrant pink color! Be mindful not to overcook shrimp — it will lose some of its color and start to curl.
