Spicy Grilled Shrimp

Summer grilling recipes are the stuff of dreams. This BBQ shrimp recipe was one of the very first I posted back in 2010. This Spicy Grilled Shrimp recipe is a must make for shrimp lovers. A unique flavor that gets everyone talking.

I have often asked my kids, while snuggling, random questions, including "If you were leaving to go to the moon and could only take 5 foods with you what would they be?"  I love hearing their answers and seeing their thought process about what goes with them to the moon and why.

Me? Hands down. SHRIMP is one of them (this Spicy Grilled Shrimp in particular). I would also take bacon, the best bread & butter (in my book that counts as one, lol), an endless supply of perfectly ripe peaches or watermelon (tough choice) and French fries!

Why you'll love this Grilled Shrimp recipe

• Its easy! Just combine the 7 ingredients for the marinade in a big bowl, add your shrimp, let it marinate a bit and then fire up the grill.
• This cooks up quickly.
• It's different. The flavor of this grilled shrimp recipe is one I have not come across elsewhere.
• You can enjoy as is for an appetizer, light meal or make it a part of a larger meal.

Ingredients

• Olive or avocado oil
• Soy sauce
• Cajun seasoning
• Sesame oil
• Fresh lemon juice
• Fresh ginger or ginger paste
• Mustard powder
• Tabasco
• Shrimp (raw)

Back to my question. Last night as my 11 year old son, pondered this...it cracked me up how seriously he took the question this time.  He said he would bring steak (of course...his favorite food is a piece of fillet cooked medium - "juicy" as he calls it), bread, mozzarella sticks, lettuce and Twizzlers.

My just turned 9 year old daughter answered quickly...except to cry out "what about salt??"  "What about spices??" THAT is the little chef in her, I love it!  Her list was potatoes, popcorn, eggs, apples and Hershey Bars.

How long to marinate shrimp?

• For good flavor, give shrimp 30 minutes in a marinade. Tossing every 10 minutes or so.
• 1 hour is the max before you run the risk of the acid (from citrus, vinegars etc.) in your marinade starting to "cook" the shrimp in a way that will contradict what you want your grill to accomplish.

How long to grill shrimp?

• It really comes down to the size of your shrimp as well as your grill type. Grill shrimp until the opaque grey color is gone and they firm and pink
• Rule of thumb for me is 2.5 to 3 minutes, over direct heat, per side. Even with a marinade, you can clearly see when shrimp pink up and are cooked.

Tips

• For this BBQ shrimp recipe, I like to use large shrimp. No smaller than 21-26 but ever better 16-20. Yes you can use smaller shrimp however if you can use larger, please do for the best eating experience.
• Use metal skewers to grill these, it makes it easy and efficient. Just use an old potholder to quickly turn each skewer over.
• I always use my clean fingers to run a bit of oil over the metal skewers before threading shrimp on for easy removal.
• You can also use wood skewers that have been soaked.
• Be sure your grill has been brushed and oiled prior to firing it up (recommended before you grill anything)
• For easy removal of cooked hot shrimp, use a fork and slide skewers off.
• You can also place shrimp in a grill pan with holes, like this one, and grill in batches. However metal skewers are my preferred method.
• If salt is an issue, use half no salt Cajun seasoning and half regular (or which ever ratio you choose. Use low sodium soy sauce as well.

Make this a light meal serving with something like a simple salad, this tasty Asian Cucumber Salad or Asian Edamame Salad. Since the marinade is a fusion of Asian ingredients and Cajun seasoning, they pair well with both those simple salads as well as the noodle salad.

The recipe says Spicy Shrimp, however its pleasantly spicy. If you want it really spicy, add more Tabasco as well as some cayenne pepper.

Another easy recipe that everyone goes crazy for that I always make to go with this grilled shrimp recipe (and it goes with almost everything and is SUPER affordable to make for a crowd) are these Sesame Noodles. I usually serve them at room temperature, however you can serve warm as well.

I hope you add this delicious Spicy Grilled Shrimp to your next barbecue menu. I'm known to make 5-6 pounds of it and its never enough! A life long favorite shrimp recipe for sure! I have been making this recipe since I was about 20, over half of my life ago!

Out of my 700 or so recipes on this website, the above noodle salad and spicy grilled shrimp are in my top 10 favorites 🙂 XO - Colleen

Grill recipes you'll enjoy

Recipe originally posted January, 2010. Updated June 2024 with new images and information. Post includes a couple of Amazon affiliate links which means if you purchase something I suggested. I may receive a small commission.

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

Enjoy!!  And let me know if anyone out there IS in fact headed towards Mars...I might ask to hitch a ride!