Easy Grilled Shrimp

Made with a slightly spicy honey garlic marinade, this recipe for Grilled Shimp is one of the easiest and tastiest ways to prepare shrimp. 

This simple recipe for shrimp is made with basic pantry staples, but yet it packs in a tremendous amount of flavor. Pair with grilled corn on the cob, grilled vegetable kabobs, or serve over homemade grits, for a delicious, easy meal.

There are not many recipes that beat grilled shrimp when it comes to being fast and flavorful.

From start to finish, this recipe only takes 30 minutes. Talk about a FAST meal!

But the real beauty of this meal is the flavor! The shrimp is marinated in a Honey Garlic sauce that is sweet, spicy, and the perfect complement to the shrimp. And you probably already have the ingredients on hand for this simple marinade!

Notes on Key Ingredients

• Shrimp: You can use fresh or frozen shrimp for this recipe. You can also prepare the shrimp with or without the tails. Personally, I prefer to serve without the tails, as it makes for less mess. Just be sure your shrimp is peeled and deveined before proceeding with this recipe. Pro-tip: It is WELL worth the cost of purchasing the shrimp already peeled and deveined as this will save you so much time!
• Shrimp Marinade: The simple marinade is made with fresh lemon juice, honey, minced garlic, cayenne pepper, and paprika. It has a little bit of kick from the cayenne, but the honey rounds out the flavor for a balanced flavor.

Pro-Tips for the Best Grilled Shrimp

• Fresh is best. Don't worry, I don't mean that you can't use frozen shrimp. But it is best to grill frozen shrimp as soon as it is defrosted--not several days later. The same goes for fresh shrimp. It is best to use the fresh shrimp within 24 hours of purchasing for the best flavor.
• Peeled is the way to go. As I stated, this recipe calls for shrimp that has been peeled. This allows the shrimp to absorb the flavor of the marinade. It also makes for easier eating and allows the shrimp to achieve char marks that also flavor the meat.
• Skewer the shrimp. Use metal or wooden skewers to thread the shrimp onto before grilling. This will make flipping the shrimp easier. If you use wooden skewers, be sure to soak in water for at least 30 minutes prior to using to prevent the skewers from catching fire on the grill.
• Grill Over Direct Heat. It will only take a few minutes for the shrimp to cook through. The shrimp are finished cooking once the outside is a pink color and the inside should be white and opaque. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp or else it will become tough.

How to Grill Shrimp Skewers

• In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, honey, olive oil, garlic, spices, and salt.

• Before adding the shrimp to the marinade, remove ¼ cup from the marinade for brushing onto the shrimp while grilling. Then add the shrimp to the remaining marinade and toss to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate.
• Allow the shrimp to sit in the marinade for 15 minutes and up to 1 hour. Do not marinate the shrimp for longer than 60 minutes or the acid from the lemon juice will begin to cook the shrimp.
• Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
• While the grill is preheating, remove the shrimp from the marinade and thread on skewers.

• Grill shrimp until pink and opaque, about 2-3 minutes per side, brushing with reserved ¼ cup marinade before and after flipping the skewers.
• Remove from the grill and serve with fresh lemon wedges.

Using Frozen Shrimp

If using frozen shrimp, you want to use it within 12 hours of thawing for the best results.

To thaw shrimp, you have two options. You can place the frozen shrimp in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Or for faster thawing, take the shrimp out of its package and place them into a sealed Ziploc bag. Submerge the bag of shrimp into a large bowl of cold water and let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes for the shrimp to thaw.

Storing Leftovers

Grilled shrimp is best enjoyed the day it is prepared. However, if you have leftovers, store the cooled shrimp in an airtight container for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Enjoy cold on a salad or in a wrap or lightly heat in a dry skillet over medium heat until just warm. Do NOT microwave, or the shrimp will become rubbery.

More Grilled Entrees

• Grilled Pork Tenderloin
• Grilled Burgers
• Grilled Chicken Kabobs
• BBQ Chicken Burger

This grilled shrimp makes one of the fastest, most flavorful meals. PERIOD! I would love to hear how much you enjoy the sweet and spicy marinade!