Easy Grilled Shrimp is the ultimate and easy appetizer dish flavored in a honey, garlic, and paprika marinade, and grilled to crispy perfection.
Grilled Shrimp is an amazingly simple recipe that you can serve up for a weeknight meal or as an Appetizer. The shrimp cooks in minutes and it’s the perfect addition to any backyard barbecue this summer! For more amazing seafood Dinner Recipes try my Old Bay Shrimp, or Easy Honey Garlic Shrimp next.
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Easy Grilled Shrimp Recipe
My Grilled Shrimp recipe is a delicious, quick and easy dinner any time of year. Tender, plump shrimp are marinated in honey, garlic, and paprika then grilled to perfection. Its blend of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors makes it a crowd-pleaser. I created this easy recipe with simple instructions and helpful tips so that you get flavorful juicy shrimp every time.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Honey: Adds sweetness and helps to caramelize the shrimp while grilling. Brown sugar can be substituted for a similar effect.
- ¼ cup Unsalted Butter: Provides richness and helps to bind the marinade ingredients together.
- 5 cloves Garlic: Infuses a savory flavor into the marinade. 1 tablespoon of garlic powder can be substituted if fresh garlic is unavailable.
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt: Enhances the overall flavor of the dish and helps to balance the sweetness of the honey.
- ½ teaspoon Coarse Ground Black Pepper: Adds a subtle heat and complements the other spices in the marinade. Ground white pepper can be used as a milder alternative.
- ½ teaspoon Paprika: Provides a smoky flavor and adds color to the shrimp. Smoked paprika can be used for a deeper smoky flavor.
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (optional): Offers a bit of heat to the marinade. It won’t make the shrimp overly spicy but you can skip it if you prefer.
- 2 pounds Shrimp: Apart from the simple marinade all you need are medium-sized shrimp. The fresh shrimp soaks up all the delicious taste from the honey garlic marinade and is super easy to cook on the stovetop or an outdoor grill.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Grill or Grill Pan: Needed for cooking the shrimp, providing those desirable grill marks and smoky flavor. Ensure the grill or pan is preheated to medium-high heat before cooking.
- Ziplock Bag: Used for marinating the shrimp, allowing for easy mixing and coating of the ingredients.
- Skewers: Necessary for skewering the shrimp before grilling, preventing them from falling through the grill grates. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before threading the shrimp to prevent burning.
- Knife: Use a sharp knife to chop the garlic cloves finely. You can also use a garlic press if you have one, but I find freshly minced garlic cloves have a stronger flavor.
How to Make Grilled Shrimp
Time needed: 25 minutes.
- Prepare Marinade
Combine honey, softened butter, minced garlic, salt, black pepper, paprika, and optional red pepper flakes in a large ziplock bag.
- Marinate Shrimp
Add the peeled and deveined shrimp to the marinade in the ziplock bag. Seal the bag and massage gently to ensure the shrimp are evenly coated. Let marinate for 15 minutes.
- Preheat Grill
Preheat your grill or grill pan to medium heat. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water while the grill preheats to prevent burning.
- Skewer Shrimp
Skewer the marinated shrimp onto metal or soaked wooden skewers, threading them through the body, ensuring they are evenly distributed.
- Grill Shrimp
Place the skewered shrimp on the preheated grill or grill pan. Grill for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the shrimp are bright pink and cooked through.
- Serve
Remove the grilled shrimp from the skewers and transfer them to a serving platter. Serve hot and enjoy the delicious flavors!
Notes on Grilling
- Inside grilling: You can use a grill pan on the stovetop for an indoor grill. Turn the stovetop to medium heat and grill shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side. You want the shrimp to be bright pink, don’t cook too long or you’ll end up with charred shrimp.
- Outside cooking: If you’re grilling outside, you should put the raw shrimp on skewers. Thread shrimp on metal or soaked wooden skewers. Then bring the outdoor grill temperature to medium. Place the shrimp skewers and grill for 2-3 minutes. Then flip the shrimp kebabs and cook until cooked through and pink.
Can This Be Made Ahead?
Yes, since there are no acidic ingredients in the marinade, you can marinate the shrimp ahead of time, up to a few hours in advance. Store the marinated shrimp in the refrigerator until ready to grill. Even though there is no acid in the marinade (like lime juice), you still don’t want to marinate seafood for more than 8 hours or it will start to break down. If you add citric acid or vinegar to the marinade, do not marinate the shrimp for more than 30 minutes.
Nutritional Facts
How to Serve Grilled Shrimp
There are lots of delicious ways you can serve this shrimp recipe. It makes a tasty appetizer at your backyard party with some Cocktail Sauce for dipping. For a complete meal, try serving the Grilled Garlic Butter Shrimp as the protein in a hearty salad or over the top of angel hair pasta lightly tossed in Parmesan and butter. Make a fancy surf n’ turf dinner by serving it with a Grilled Ribeye Steak, Baked Potatoes and Creamed Spinach.
How to Store
Storing
Don’t leave cooked shrimp at room temperature for more than 2 hours. After it cools down, you can seal and store Grilled Shrimp in the fridge for 3 days. Either reheat the shrimp on the stovetop or line a baking sheet with foil and heat the dish in the oven.
Reheating Tips
Reheat grilled shrimp in a regular oven or air fryer at 350 degrees for a few minutes until warmed through. Avoid using the microwave to prevent shrimp from becoming rubbery.
Freezing
Freeze uncooked shrimp in the marinade for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before grilling.
Frequent Questions
Yes, make sure the frozen shrimp are fully thawed before marinating to ensure even flavor absorption and cooking.
While skewers help prevent the shrimp from falling through grill grates, you can grill them directly on the grill if preferred. Just be cautious when flipping to avoid losing any shrimp.
Ensure your grill grates are well-oiled before placing the shrimp on them. You can also use a grill mat or aluminum foil to prevent sticking.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup honey , or packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 5 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 pounds shrimp , 16-20 per pound, peeled and deveined, defrosted
Instructions
- Add honey, butter, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes in large ziplock bag.
- Add the shrimp to the marinade and let marinate for 15 minutes.
- Heat your grill or grill pan to medium heat. If using a grill, skewer the shrimp on metal or soaked wooden skewers.
- Grill the shrimp, 2-3 minutes per side, until the shrimp is bright pink.
Notes
- Click on the yield amount to slide and change the number of servings and the recipe will automatically update!
- Click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
- To convert measurements to grams, click on the Metric option next to Ingredients in the recipe card.
Nutrition
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Variations on Grilled Shrimp
- Vegetable Skewers: If you’re making shrimp kebabs on the outdoor grill, you can add fresh veggies to the shrimp skewers to cook along with them. Fresh tomatoes, red onions, peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms would all taste amazing.
- Grilled Shrimp Seasoning: You can add more simple ingredients to experiment with the spice mix. For a more smoky flavor, you can use smoked paprika instead of regular paprika. You could also make additions like cumin, Cajun seasoning, coriander, or Italian seasoning to change up the blend of spices.
- Lemon Garlic Shrimp: For a refreshing citrus flavor, add a splash of lemon juice to the recipe for lemon garlic shrimp. Simply mix 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice into the shrimp marinade. Then you can squeeze lemon wedges over the shrimp right before serving for a little extra flavor.
- Chili Lime Shrimp: Another variation you can try is chili lime shrimp. Use 2 tablespoons lime juice and 1 teaspoon chili powder in the marinade.
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