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This grilled shrimp marinade is garlicky, zesty, and full of flavor—perfect for your next BBQ or summer cookout!
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Grilled shrimp is a quick and delicious dish that pairs well with just about anything. To take your shrimp to the next level, try marinating it before grilling! This grilled shrimp marinade is bursting with flavor, yet made with simple ingredients from your pantry. You can serve it as a main dish or as an appetizer on a small skewer. The possibilities are endless!
Shrimp Marinade Ingredients
This shrimp marinade recipe is a good baseline to go off of, but you can make it as simple or as complicated as you like. You can add a bunch of individual herbs and spices, or you can just use your favorite grill seasoning. Spice it up with some red pepper flakes or sweeten it up with a little honey. There are a million ways to make this your own! For starters, though, here’s a list of my favorite shrimp marinade ingredients to use:
- Olive oil – Use plain or infused extra virgin olive oil. I have used both lemon and garlic infused olive oils and it just adds to the depth of flavor. I also like using avocado oil.
- Vinegar – I use apple cider vinegar when using marinades because I personally like the flavor but plain white vinegar and rice vinegar will also taste delicious.
- Fresh lemon – You can use fresh lemon juice or a combination of lemon juice and lemon zest (depending on how zesty you want to make your shrimp). You can also swap it out for lime juice if you prefer limes.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic is best. I like using a lot of garlic in my marinades but it can be toned down if you don’t love it as much as I do.
- Grill seasoning – I used Kinder’s Buttery Steakhouse Rub in this recipe because I love the buttery flavor. You can also just use a seafood seasoning or all-purpose grill rub.
- Lemon pepper
- Paprika – Paprika gives the shrimp a nice smoky flavor but I also like to use it for the color. It gives the shrimp a richer red color that looks so pretty when it comes off the grill.
- Salt and pepper
- Parsley (for garnish) – You can add this to the marinade and brush it on or sprinkle it on after the shrimp has been cooked.
Instructions
- Thaw: If frozen, be sure to thaw the shrimp. Rinse, pat dry, and set aside.
- Marinade: Combine and whisk the marinade ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Throw the shrimp and marinade in a gallon-sized ziplock bag and toss until the shrimp is well coated. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (and up to 6 hours).
- Grill: Thread the shrimp through skewers, and grill on medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until the shrimp is pink, opaque, and cooked through.
- Enjoy: Serve the shrimp with a squeeze of lemon, some melted garlic butter, cocktail sauce, or your favorite condiment(s).
Fire Up the Grill
When it comes to cooking shrimp, I love the smoky flavor and char marks you get with cooking it on the grill. And when grilling, I like to skewer the shrimp. Shrimp skewers are easier to flip than individual shrimps on the grill grate. You can also use a grill basket but it makes it harder if you want to brush any seasonings onto the shrimp while grilling.
Alternatives to Grilling
If you don’t have a grill or simply just don’t want to cook your shrimp outside, you can always cook the shrimp in the oven or broiler. Place your shrimp skewers on a lined sheet pan and broil for 1-2 minutes on each side or until cooked through. You can also use a grill pan on your stove top and cook on high heat for the same amount of time.
Other Ways To Use This Marinade
This recipe isn’t just great for shrimp, it works well with all kinds of meats. Use it to marinade other seafood like salmon, cod, or halibut. It also pairs well with chicken, beef, or even as a marinade for grilled veggie skewers. The sky’s the limit with this versatile marinade!
Read Next: Our Best Shrimp Recipes
Grilled Shrimp Marinade Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds raw shrimp (peeled, deveined, tails on or off)
- 1/3 cup olive oil (infused olive oils like garlic or lemon olive oil work great)
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (rice vinegar or white vinegar work well too)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 small lemon, juiced)
- 6 cloves garlic (crushed, about 3 tablespoons)
- 2 teaspoons grill seasoning (we use Kinder's Buttery Steakhouse Rub)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- fresh parsley optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Thaw shrimp (if frozen), rinse, and pat dry. Set aside.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine remaining ingredients and whisk until well combined.
- Place shrimp and marinade in a gallon sized zip-top bag, seal, and move contents around until marinade is evenly distributed. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 6 hours.
Grilling the Shrimp
- Heat grill to 400 degrees (or medium high heat)
- It is easiest for flipping purposes to skewer the shrimp before grilling, but you can also place shrimp directly on the grill.
- Grill 2-3 minutes on each side or until pink, opaque, and cooked through.
- Serve with lemons, melted garlic butter, and/or cocktail sauce.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Frequently Asked Questions
For grilling, I usually use large shrimp (26-30 size), frozen, peeled, tail off or on (doesn’t matter). This is a nice size to thread on skewers. Jumbo shrimp also work well, they just take longer to cook and the flavor of the marinade isn’t as prominent. I always opt for frozen shrimp because it tastes more fresh. Most “fresh shrimp” at the butcher counter is just thawed shrimp that was previously frozen and isn’t actually as fresh.
Because we use both vinegar and lemon juice in this recipe, you want to marinade for at least a half an hour before grilling but no longer than 8-10 hours. The acid from the lemon juice can break down your shrimp more than you want it to and it may affect the texture.
Read Next: Our Best Shrimp Recipes
These tasty shrimp are the perfect party app. The flavor is incredible!
Love the lemon & garlic in this marinade. It’s perfect for shrimp.
Yes, Please! Time to put my hibachi to good use!