For quick and easy meals, cook shrimp on the grill. It's simply the best way to cook shrimp.
Top Tips for Grilling Shrimp
Before we get to the 5-star recipes, let's run through a few tips for grilling shrimp so they turn out plump and tender:
Choose large shrimp for grilling. Big shrimp are best for grilling. As Chef John recommends, "Try to get the largest shrimp you can find, since that will allow for maximum grilling time, which equals maximum caramelization, which is where so much of the flavor comes from."
Skewer the shrimp to keep control of them on the hot grill. When skewered, you can flip a whole row of shrimp in one flip. Also, skewered shrimp won't slip through the grates and into the coals.
Don't wander off! Shrimp cook quickly. Many grilled shrimp recipes recommend medium heat. But if you choose high, direct heat instead, you'll get more caramelization and potentially some serious grill marks. Over high heat, it takes just a couple minutes on each side for marinated shrimp to become sweet, smoky, caramelized bites of pure deliciousness.
And if you don't have a grill, that's fine. You can cook shrimp in the oven, under the broiler. Turn after a couple minutes directly under the heat source.
The best grilled shrimp recipes
Okay, on to the recipes! Here are nine of our absolute favorite shrimp recipes for the grill.
1. Grilled Marinated Shrimp
To make this marinade, mix together olive oil, parsley, lemon juice, hot sauce, garlic, and tomato paste. "This makes the best shrimp," says Robbie. "Remove from skewers and serve on a bed of pasta with sauce for a great meal." ALBENTLEY ays, "I grilled them in a grill basket altogether, and they came out great."
2. Spicy Coconut and Lime Grilled Shrimp
"This is a fantastic (and fantastically easy) recipe," says RushedCook. "The only thing I changed was to set aside a few tablespoons of the marinade to brush on while grilling."
3. Grilled Garlic & Herb Shrimp
Chopped basil, parsley, oregano, and thyme are ground in a mortar and pestle with garlic, lemon zest, and olive oil. Tcasa says, "This was one of the best grilled shrimp recipes I've ever made! I made the shrimp pretty close to what was written using fresh herbs from our garden. Delicious."
4. Basil Shrimp
This marinade combines olive oil, melted butter, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, fresh basil, and garlic. "A great recipe for grilling shrimp," raves katie. "I served this with fettucini in a very simple garlic and olive oil sauce."
5. Margarita Grilled Shrimp
For the marinade, combine olive oil, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, tequila, and cayenne pepper. "This recipe is absolutely fabulous," says smileygal75. "This tastes like something that you would order at a nice restaurant. It will not disappoint!"
6. Grilled Shrimp Scampi
Shrimp bathe briefly in olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. "A definite favorite," says Donna. "The marinade is so easy to prepare and can be done ahead of time."
7. Thai Spiced Barbecue Shrimp
Lemon juice, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, garlic, brown sugar, and curry paste -- "What a burst of flavors!" raves LIZCANCOOK. "Definitely has a kick."
8. Marinated Grilled Shrimp
Garlic, olive oil, tomato sauce, red wine vinegar, basil, and cayenne pepper. "This recipe is AWESOME," says Crystal. "Made these for a 4th of July party and they literally flew off the table."
9. Amazing Spicy Grilled Shrimp
"Wow -- these definitely are Amazing Spicy Grilled Shrimp," raves Jillian. "If you like things spicy, these are for you. If you tend to shy away from a little heat, don't bother. I squeezed a bit of fresh lemon juice on them when they came off the grill -- a definite keeper!"