Top 10 Grilled Shrimp Recipes That Taste Like the Best of Summer

Grilled Shrimp Recipes – When it comes to dinner-saving ingredients, shrimp is a true hero! But here’s the catch: you need to make sure you get your shrimp from a good source. Once you have that covered, the possibilities for delicious recipes are endless. Seriously, shrimp can work its magic with any flavor profile and in any cuisine. The best part? You can store it in the freezer for a long time, making it a convenient go-to option. Plus, the cooking time is incredibly short – we’re talking about two or three minutes tops. That’s practically instant gratification! Oh, and let’s not forget that shrimp and grills are like best buddies. Our favorite grilled shrimp recipes rely on one essential ingredient: smoke. Below, we’ve assembled some mouthwatering options that capture the very essence of summer’s finest flavors. So, what are you waiting for? Fire up that grill and let the culinary adventure begin!

1. Grilled Garlic-and-Black-Pepper Shrimp

Ingredients

• 1 fresh red chile (such as Fresno), seeds removed, finely grated
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for the grill
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined
• Kosher salt
• Lime wedges and Kashmiri chili powder or paprika (for serving)

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

Four 8-inch-long metal skewers or bamboo skewers soaked for 30 minutes in water

Instruction

Step 1

Whisk chile, garlic, pepper, lime juice, and 2 Tbsp. oil in a large bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat; season with salt. Thread shrimp onto sets of 2 skewers.

Step 2

Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; clean grates well, then oil. Grill shrimp, turning once, until cooked through and lightly charred, about 5 minutes total. Serve with lime wedges dipped in chili powder.

2. Grilled Shrimp with Turmeric Mojo Sauce

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 1 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 habanero chiles, seeds removed, chopped
• 1 3″ piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
• Cooked short-grain white rice (for serving; optional)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus more for the grill
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar
• Kosher salt
• Flaky sea salt

To Prepare

1. Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Pulse garlic, habanero, ginger, lime juice, orange juice, sugar, vinegar, and turmeric in a food processor until combined and almost smooth. With the motor running, gradually stream in 1/3 c. oil and process until emulsified.
2. Pour half of the sauce into a small bowl; season with kosher salt. Set aside for serving. Transfer the remaining sauce to a medium bowl and add shrimp. Season with kosher salt and toss to coat.
3. Clean and oil the grate, then immediately arrange the shrimp on the grill. Grill until bright pink and lightly charred, about 1 minute per side.

To Serve

Divide shrimp among bowls. Spoon reserved sauce over; sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with rice, if desired.

3. Head-On Prawns with Chile, Garlic, and Parsley

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for grill
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 12 head-on, tail-on prawns or jumbo shrimp (1 1/2–2 pounds)
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• Flaky sea salt
• Lemon wedges (for serving)

Instruction

Step 1

Prepare grill for medium-high heat; oil grate. Combine garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes, and 4 tablespoons oil in a medium bowl.

Step 2

Working one at a time, use kitchen shears to cut along the length of the back of each prawn just deep enough into the flesh to expose the vein; remove. Toss prawns with remaining 2 tablespoons oil in another medium bowl; season with kosher salt and pepper.

Step 3

Grill prawns, turning occasionally, until shells are bright red and meat is cooked through (it will look slightly opaque), about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl with garlic-parsley mixture and toss to coat; season with kosher salt and pepper. Transfer prawns to a serving platter and pour garlic-parsley mixture over; sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.

4. Grilled Shrimp With Honey-Ginger Barbecue Sauce

The freshest shrimp, a hot grill: Is there any way to improve on perfection? Maybe only with this vinegary, spicy, and mildly sweet barbecue sauce—which is also great on grilled corn.

Ingredients

• 4 pound jumbo shrimp; peeled
• 4 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• honey-garlic bbq sauce

Instructions

1. Pat shrimp dry, then thread about 6 shrimp (through top and tail, leaving shrimp curled), onto each skewer, without leaving space between shrimp.
2. Prepare the grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium-high for gas).
3. Meanwhile, brush shrimp with vegetable oil and sprinkle evenly with salt.
4. Lightly oil grill rack. Grill shrimp, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over once, 2 minutes. Brush the shrimp with some sauce from the saucepan, then turn. Brush shrimp with additional sauce then grill until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with reserved sauce.

5. Grilled Shrimp Cocktail

Cooked in their shells after a quick brine, these are more like peel-and-eat lobster tails than plain old shrimp—which inevitably raises the question of surf-and-turf. And why not? You’ve already got the grill going.

Ingredients

• 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 clove garlic minced
• ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lime zested
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

For cocktail sauce

• ⅔ cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• a few drops of your favorite hot sauce optional
• Special equipment: 10″ metal or wooden skewers

Directions

1. Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, lime zest, and pepper. Toss to coat completely and set for 15-20 minutes to marinate.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the cocktail sauce. In a small bowl combine ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce (if desired). Stir to combine. Adjust seasoning to taste.
3. Heat grill to medium-high heat — about 400 degrees. Skewer the shrimp through the head end first then through the tail section. Having two entry points will hold the shrimp steady on the skewer. Grill the shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side, or until pink and firm.
4. Serve shrimp alongside the cocktail sauce.

Notes

If using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water for an hour before threading the shrimp onto them. This will prevent the skewers from catching fire on the grill.

Nutrition

Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 285mg | Sodium: 1094mg | Potassium: 192mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 173mg | Iron: 2.7mg

6. Sweet And Spicy Grilled Shrimp

This sweet and spicy grilled shrimp recipe combines irresistible flavors that work together perfectly.

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup chili garlic sauce
• ⅓ cup honey
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• Optional Ingredients
• fresh chopped cilantro
• lime wedges

Directions

1. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
2. In a large bowl, combine the chili garlic sauce, honey, salt, and pepper. Reserve about ¼ of the mixture to brush onto the shrimp after cooking. Add the shrimp to the remaining marinade and toss to coat evenly.
3. Place the shrimp on the hot grill. Skewers or a grill basket may also be used for ease of cooking.
4. Cook the shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until opaque and cooked through.
5. Remove the shrimp from the grill and brush with the reserved marinade (that has not touched the raw shrimp). Garnish with fresh cilantro.
6. Serve immediately with lime wedges for squeezing over the top.

7. Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Garlic and Lemon

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds (1kg) large shrimp (15–20 per pound), peeled and deveined
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon (9g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more to taste; for table salt, use half as much by volume or the same weight1 te
• teaspoon (4g) sugar
• 4 medium cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon (2g) zest and 4 teaspoons (20ml) juice from 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons (10g) minced fresh parsley leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine shrimp, baking soda, salt, and sugar and toss to coat. Thread shrimp onto sets of 2 skewers, alternating heads to tails and pushing shrimp so that they are nestled snugly together; you should have about 6 shrimp on each set of skewers. Lay skewers on top of a baking dish so that the shrimp are suspended above the bottom of the dish. Transfer to refrigerator and allow to rest for 1 hour. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine half of the garlic and half of the olive oil in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, combine remaining garlic, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, and parsley leaves and set aside.
2. When the shrimp are ready to grill, brush both sides with a garlic-oil mixture. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set the cooking grate in place, cover the grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the highest heat setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil grilling grate. Close-up of shrimp skewers being brushed with garlic oil. The skewers are suspended above a small baking dish which is catching the excess oil dripping from the shrimp.
3. Place shrimp directly over the hot side of the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until shrimp are just cooked through and well charred, 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer shrimp to a cutting board.
4. Carefully remove skewers from shrimp and transfer to bowl with the garlic-oil-lemon mixture. Toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

8. Grilled Shrimp with Spicy Tamarind Dipping Sauce

This shrimp appetizer gets a kick of tangy, sweet flavor from tamarind—you’ll never go back to plain cocktail sauce.

Ingredients

• 24 jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 8 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 20 minutes
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup tamarind paste (found in Asian markets)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1-2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Direction

1. Heat the grill on high. Thread 3 shrimp on each skewer; season with salt and pepper. Dipping sauce: Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Grill shrimp until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with dipping sauce on the side.

9. Grilled Shrimp with Chile, Cilantro, and Lime

Marinate your shrimp in turmeric and fish sauce, grill it quickly over high heat, then pair it with a fiery dipping sauce.

Ingredients

• 16 jumbo shrimp, unpeeled, preferably head-on
• 6 tablespoons fish sauce (such as nuoc nam or nam pla), divided
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided, plus more for grill
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 30 cilantro sprigs, chopped
• 10 long red chiles (such as Holland or Anaheim), stemmed
• 8 garlic cloves
• 2 1″ pieces ginger, peeled
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar or (packed) light brown sugar

Direction

1. Combine shrimp, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons oil, and turmeric in a large bowl; toss to coat. Let stand for 30 minutes.
2. Purée 4 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons oil, cilantro, and remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor until a coarse mixture forms; transfer the dipping sauce to a small bowl and set aside.
3. Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to high. Oil grill grates. Shake excess liquid from shrimp and place shrimp on the grill. Cook, turning occasionally, until shrimp are charred and cooked through, 5-6 minutes.
4. Serve immediately with sauce.

10. Grilled Shrimp with Fiery Lemongrass-Chile Sambal

 

A fiery sambal of Thai bird chiles, shallots, lemongrass, and ginger is the highlight of this recipe, but you might find yourself putting the condiment on a lot more than shrimp.

Ingredients

Sambal:

• 6 (or more) Thai bird chiles or 2 (or more) serrano or jalapeño chiles (preferably red), seeded, coarsely chopped
• or 2 (or more) serrano chiles
• or jalapeño chiles (preferably red)
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped shallots (about 8 ounces)
• 1/4 cup chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons chopped lemongrass (from the bottom 4 inches of 2 large stalks)
• 6 macadamia nuts
• 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 bay leaf, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons (or more) vegetable oil
• 1 cup water

Marinade and shrimp:

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons (or more) vegetable oil
• 3 pounds uncooked unpeeled large shrimp, or 2 1/2 pounds uncooked peeled large shrimp, deveined, tails left intact
• or 2 1/2 pounds uncooked peeled large shrimp, deveined, tails left intact

Direction

For sambal :

Step 1

Combine 6 Thai bird chiles (or 2 serrano or jalapeño chiles) and the next 12 ingredients in the processor. Using on/off turns, blend until finely chopped and paste forms. If spicier sambal is desired, add more chopped chiles to taste and blend again until paste forms. Transfer the sambal to a small bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sambal and cook until fragrant and lightly browned, stirring constantly and adding more oil by tablespoonfuls if the mixture is dry about 7 minutes. Add 1 cup water; reduce heat to medium and simmer until most of the water is absorbed but the mixture is still creamy, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover sambal and chill.

For marinade and shrimp:

Step 2

Whisk lime juice, 3 tablespoons oil, and 2 tablespoons sambal in a small bowl. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewhisk marinade before using, adding more oil by teaspoonfuls if the marinade is thick.

Step 3

If using unpeeled shrimp, use kitchen scissors to cut the shrimp shell along the rounded back of the tail; scrape out the vein with the tip of a bamboo skewer or the tip of a small knife. Place peeled or unpeeled shrimp in a large glass baking dish. Brush shrimp all over with marinade. Allow shrimp to marinate at room temperature for at least 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes.

Step 4

Meanwhile, prepare the barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush the grill rack with oil. Grill shrimp until just opaque in the center, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer shrimp to a platter. Rewarm remaining sambal and serve alongside for dipping or for spooning atop shrimp.

Ingredient tip:

Step 5

Unpeeled shrimp cook up more succulent and flavorful but are a bit messier to eat than peeled shrimp (which you can use if you prefer). For ease of preparation, the seafood department at some supermarkets sells uncooked unpeeled shrimp that have already been deveined.