Garlic Grilled Shrimp
119 Comments
Jul 10, 2024
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Grilled shrimp is a quintessential summertime recipe! Jumbo shrimp are marinated in a delicious garlic herb mixture, then loaded onto skewers, and grilled to perfection. You can’t beat a recipe that’s super easy to make yet fancy enough to serve at your next gathering.
This Grilled Shrimp Is a Summer Grilling Staple
Let’s just say that these grilled shrimp skewers have been made countless times in my kitchen. I often cook them on an indoor grill pan for deliciously easy weeknight dinners. But cooking them over an open flame outdoors is where they’ll shine bright at any summer BBQ. Here’s why:
- They only need 10 minutes on the grill. Unlike my Greek chicken kabobs or beef shish kabobs, shrimp only need about 6 minutes to cook. Who doesn’t love a low-effort, delicious-tasting grilling recipe?
- The shrimp marinade is garlicky goodness. It’s nothing fancy, but mixing fresh herbs, garlic, zesty lemon, and a pinch of cayenne pepper seriously elevates the shrimp. You could even use my chimichurri sauce as an alternative!
Grilled Shrimp Ingredients
- Jumbo Shrimp: Since we’re putting these on skewers, you want your shrimp to be large and juicy. And while I tend to buy fresh jumbo shrimp from a local fishmonger, I know that’s not accessible to everyone. So I’ve provided tips on buying fresh and frozen shrimp further down in the post.
- Grilled Shrimp Marinade: This is the most delicious blend of olive oil, cilantro, parsley, fresh garlic, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. If you’d like to switch up the fresh herbs, you can also use fresh basil, thyme, or oregano!
Find the printable recipe with measurements below
How To Grill Shrimp
First, make sure to thaw your frozen shrimp overnight in the fridge. If you forgot, place the shrimp in a colander and run cold water over the frozen shrimp for 5 to 10 minutes. When completely thawed, pat them dry with a paper towel. Now let’s get cooking!
Marinate the shrimp. Toss the thawed shrimp with 80% of the marinade until completely coated. Let the marinated shrimp sit in the covered bowl for about 30 minutes in the fridge. You could leave them a little bit longer, but don’t let them sit for more than 2 hours. Otherwise, the texture of the shrimp won’t be as good due to the acidity in the marinade.
Thread and grill. Thread the shrimp on skewers and brush more of the marinade on top. Grill the shrimp on medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until perfectly pink/orange. They cook fast, so keep an eye on them! Then, transfer the skewers to a plate and drizzle the remaining marinade on the shrimp for extra garlicky flavor (or save the marinade to drizzle on grilled vegetables).
What are the best skewers to use? Both wood and metal skewers work just fine. But I prefer metal ones because they can be re-used indefinitely and don’t have to be soaked in water before use. I also recommend you purchase flat skewers rather than round ones. The flat shape prevents the shrimp from rotating around the skewer when you flip them over.
Pair This Grilled Shrimp With…
- Grilled veggies: Grilled corn on the cob (or elote) is a must!
- BBQ side salads: You can’t go wrong with summer classics like creamy coleslaw, potato salad, or watermelon salad.
- Leafy green salads: A Caesar salad, berry spinach salad, or summer garden salad are light and fresh options.
Storage & Make-Ahead Tips
- To store in the fridge: If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
- To freeze for later: You can freeze them for about 3 months in freezer-safe containers. It’s best to freeze them within 1 to 2 hours of grilling to prevent bacteria from growing.
- Make-ahead tips: Toss the shrimp in the marinade, thread them on skewers, and leave them on a plate in the fridge until you’re ready to grill.
How To Shop For Shrimp
When shopping for shrimp, always take quality and source into consideration. Fresh catches of the day are great if you live on the coast, but they can be hard to come by and expensive. And the “fresh” shrimp on ice at your grocery store is anything but fresh. It’s typically frozen, then thawed, and you don’t know how long it’s been sitting out (shrimp can spoil quickly).
So oddly enough, frozen shrimp is the ideal choice. It’s frozen as soon as it’s caught, preserving the freshest flavor. Then, you can simply thaw right before preparing. Here are a few things to look for in your freezer aisle:
- Jumbo shrimp. To ensure you’re buying the right frozen bag, note the number of shrimp per pound. Jumbo shrimp will typically be between 16 to 20 shrimp per pound.
- Shell and tail on. Frozen shrimp with its shell on will hold a bit more flavor and are less processed than peeled shrimp. But I totally understand the convenience of peeled and deveined shrimp, so grab what you can.
- Wild shrimp. Check the source of your shrimp. Wild shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic is better than farm-raised shrimp from Southeast Asia. Wild shrimp will be free from antibiotics and injected hormones and are better for the environment.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes
- Shrimp Tacos: The cilantro lime bacon slaw is amazing!
- Creamy Chipotle Shrimp: Nothing beats this creamy, spicy chipotle sauce.
- Garlic Butter Shrimp: A classic for an easy shrimp dinner, or this elevated shrimp scampi (with a little white wine).
- Shrimp Salad: The best way to enjoy cold shrimp on a hot day.
- Citrus Shrimp Ceviche: A fun appetizer everyone will love.
- Or give these other shrimp recipes a try!
If you make this garlic-grilled shrimp recipe, I’d love to know how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration (and exclusive content), join my free newsletter.
Garlic Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Description
Video
Equipment
- Indoor Grill Pan My favorite pan for easy indoor grilling.
- Metal Skewers The best skewers for grilling!
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- pinch cayenne pepper, adjust to spice preference
Instructions
- Mix the marinade. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, garlic, and spices to a small mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Marinate the shrimp. Place the shrimp in a bowl and pour ¾ of the marinade on top of the shrimp. Mix gently until the shrimp are well coated. Cover the bowl and marinate the shrimp for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Prep the shrimp for grilling. Thread the shrimp on the skewers. Make sure to get all the good garlic and herbs from the bowl and spread on to the shrimp.
- Grill the shrimp. Heat a grill or grill pan on medium high heat. Once the grill is hot, place the shrimp skewers on the grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes each side, or until they turn pink and opaque.
- Serve. Remove the shrimp to a plate and spoon the remaining marinade on top before serving.
Lisa’s Tips
- Adding the last little bit of marinade at the end makes these grilled shrimp extra garlicky. If you don’t like raw garlic and/or would like the garlic flavor less strong, just use all the marinade in step 2.
- You can use a variety of fresh herbs in this recipe, including parsley, cilantro, basil, thyme and oregano (I don’t recommend rosemary). Feel free to swap the herbs for your favorites.
- These are my favorite skewers. They’re flat skewers which prevent the shrimp from rotating around when you flip them over.
- This is the indoor grill pan I use on top of my stove.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Recipe originally posted July 2020, but updated to include new photos and information for your benefit!
Is the nutritional information for one skewer? If so, approx number is shrimp? Or?
The nutritional information is for one skewer, which is about 4 shrimp!
Hi
Can I skewer/prepare these ahead and refrigerate before I grill them?
Yes, you can!
I have some marinated shrimp that I didn’t grill yet. Made way too many. Should I grill and then freeze?
Yep, you can grill then freeze!
Really delicious and quick dinner! I used fresh cilantro but only had dried parsley. I took your tip and used all of the sauce to marinade vs. reserving some for after grilling. So good!
Delicious, will definitely be grilling shrimp using this recipe more often!
It’s a must for the summer!
This is a recipe I return to time and time again. I don’t change a thing and the shrimp is perfect every time. It is a great make ahead dish when you have guests, and everyone is always pleased. Tks for sharing.
Thrilled to hear you’re loving this recipe Jeanne!
These shrimp were very flavorful. My wife and I both enjoyed them over some small noodles. My shrimp took a little longer to cook, but that’s probably because of the cold weather in AK.
I’ve prepared this recipe for guests on two occasions. They loved it. The first was on skewers; the second I simply grilled them on a cast iron griddle. A super hit both times. I would not recommend serving pre-cooked shrimp. They are always overcooked and toughen up with brief grilling.
i tried your grilled shrimp recipe and all of use thought it was a keeper. The video and notes made it easy to follow. The marinade was simple and versatile, I had every ingredient already. I would suggest to others to try it at least once!
These are amazing on the grill. But it’s not grilling season in MN now. Suggestions for sauteeing the shrimp on the stovetop instead?
You can use the same marinade to saute the shrimp, it just won’t have that extra grilled texture and charred flavor.
Absolutely delicious! And so easy to make.
I made this Garlic Grilled and my whole family loved it. It’s a very easy recipe and if you follow the instructions you get these pretty Garlic Grilled! Yum!
Glad these were easy to make and everyone loved it!
Raw shrimp is really best as cooked shrimp will be more likely to get tough. If you need to use cooked shrimp grill them for as little time as possible just to warm them through.
Just tried this recipe while looking for a quick and easy recipe. I didn’t have time to let the marinade sit but it still turned out amazing!!
Glad this still turned out great, despite the reduced marinating time :)
loved this recipe. thinking of trying it at the weekend for my whole family. nervous + excited. thank you for sharing it.
Hope everyone enjoys these grilled shrimp skewers Launa!
So simple so yummy big garlic flavor it was a hit with everyone thank you!!!!
Happy to hear these shrimp skewers were a hit!
Made the Garlic Shrimp Skewers yesterday for the first time and everyone raved about it. Thank you
Happy to hear everyone enjoyed these shrimp skewers!
Just bought some shrimp and immediately went to your site…. delicious. Hope your cookbook is coming along. Love your recipes !!!!
Hope you enjoyed this grilled shrimp skewers Julie! The cookbook is slowly coming along, and I can’t wait to share tons more behind the scenes on stories soon :)
Looks easy going to make tonight, not sure the recipe does not say if shrimp are peeled or unpeeled
Shrimp should be peeled for this recipe, but leave the tails on.
Easy to make. Tastes great. Will be doing this recipe again soon.
I made this yesterday for a family BBQ. Soooo delicious and easy to make! I doubled the amount and put them on the grill. Perfection! The extra marinade was delicious drizzled all over the grilled shrimp and grilled veggies!
The marinade really is superb with anything grilled! Glad the whole family enjoyed this recipe Brooke.
do the shrimp need to be deveined?
Frozen shrimp with its shell on will hold a bit more flavor than ones that are peeled. They’re also less processed. But I certainly understand the convenience of peeled and deveined shrimp, so grab what you can.
I don’t have a grill. What do you suggest I use instead.
Hi Denise – you can use a grill pan on the stove. That’s what I do!
Yummy Thank you! I guess I have been grilling my shrimp right! Just wondered about other ways! Your’s was great!
Glad you enjoyed this grilled shrimp recipe Kelly :)
Some of the best shrimp I’ve had. So good I just sent the recipe to my entire family.
Thanks so much for sharing Suzanne :)
Want to try this for this weekend, can you bake in oven vs the grill? Supposed to be hot and rather cook inside.
This recipe is specifically for grilling. But, you can also use my sauteed shrimp recipe instead with the same marinade if you’d like.
This shrimp recipe is amazing!! I recommend making a bit more of the marinade to have a wonderful fresh flavor added!!
Glad you enjoyed this grilled shrimp recipe!
I have been eyeballing this grilled shrimp recipe since it came out in July. Finally, last night I made this recipe. This is a wonderful shrimp recipe the flavors are so fresh and bright. My boyfriend also said this is how he wants me to make shrimp this way all the time. Thank you for this easy and wonderful recipe.
Wonderful! Glad both you and your boyfriend finally got to enjoy this grilled shrimp recipe Melissa :)
What an amazing, delicious recipe, such wonderful garlic flavor. My husband couldn’t quit raving either, and I usually have to ask him if he likes something, he said this is a definite 10! I can’t wait to make this for a party!
Now, I have to go look at your other recipes.
Happy to hear these shrimp skewers was a win with your husband! Can’t wait to hear about which recipe you try next Lynn :)
Did this today and I love it.
I left out cayenne pepper and added more garlic.
The little left over that you save to baste after was not needed for me. My shrimp had a lot of flavor so I ended up using that left over for my veggie kabobs.
It was delicious.
Thanks for the recipe.
I definitely will be doing this again and again.
Love how you re-used the leftover sauce for kabobs! Great idea.
Yummy. I’ll make it soon. 👍
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
This recipe was a hit for my guests! Everyone was raving about the shrimp. Thanks so much!!
Amazing! Happy to hear everyone enjoyed these shrimp skewers :)
I had some leftover shrimp from the chipotle shrimp recipe, so decided to make these for dinner and got rave reviews from the family. So delicious! This one will be on the weekly menu….
Wonderful! Glad you found a winning shrimp recipe the whole family loves Babette :)
I‘ve just served the shrimp skewers to my in-laws, who are VERY picky eaters and they absolutely loved it!
I believe the lemon juice is what really balances out the garlic. I‘ve made shrimp with just garlic before but it‘s never tasted as good as with this marinade, the combination of all those flavors is what makes it so amazing. Thank you so much, Lisa, I will be making this over and over again!!
Hi Lisa- Thrilled to hear the picky eaters loved this recipe! Can’t ever go wrong with a lemon garlic combo :)
Absouletly delicous my husband scooped up the garlic oil with crusty bread.
Thank you x
So glad you enjoyed these shrimp skewers!
These garlic grilled shrimp skewers are so delicious! I’ll be making this recipe again and again this summer!
Hi Emily- Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed this shrimp skewers so much :)
Awesome the flavors of the lemon and garlic are perfect with the herbs. Peeled my shrimp beforehand. Did this at 400 degrees on a Traeger pellet grill.
Hi Ann- Glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Aw, it reminds me of I haven’t been to a bbq party since a long time ago 😅 Normally, I don’t peel the shrimp shell when grilling because doing it is not my thing xD
Wow! Incredibly delicious! I’ve seen similar recipes in the past that are much more complicated and include unnecessary steps like brining, but this is no-fuss and turned out beautifully. I grilled these shrimp alongside some zucchini and it was a perfect summer meal. I highly recommend!
Hi Carolyn- Shrimp and zucchini are definitely the perfect summer combo! Glad this recipe turned out great.
Amazing! We made them for the fourth, and OMG they were better than the burgers. Worth it!
That’s amazing! Now you’ve found the perfect grilling recipe :)
OMG these are the best shrimp I’ve ever eaten. I started with wild Argentinian shrimp and this is definitely a keeper recipe. Thanks Lisa
Yay, I’m happy you loved the recipe Lori!
Absolutely delicious! And so easy to make. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Nadia- So glad you enjoyed these shrimp skewers!
Do you peel the shrimp before putting them on the skewer?
Nope! You don’t need to. But you can if you’d like.
Looks really yummy but I’m allergic to shellfish could I use marinade for salmon instead?
Yes, absolutely!
Love the freshness of the herbs and garlic on these shrimp! So good!
The herbs really work their magic in this recipe!
I followed the recipe as written, all the way to the skewering step; instead I used a grill wok basket. No garlicky oil on my fingers, no tedious threading onto skewers, easy, easy!
Served with broccolini and corn off the cob. An absolute winner!
Hi Andrew- That’s awesome! Great way to cook these shrimps as well :)
These look so good, especially that marinade! I so want to pick one right off of my screen.
I made your recipe for a gathering the other day and everyone kept asking for the recipe. It was totally a hit!
Wonderful! Glad everyone enjoyed this recipe :)
This recipe is perfect for summer! Super easy, fresh and great for an outdoor picnic too!
Definitely a go-to summer recipe :)
What an amazing and easy recipe! I love everything about this – tho we do ramp up the garlic a bit!
It never hurts to add more garlic!