10 Minute Spicy Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Perfect for your summertime grilling, our 10 Minute Spicy Grilled Shrimp Skewers! This flavorful marinade is made in minutes and the shrimp grill so fast that they make a delicious appetizer or protein addition to any summertime dish!
Next, try our Grilled Cedar Rum Salmon!
Ahhh sweet sweet summer, I can feel you just around the corner! Which means a majority of our meals are about to be al fresco and right off of the grill! In case you didn’t notice, baby K numero dos has wanted all things shrimp. Grilled shrimp, specifically, which means that we had to make a grilled shrimp recipe with a shrimp marinade. These Spicy Grilled Shrimp Skewers made the baby very very happy!
Ingredients Needed
- Shrimp – Raw shrimp, shelled and deveined.
- Olive Oil – You could also use another neutral flavored oil for this shrimp marinade.
- Lemon Juice – Fresh or bottled, whatever you have.
- Garlic – Fresh of course is our preferred, but you can also use powder, see recipe notes.
- Spices – Paprika, Chili Powder, and Cayenne – for the heat!
Could it get much easier? Especially when it’s totally customizable! This grilled shrimp recipe marinade can be adjusted to your heat level! Need it hotter? Just crank up the cayenne!
Raw Shrimp: Fresh or Frozen?
Which to use? Raw fresh or frozen? Well, this is completely up to you! But, if you’re going for the most “fresh” then truly, Frozen Uncooked is actually the freshest!
Frozen Uncooked: It seems counterintuitive, however, the frozen uncooked has likely been frozen very close to when it was harvested, which means the time from when they came out of the water to being frozen is very short. This means that they’re going to have the freshest flavor.
Fresh from the Seafood Counter: Although this may seem more “fresh” than the bag that’s frozen, it’s really not! Because every second more that the shrimp is out of the water, it’s losing a little bit of it’s freshness and shrimp-y flavor. Also, it’s likely that this shrimp was previously frozen and then thawed by your supermarket, or they were actually frozen and then thawed for the little ice mound that they’re on. This means that if you are buying shrimp from your seafood counter, it’s important to use it right away and not re-freeze it.
REALLY Fresh: This means that you’re lucky enough to have access to a market like Pike’s Place Fish Market in Seattle or another fresh fish market where you know that the shrimp have just come off of the boat!
Easy to Make
This shrimp marinade recipe really doesn’t get much easier.
Step 1: Mix the marinade ingredients together for just a few minutes (that’s all that it takes!)
Step 2: Add to the cleaned shrimp.
And it’s ready to grill!
Unlike other meats, you don’t need to marinate for long. Actually, you want to make sure that you don’t marinate it longer that about 15 minutes because otherwise the marinade will start to breakdown the shrimp.
Juicy. Spicy. Super flavorful. This grilled shrimp is perfect for a sunny spring/summer weeknight!
We love it on a salad or even as a topping to a favorite pasta dish!
Serve it On
- Avocado Chicken Chopped Salad – Swap out the chicken for this shrimp!
- 20 Minute Sweet and Spicy Noodles
- Avocado Pasta Salad
- One Pot 20 Minute Greek Pasta
- 15 Minute Garlic Fried Pasta
Craving shrimp as much as I am lately? Then don’t forget to check out my Teriyaki Shrimp Salad with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette, Shrimp Zoodle Scampi, and Sheet Pan Shrimp and Asparagus!
FAQs
With just the pinch of cayenne, it’s pretty mild. Add more cayenne to kick up the heat.
That’s a total preference. We have made both and both are delicious.
You can make the marinade in advance, but do not marinate for too long. You shouldn’t let the shrimp marinate longer than 15 minutes.
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
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Happy grilling, friends!
Spicy Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh shrimp, deveined and shelled
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- 1/8 cup lemon juice
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- pinch – 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Instructions
- Pre-heat an outdoor grill or grill pan on stove top on high. If using wooden skewers, fill sink or dish with water and soak skewers.
- Add shrimp to a medium sized bowl.
- In another small bowl, mix all of the other ingredients.
- Add mixture to shrimp and mix well so all the shrimp is coated, let marinate 5 minutes.
- Add shrimp to skewers and grill for 90 seconds on each side. Serve immediately!
These shrimp sound so tasty. We actually don’t cook with seafood very often, but this has inspired me. You make it sound so easy and delicious. Thanks for the inspiration.
As a lover of all things seafood, I will say that shrimp have a big advantage over pretty much everything else in terms of prep time. I mean, 10 minutes, including prep? My kind of easy. And given how readily my kids gobble up shrimp too, it’s wonderful to have a delicious recipe like this waiting for one of those busy evenings. Case in point: I’m writing this comment from my son’s violin lesson. Lol. Thanks, and cheers!
Shrimp are a busy family’s best protein. Not only are they quick to make but they are so tasty. We are lucky, right now we are on the coast and they are bringing in fresh shrimp every day. I really like the spices you added to the shrimp. And grilling is so quick and easy all you need to finish the meal is a veggie and a side.
This is my kind of summer dinner! I’m such a fan of all things shrimp, and there’s nothing better than grilling them when the weather gets warm. I love the spices that you’ve used with these! It sounds like they have the perfect amount of zesty flavor to complement cooking on the grill. I would devour these on top of a salad or for an appetizer!
I love cooking seafood on the grill! And you’re right- shrimp on the grill is FAST! (Especially for me- I just tell the husband, “go heat up the grill please!” bahaha) These shrimp on a spinach salad sounds FABULOUS! (I’ll drink the wine for you!)
I need to make grilled shrimp more often. These look so flavorful and tasty! Great idea to use skewers instead of grilling basket.
Oh, Tracy, you are speaking my language with this one. Those shrimp look absolutely delectable — and the flavors you’ve incorporated are spot on! All you need is a side of rice or maybe some grilled veggies to go along with it. Maybe a glass of chilled sauvignon blanc — or two. This meal puts me in my happy place! Well done.
You can never go wrong with a dish like this. We love seafood in our house. These are perfect for entertaining. So easy to make, you can whip these up for dinner any night of the week.
You had me at 10 minutes! These grilled shrimp skewers are just on time and perfect for summer. I’m looking to switch to a more pescatarian diet. I need recipe like this to get me on my way. I can’t wait to make these!
I love grilled shrimp almost more than anything else during the summer months! (I’ve even pull out our indoor grill during the winter months). This recipe looks perfect. Love the garlic, paprika and lemon combo. Mouth watering. Thanks for the recipe!