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If you are planning a cookout, then these Grilled Shrimp Skewers need to make an appearance! Marinated in a lemon and herb dressing they take minutes to prep and are super quick to cook. Wonderfully juicy and full of flavor.
How do you make grilled shrimp
- Peel and devein the shrimp. You can keep the tails on or remove them. I like the presentation of grilled shrimp with the tails on.
- Place the ingredients for the marinade into a bowl large enough to fit the shrimp.
- Whisk to combine the ingredients.
- Add the shrimp and coat evenly with the marinade. It helps to just use your hands here for even coating.
Skewer the shrimp onto bamboo sticks or metal skewers. Then cook on a grill or grill pan until cooked through, opaque and pinkish-orangish in color. They really don’t need a lot of time on the grill!
Tips for grilling shrimp
- Don’t marinate the shrimp for longer than 2 hours. The acid from the lemon juice can actually cook the shrimp without any heat needed, which is what happens with a long marinade time.
- Broil the shrimp in the oven if you don’t have a grill. Once the broiler is preheated, place the shrimp skewers on a sheet pan coated with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. Broil for 2-3 minutes, then flip and broil for another 2-3 minutes; watching it closely so it doesn’t over-cook.
- Peel and devein the shrimp before you marinade them. Otherwise all the marinade will be on the outside of the shrimp only. I prefer to leave the tails on, but you can remove them if you like.
- Don’t overcook the shrimp. Shrimp cook super fast, and only need 2 to 3 minutes each side. If you overcook them, they lose their juiciness and become rubbery. Th shrimp skewers are cooked when they turn an opaque pink, they are overcooked if they start to curl up.
Frequently asked questions
I prefer to use fresh shrimp for the grilled skewers, but you can use frozen if that’s what you have. Be sure to fully defrost them before adding to the marinade. Ideally, thaw them in the fridge overnight in a fine mesh sieve so the water drains out of them. If you are short on time, place them in a bowl in the sink and run them under cold water tap.
Cooked shrimp can be stored in the fridge safely for up to 3 days, but I recommend you serve them as soon as they are cooked for the best taste and texture. Be sure not to marinate the shrimps for more than 2 hours though.
Skewering the shrimp is the easiest way to cook them on the grill. They won’t fall between the grates and it means that you can turn them all at the same time so that they cook evenly. You can use either metal or wooden skewers, if you use wooden, soak them in water for an hour before grilling so they don’t burn.
These grilled shrimp skewers are so quick and easy to make and they make a fantastic addition to any cookout. The lemon and herb marinade is wonderfully fresh. You can serve them as an appetizer or alongside your favorite sides like Mediterranean potato salad, a Greek salad, or shredded red cabbage slaw.
More shrimp recipes
- Shrimp Avocado Salad
- Honey Walnut Shrimp
- Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
- Healthy Shrimp Scampi
- Shrimp Avocado Bean Salsa
- Chili Lime Shrimp
- One Pan Shrimp and Rice
- Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Scampi
- Grilled Shrimp Tacos
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feelgood Grilled Shrimp Skewers recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
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Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Chopped parsley for serving
- Lemon slices for serving
Instructions
- Place the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano, paprika and garlic powder in a large bowl; whisk to combine.
- Add the shrimp to the bowl and toss gently to coat evenly with the marinade. Marinate for at least 15 minutes or up to 2 hours max.
- Skewer 4-6 shrimp on each soaked skewer and place on a plate while skewering the remaining shrimp.
- Heat a grill or grill pan over medium high heat and cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side until the color is pink and shrimp is opaque.
- Serve warm with fresh parsley and lemon slices, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
This recipe has way too much olive oil that left the shrimp drenched while overpowering all other ingredients. 1/4 cup or a few tablespoons of oil would have been more than sufficient. I won’t be using this recipe again.
Hi Michael, the recipe only calls for 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Is it possible you misread the amount?
Found this recipe for a last-minute marinade when my other dinner plan for shrimp didn’t work out. It did not disappoint! Amazing flavor in less than 20 minutes. Will definitely make this one again. Only change – I reduced the olive oil to 1.5 T. It was perfect.
Yay, I’m so glad you had all the ingredients to throw this recipe together last minute and liked how it turned out!! Thanks, Elaine!
I made this last night for dinner. I added about a tablespoon of minced garlic to the marinade. Basted the shrimp with the leftover marinade while on the grill. Turned out excellent!
Yay, I’m so happy you liked the recipe!! Thanks so much, Frances!
Best ever!
Thanks, Viktorija!!
Great marinade. Got lots of compliments on the grilled shrimp! It paired well with a caesar salad.
Thanks, Kelsey! Caesar salad sounds like the perfect pairing, yum!!
Can these be sautéed on a pan instead?
Yes, definitely!
Good
So happy you liked it!!
This was so simple and delicious! Perfect on those nights I don’t have a lot of energy to cook! Served with grilled zucchini and parmesan orzo.
Thanks, Dawn! So glad you liked it. Those pairings sound yummy!
Great recipe!
Thanks, Mabell!
I love this recipe, it is so simple and yet taste great! I make it every time i have a party and there’s usually never any left over. I usually just did the old boil in old bay and serve but then I found this recipe one night to try and kick it up a notch since i had a chef coming over and he loved it. thank you very much for sharing. I’ve also had a few parties were I forgot to pick up skewers so i did them loose in the broiler and on the grill, just as good
I’m so happy to hear this! And thanks for the tip about making them without skewers in a pinch.
Delicious!! Best simple grilled shrimp recipe we’ve ever made. Let them marinade for 2 hours with the recipe provided & they were full of flavor. Only grilled 3 minutes per side on a freezing Christmas day & everyone raved about them. It was definitely worth switching up to a new recipe! Loved them!
Yay so glad to hear!
Tailgating hit. Enuff said. Do this people.
LOL thank you so much, John!
I made it off the skewer and heated the residual marinate to make a bit of a sauce. I put it over rice and it was absolutely delicious!! I’ve actually never cooked shrimp before and the recipe helped me learn. This will be a staple in my house.
Thank you!
You’re so welcome! So happy to hear that you took a chance and made shrimp at home!
Excellent! Everyone was asking what the spices were that I used on the shrimp. Loved it!
So happy to hear that they were a hit!
Great recipe!
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much!
Brian shrimp with salt and sugar then add it to this mixture use fresh garlic 6 clothes instead of powder added chop basil and margerum Is came out fantastic on the barbecue
So glad you liked it, John!
I made this for my wife and I last night! It was great. Put it on an arugula salad with a homemade dressing she does that olive oil based. Would recommend to anyone. Quick and good!
That sounds amazing! So glad you guys enjoyed it!
This was delicious and a big hit with my family – thank you! I am curious if it would work well with chicken?
Thank you so much! You can absolutely make chicken kabobs! I have a recipe for them that you can try here. If you make this one you’ll have to let me know what you think!
The best shrimp I’ve ever had and so easy! I drizzled with lemon juice when they came off the grill.
So happy to hear that, Theresa! So glad you enjoyed the shrimp!
Quick and easy. I used frozen shrimp and they were excellent.
Thank you so much!
Amazing recipe. Really elevates basic shrimp in a short time with few ingredients
Thank you so much, Maggie!
I tried the marinade today! It was a big success 🙂 thx a lot Yumna for another amazing recipe!!
Aw, thank you for making my recipes, Nad!
OM to the Double G – this was FABULOUS ! Tried for 1st time and on Mother’s Day no less with my own Mother/dad over for dinner. A WIN-WIN for sure. Even used Frozen peeled/deveined shrimp and this was absolutely delicious. Served with a lemon wedge and melted butter. AWESOME – Will definitely make again 🙂
LOL love the OM to the Double G, too cute. So glad it was a hit for everyone!
Oh my this was so good! Just the right amount of spice. We dipped them in just a little butter and they were a hit. Thank you so much.
You’re so welcome!!
I was skeptical at first when I came across this because I make a lot of my own recipes. I thought this was to simple but thought what the heck. Let’s give someone else’s a shot. I was not disappointed and shocked to be honest.
My step son who is picky loves it and so did my wife’s guest who came over for surf and turf. In fact I was asked to make this again for the weekend and I said sure I’ll come up with something and I was told no do it this way again. Lol. So a little humble pie thrown at me.
Aw, thank you so much, Drew. It really means a lot to me! I am sure your shrimp recipe tastes amazing too!
Amazing recipe, thank you! We have used this recipe for jumbo and colossal shrimp kabobs all summer! Last week I actually used this marinade for steak Kabobs, and they too were amazing. Best steak and shrimp I’ve ever made, rave reviews from the family!
You are so welcome! That sounds perfect. I’m so glad to hear it!
The grilled shrimp came out so flavorful, I loved the oregano in this recipe!
Sorry Yumna, but we call these Adam’s grilled shrimp. My son found this recipe and makes them quite often.
The flavor is great and no Old Bay in sight. Not everyone on the East Coast is a fan of Old Bay and this recipe is fantastic!
So glad you’re loving this recipe! Thank you!
I enjoyed this recipe. I ‘d like to have Mexican recipe’s please and any other that you have..
Thank you so much! I have a few on my website, but will keep that in mind as I publish more recipes!
Excellent recipe Yumna! I followed the recipe exactly and the shrimp were amazing. I will definitely make this again. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Thank you so much! I’m so glad to hear it. Happy to have shared!
Absolutely delicious and easy to prepare! Thank you
I love that! You’re so welcome.
So delicious! I am watching my oil, so I did 1 part olive oil: 2 parts vegetable broth, everything else as it calls for, and it was AMAZING!
Thank you! Glad it still worked out that way too.
Made this for a special occasion for visiting family. All commented how unbelievable the taste. Will make again.
That’s amazing! Yay!!
Fresh, light, and REALLY GOOD! Make this tonight. You won’t regret it!
I used fresh Meyer lemons from my tree for the juice and garnish. I used 3 cloves of fresh garlic in place of the powder and added a pinch of cayenne and fresh thyme. Marinated for an hour. Drizzled once with lemon juice while they were cooking and another drizzle before serving. Positively delicious.
That sounds absolutely beautiful! Thank you!
Awesomely mouth watering good..
Thank you so much!
Sooo good thank you Yumna !
I love all your recipes. I followed your recipe but instead of barbecuing I sautéed it. Came out great! Thank you!
Love that idea during the colder months!
These were super-delicious, simple, healthy and tastes unique with its flavors. You’ll relish this if you’re a person, who prefers medium-spice level. We absolutely loved it 💗
Thank you so much for the great feedback!!
I tried this recipe and it came out perfect and delicious 😋
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you!!
So fast, simple and delicious! My family has enjoyed this recipe…it’s become a summer staple.
That’s so awesome to hear! Thank you!!
Loved it! Perfect summer flavors!
Yay! So glad you liked it!
I have been recommending your grilled shrimps recipe to everybody ever since I made it. Super delicious. Never had better shrimps.
So glad to hear it. Thank you!
This was such an easy recipe. I don’t have a grill, so I broiled it and it was perfect! 😊
So glad to hear you broiled it and enjoyed it!
Made these yesterday. They were so bomb!!! Thanks for the recipe 😊😋😋😋
So glad to hear that you enjoyed it. Thank you so much!