Marinated grilled shrimp delivers a simple, fast, and flavorful recipe thanks to an incredible sweet and spicy marinade. Feel-good grilling takes beautiful summer days over the top! Seafood makes an uncomplicated family weeknight meal and is ideal for entertaining.
I could easily transition to vegetarian if it weren’t for steak and shrimp. So I don’t have plans to give up these mighty foods any time soon because they make dinner a breeze while satisfying the soul.
Even when summer is a distant memory, I love firing up the grill. Grilled flank steak, lamb chops, and chicken are superb additions for your own style of surf and turf.
Yes, I’m in love with summer! Trust me, hubby keeps bugging me to share my favorite summer grilling recipe, so here it is, my marinated grilled shrimp!
What Marinade Does for Shrimp
Honestly, shrimp is delicious on its own if properly grilled with just a little salt and pepper. Add a spicy, naturally sweet marinade using a handful of simple pantry staples, and you can make a good thing even better. Sweetness from honey, bright acidity from lemon, and earthiness from paprika and cumin are enhanced by the master flavor delivery of olive oil.
The nice thing about shrimp is that it doesn’t need a lot of time to take on flavor. Just toss them in a ziplock bag or a glass bowl and marinate them in the fridge for around 30 minutes for a flavor party.
Plus, they cook so fast! They grill up in a matter of 4-5 minutes per side while retaining all their flavor. It makes a great busy weeknight dinner or an appetizer for your next BBQ party. Besides, it tastes waaay better than processed foods, and it’s healthier!
How to Grill Marinated Shrimp
- Soak wooden skewers for at least 20 minutes, totally submerged in water, before grilling to prevent burning. If using stainless steel ones, lightly oil them before threading the shrimp.
- Heat the grill on medium-high. If using a grill pan, lightly spray it with oil to prevent sticking.
- Mix the garlic, paprika, cumin, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, cayenne pepper, and salt in a medium bowl. Reserve about a tablespoon for basting. (Photos 1-2)
- Add shrimp to the mixture, and thoroughly coat them in the marinade. (Photos 3-4)
- Marinate them for about 30 minutes. Add parsley to the marinated shrimp. (Photo 5)
- Thread the shrimp onto the skewers (3-4 per skewer). Make sure the skewer is fully covered with shrimp. (Photo 6)
- Grill the shrimp skewers for 4-5 minutes per side or until opaque, basting frequently with the reserved marinade.
- Serve hot with vegetables, rice, or with dipping sauce.
Happy grilling!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Large and jumbo shrimps are the perfect choice for grilling because they’re easier to handle.
- Shelled and deveined shrimp are preferred when working on this recipe. The shrimp are a lot easier to skewer, and the marinade has more impact on them.
- Precooked shrimp don’t work well for this recipe. But if that’s what you have, baste them with the marinade and grill or heat them until heated through.
- If you want to serve the excess marinade on the side, simmer it lightly to kill the bacteria from raw seafood and serve it on the side in a bowl.
What Goes With Grilled Shrimp
And you can never go wrong when you pair it with coconut rice with diced cucumber and corn kernels. However, these guys are great appetizers along with grilled chicken wings, saltfish fritters, hot dog pretzels, and deviled ham.
More Seafood Appetizer Recipes to Try
This blog post was originally published in August 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos
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