These grilled shrimp are so easy to make. From start to finish, this recipe takes about 20 minutes!
Simply coat the shrimp with olive oil and spices, thread them on skewers, and grill them for a total of six minutes.
This is one of my favorite recipes to make for my family. I love that you don’t need to marinate the shrimp. Simply season and grill! They are delicious, and even the leftovers are excellent.
Shrimp are small, so they’re ready fast, making them ideal for a weeknight dinner. Apart from grilling them, I have several other ways of preparing them, including baked shrimp, broiled shrimp, and sauteed shrimp.
Ingredients
You’ll only need a few ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need:
- Raw shrimp: I use large, peeled, and deveined shrimp in this recipe.
- Olive oil: I love this flavorful oil and use it frequently when I cook. However, it has a low smoke point, so you can use avocado oil instead if you’d like.
- To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper.
Choose Large Shrimp
Shrimp come in several sizes. The ones I use most often in my cooking are medium (51-60 pieces per pound), large (31-40 pieces per pound), extra-large (21-25 pieces per pound), and jumbo (16-20 pieces per pound).
I don’t recommend using small or medium shrimp for grilling. It’s difficult to thread them on skewers. Their small size means they can quickly become too dry on the grill. They are better suited for a shrimp salad.
The best shrimp sizes for grilling are large, extra-large, or jumbo. When making this recipe, I typically use large shrimp:
Large and extra-large shrimp will need about three minutes per side on the grill; for jumbo ones, add 30 seconds per side for a total of seven minutes. When shrimp are done, they are opaque throughout.
Variations
- Sometimes, I use melted butter instead of olive oil. It’s excellent! Ghee is another tasty option.
- Try different spices, such as onion powder and chili powder. I especially like chili powder in this recipe. I add ½ teaspoon of any additional spice.
- Omit the smoked paprika. When the shrimp are done, sprinkle them with dry-grated parmesan cheese. This is my husband’s favorite version.
- For more heavily spiced shrimp, as shown in the photo below, double the garlic powder and smoked paprika.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making grilled shrimp:
Start by placing the shrimp in a large bowl. Add olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. Toss to coat.
Thread the shrimp onto skewers.
Grill them until opaque and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side, over medium-high heat. Serve immediately.
Expert Tips
- Since shrimp are small and delicate, your top priority as a cook is to avoid overcooking them. Obviously, you want them fully cooked. But do take them off the grill the moment they’re no longer translucent.
- I prefer garlic powder to fresh minced garlic in this recipe because it more uniformly coats the shrimp and doesn’t burn as quickly.
- You can use an outdoor grill, an indoor dual-contact electric grill, or a grill pan to make this recipe.
- Don’t expect your shrimp to have grill marks. They cook so fast that there’s no time for grill marks to form.
- Using skewers is convenient, but you can grill the shrimp on a grill pan without skewers, as shown in the photo below. When I do this, I flip them with two small spoons.
Serving Suggestions
Since I usually make them in the summer, I like to serve grilled shrimp with any of the following light and easy sides:
- Tomato salad
- Creamy cucumber salad
- Asparagus salad
- Broiled tomatoes
- Vegetable kabobs
- Yellow squash fritters
They are also excellent with a variety of roasted vegetables, such as roasted fennel, roasted zucchini, roasted asparagus, and roasted mini peppers (photographed below):
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in a sealed container, for up to 3 days. I like to use them cold in a salad for lunch the next day. They are excellent in this arugula salad and can replace the chicken in this Cobb salad.
I often make a simple salad of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and sliced olives and add these shrimp. I drizzle the salad with blue cheese dressing:
If you prefer to reheat the leftovers, do so gently in the microwave at 50% power.
