How To Grill Shrimp Skewers

Time To Make Grilled Shrimp

Making Shrimp Skewers / Kabobs / Kebabs on a Charcoal Grill with Old Bay Seasoning

We don’t know why, but grilled shrimp always tastes way better than stovetop shrimp. Maybe it’s the grill marks.

Now that you’re properly equipped with the knowledge to make DELICIOUS grilled shrimp, it’s time to go on and do it!

Remember, practice makes perfect. Don’t stress too much if you can’t get it perfect the first time. You’ll get there!

Just remember to have fun!

Outdoor Cooking Pros

Wood Or Metal Skewers

Firstly you’ll need to select your skewers. They can be either metal or wood – and there are pros and cons for each.

Flat stainless steel metal skewers are the most reliable as they discourage the food from spinning round each time you turn them on the grill. They should be ideally about 12 inches long. Metal skewers are also re-usable, making them an environmentally friendly choice.

Wood skewers and particularly bamboo skewers are popular and cheap – but with one big downside – they burn easily. They need to be soaked in water for at least thirty minutes first until saturated to prevent them from burning on the grill.

How Long To Grill Shrimp

The Finest Bbq Shrimp is an excellent evening meal since it is fast, flavorful, and simple to prepare. Barbecuing shrimp is the quickest and most straightforward approach to preparing this extremely mainstream fish. The smoky taste from the barbeque complements the marinades acidic notes well.

Because of the shrimps size, they should be placed on sticks to prevent them from falling through the mesh. I favor enormous prawns because of their size, but this recipe would perform well enough with tiny prawns as well.

The shrimps most remarkable feature is the grill shrimp marinade, which elevates them to new heights. It is the way to grill shrimp and takes only a few minutes.

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Other Ways To Cook Shrimp Skewers

No grill, or too cold out to bother? You can still make these shrimp skewers.

  • Broiler: Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange your assembled shrimp skewers on the sheet. Broil about 5 inches away from the heat for about 2 minutes on each side or until they’re cooked through.
  • Grill pan: Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil in a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the skewers, in batches if necessary, for about 2 minutes on each side or until they’re cooked through.

How To Thread The Skewers

Pineapple Shrimp Kabobs

I like for the shrimp tails to face the same direction on each skewer, simply for presentation. Thread the shrimp onto the skewer focusing on the thickest part of the shrimp. This will ensure the shrimp stays on the skewer.

You will also use this method for the vegetables. Slice your veggies thick enough so that they will stay on the skewers. For the onion, slice the onion in half, and then take half of the onion and slice it into quarters . This will create the perfect size for grilling.

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Different Ways To Cook Shrimp

The great thing about serving shrimp is that it is one of the more versatile foods out there. Even better, it provides a pack of protein without many calories, making it a delicious, healthy choice for meals throughout the day.

Perhaps the best part about shrimp is that it has a naturally mild flavor. This makes it perfect for adding seasonings, sauces, and other flavors into the mix to create a unique, delicious mixture that can be enjoyed again and again.

Shrimp scampi is one of those classic shrimp dishes that can be found on many menus. This is a dish that features the shrimp sauteed in butter, garlic, white wine, and some lemon juice. Generally speaking, it is served over the top of some pasta and can even be topped with a little parsley for garnish.

The great thing is that the shrimp pair well with the sauces traditionally used in the scampi. You can even opt to go healthier by using gluten-free noodles and heap on some sauteed spinach to provide an additional pop of nutritional quality.

Perhaps youre looking for more traditional southern flavor. There is nothing that says southern quite like shrimp and grits. Its comforting, creamy, and is rarely ever a miss. After all, who doesnt like a recipe that uses a lot of bacon, butter, and cheese?

Even better, you can really up the flavor of your shrimp taco by adding in some taco seasoning before you cook the shrimp.

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Put The Shrimp On Skewers

It’ll be a lot easier to grill your shrimp without it falling through the grill grates.

In order to help with the small size of the shrimp, you can thread shrimp onto skewers.

You can use metal skewers or wooden skewers, depending on your preference. Thread the shrimp on in a way that is uniform so they don’t fall off.

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What You Need For Shrimp Kabobs

Protein and vegetables grilled altogether for a delicious meal. These shrimp kabobs are a quick and easy dinner! For full recipe see the recipe card below.

  • Shrimp: Look for shrimp that has been deveined for easy prep or be sure to devein them yourself.
  • Zucchini: Use a combination of green and yellow zucchini for flavor and color variation.
  • Red onion: Slice the red onion into chunks, it will sweeten a bit while it cooks.
  • Red bell pepper: You can also use yellow or orange bell peppers or a combination.
  • Lemon: Slice the lemon slices thicker than you normally would so that it threads easily.
  • Shrimp marinade: This is the perfect marinade for your shrimp to enhance the most flavor.

How To Cook Shrimp On The Grill

How To Grill Shrimp- Shrimp Skewers On The Grill
  • Prepare the skewers: First, pre-soak your wooden skewers in cold water for 30 minutes. Otherwise, you can use reusable metal skewers . I prefer flat metal skewers, which keep the shrimp from rotating, too.

If you dont plan on using skewers, you can cook them in a well-oiled grilling basket or use a silicone grill mat.

  • Prepare the grill: Preheat your grill to medium heat and lightly oil the surface.
  • Thread the shrimp: Thread around 5-7 shrimp per skewer. I like to do this right through the center twice this keeps them securely in place.
  • How to grill shrimp skewers: Place the skewers on your BBQ and quickly brush them with half the lemon garlic glaze . Cover and grill for 2-3 minutes. Then flip the skewers, brush with the remaining glaze, cover, and grill for 2 more minutes until they are no longer transparent. Then theyre ready to enjoy!

If you want the charred skewer marks, then you can press on them with a spatula. Do this at the end of the cooking process but be careful not to overcook the shrimp. As soon as the grey color is gone, the shrimp are ready!

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What Else Can You Add

Im glad you asked, coz there are tons of ways to play around with this simple yet mouthwatering shrimp kabob recipe.

  • Add some pineapples too for that Hawaiian-inspired grilled shrimp kabob.
  • Want to diversify the meat? Add sliced pre-cooked Andouille sausages.
  • Mushrooms are great too for this grilled recipe

How Long To Cook It/how To Tell When Its Done

Raw and frozen shrimp are a translucent gray. When its cooked, it should be an opaque white with some pink and bright red accents. This is the best indicator of whether or not shrimp is fully cooked.

When shrimp cooks, the muscle contracts, so the shrimp shrinks and curls. I find that its perfectly cooked when it has a C shape. I remove the shrimp from heat immediately when it reaches this shape. Often, if it reaches an O shape, and completely curls in, it will taste overcooked.

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What Type Of Shrimp To Use

Shrimp can be found at the grocery store in a few different ways. There is raw, pre-cooked, raw and frozen, deveined, tails on, tails off, etc.

I never use pre-cooked shrimp. There is an obvious difference in taste due to the lack of quality. The shrimp is cooked and then frozen and you have to cook it/warm it up again. This usually overcooks the shrimp. Raw shrimp only takes minutes to make, just buy it raw.

Always look for deveined, thats my preference. The black vein that runs along the back of the shrimp is the digestive intestinal tract. Is this shrimp poop, yes.

You can buy it with the vein and remove it using a sharp paring knife to make a slit along the back and lift out the vein with the tip of the knife.

Buy large shrimp. Baby shrimp are meant to go in things like soups.

How Long Do You Grill Shrimp

Pineapple Shrimp Kabobs

Cook the prawns for five to seven minutes over a moderate flame, rotating midway through the cycle. When the shrimp is cooked, the outside should acquire a lovely pink hue, while the interior should be pale and translucent. Make sure not to overheat the prawns otherwise, the flavor will become bitter.

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Why Its The Best Shrimp Seasoning

The seasoning blend in this recipe is based on our Magic Seafood Seasoning. It really is magical! It brings the very best flavor to grilled salmon and shrimp. Here we simplified it a bit so that you dont have to mix up a whole batch: it works for 1 pound of shrimp. You can use it for cooking shrimp on the stove, too! A few notes on ingredients:

  • Smoked paprika is a Spanish smoked version of sweet paprika. It might also be labeled as pimentón at your local grocery. It brings in the best smoky flavor!
  • Celery seed brings in just the right herby essence its evocative of Old Bay seasoning. Grab a jar and you can also use it for our famouschickpea salad sandwiches.

Do You Keep The Tails On The Shrimp

This is completely up to you and is a matter of preference. Often the tails are left on for presentation purposes only. The shrimp simply looks nicer and will have a nice curve to it when the tails are left on.

Leaving the tail on is often inconvenient when it comes to devouring the meal! Its your call.

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How To Cook Shrimp Kabobs On The Stove

No outdoor grill and your oven is on the fritz or occupied with other food? No problem! Here are tips to cook shrimp kabobs on the stove.

  • Use a stovetop grill pan like this reversible one or this skillet/grill combo.
  • You wont have the same smoky flavor that you get from an outdoor grill, but your shrimp will still be ultra tasty.

How To Make The Most Flavorful Shrimp Kabobs

Grilled Shrimp Recipe – Grilled Shrimp Skewers – Traeger Grill

The magic of these easy shrimp kabobs is in the shrimp marinade. Its only five ingredients but packs a wallop of flavor:

  • Cool, Creamy Coconut Milk. To make the shrimp extra juicy and balance the heat from magic Ingredient #5.
  • Fresh Lime Juiceand Fresh Orange Juice. To turn the shrimp kabobs into summer gold on a skewer.
  • Soy Sauce. To provide essential saltiness. I like soy sauce in place of plain-old kosher salt here, because its flavor is more complex and balances well with the sweetness of fruit you may add, like pineapple.
  • Tabasco. To be the somethin somethinand give the shrimp kabobs a Cajun edge. Made in the heart of Louisiana , Tabasco adds the right amount of heat to unite the rest of the ingredients, and its spice will cause you to reach for just one more shrimp skewerthree times in a row.

If you are looking to season the shrimp kabobs with a dry spice blend rather than a wet marinade, you can check out my all-purpose Grilled Shrimp Seasoning. It uses simple pantry ingredients like Italian seasoning and cayenne and is another keeper.

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Recipe Tips And Variations:

  • Vegetable skewers: If you want some grilled veggies on the side, make all-veggie kebabs on separate skewers and get them cooking before you start the shrimp. That way youve got perfectly cooked tender vegetables with just the right amount of char, and luscious shrimp that arent tough from being overdone.
  • Fresh pineapple: Sometimes I skewer thin slivers of fresh pineapple with the marinated shrimp for a sweet twist on this recipe. Plunk some tortillas right onto the grill and make tacos with creamy Avocado Sauce.
  • Grilled shrimp bowls: Serve over rice with cucumber slices, scallions, bean sprouts, and extra green herbs for one amazing summery supper. Also great with a splash of Nuoc Cham.

How To Thaw Shrimp

Frozen shrimp is just as good with shrimp skewers! Load up your freezer for healthy dinners for months! Here are two methods for thawing shrimp, depending on when you start:

  • Day before: If you think ahead, simply place the frozen shrimp in the refrigerator overnight.
  • Day of: Place the frozen shrimp into a large bowl with very cold water. Stir the bowl every 5 minutes to break up clumps of shrimp that freeze together. The shrimp should be defrosted in about 15 minutes.

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Why You Should Make This Recipe

Grilled shrimp skewers are a show-stopping meal that will have everyone craving more.

I love it because its:

  • Perfect for summer grilling for a super quick and healthy dinner.
  • Versatile as they can be used as a base for salads, bowls and more!
  • Easy to make with a basic seasoning or next level marinade.

What Type Of Bbq Sauce To Use

Grilled Shrimp Skewers

Im using BBQ sauces from Primal Kitchen. What I love about their products is they are sugar-free, dairy-free, and Whole 30 approved. Most store-bought sauces are sweetened and loaded with sugar. Its nice to have an unsweetened version!

For this recipe, I wanted a variety of options, so I used the Hawaiian and Mango Jalapenoflavors. Each flavor has the hint of smoky flavor I need for BBQ!

The sauces are USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Whole30 Approved®, Certified Paleo and Keto Certified, and made with no high fructose corn syrup.

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How To Grill Shrimp

This section shows how to cook shrimp on the grill with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full instructions, see the recipe card below.

  • Soak. If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 30-60 minutes before grilling. Thin metal skewers will work as well and dont need to be soaked.
  • Make marinade. Whisk all ingredients except shrimp in a large bowl.
  • Turn the shrimp to coat, and allow them to marinate for 20-30 minutes.

TIP: Dont marinate for too long. If marinated for more than 30-60 minutes, the acid in the marinade will start to cook the shrimp .

  • Preheat. While shrimp marinates, preheat the grill for 15 minutes on medium high heat.
  • Skewer. Remove shrimp from marinade and thread onto skewers. Grilling shrimp on skewers will prevent it from falling through the grates and makes it easier to flip.
  • Grill. Lay the shrimp skewers on the grill and cook, flipping once, until shrimp is opaque.

Grilling Shrimp Without Skewers

The first way that you can cook your shrimp on the grill is to simply put them on the grill individually. This is best achieved on grills that have upper racks. These are for foods that cook quickly or that you dont want to char.

Make sure to use a cooking spray to prevent them from sticking to the grates and you should be able to provide ample heat without charring them or turning them rubbery.

Even better, there are some grills that have flat-top components to them for smaller foods that can fall through the grating. These are particularly great for adding seasoning to your food as you cook.

This is still a somewhat delicate process and it can be easy to overcook the shrimp. It is important to work within specific temperature ranges to ensure even cooking of the shrimp throughout the process.

But if youre looking for a more effective way of cooking shrimp on the grill, there is another way: use foil.

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What Size Shrimp For Grilling

The best shrimp to buy for grilling is jumbo shrimp , but if those are unavailable, extra-large or large shrimp are your next best option.

The reason we want such large shrimp for grilling is because the larger size can withstand the high heat and longer cook time on the grill to brown and develop that sought-after chargrilled flavor.

How To Grill Shrimp In Foil

How to Grill Shrimp Skewers

Bbq shrimp is a popular dish, but we dont always have the energy to prepare it. Foil packets turn a shrimp bubble into one-of-a-kind gatherings that are a blast to fling on the grill! It has a beginning and a finish that you enjoy with a lot less effort.

  • Preheat the barbecue to a hot temperature at 425 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Arrange two 18-inch-long strips of foil on the highest point of one another. In the middle of the foil, place the prawns, garlic, spread, lemon zing wine, and juice. Garnish with a couple of drudgeries of dark pepper, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and red pepper pieces. To seal the foil, pull the long sides together in the center and overlap them over one another. Crease each of the crew cut up, ensuring the item is well wrapped.
  • Set on the grill and simmer for around nine minutes, or till the shrimp will cook properly and the marinade is sizzling. Serve over spaghetti, rice, or grilled bread with parsley.
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