Grilled shrimp with a quick, flavorful marinade is one of my favorite ways to cook shrimp. Everything about this gluten-free recipe is quick: a fast 30-minute marinade, and just 6 minutes on the grill will get you an incredibly delicious, healthy, party-worthy dish.

“Nothing says a party like shrimp!”

That’s my brother Tom’s line, circa a good many years ago, in the menu run-down for some gathering or another my sister and I were having when we lived in Chicago. Little did he know we’d be saying that for the rest of our lives, for any party big or small.

Shrimp, like much seafood, is delicate–it must be cooked the right way to taste just right. That usually means: don’t overcook shrimp! Shrimp cook quickly. Taking this party to the grill may seem opposite to shrimp’s usual poaching or quick sauté. But with the right timing and temp, char and shrimp can be used in the same sentence! Learning how to make grilled shrimp is simple, and my grilled shrimp recipe includes an incredibly flavorful, easy marinade with lots of garlic and one of the Middle East’s favorite spices, sumac. The bright, citrus-y flavor and color of sumac make magic in all kinds of dishes, and seafood is no exception. 

Get your skewers on and let’s head to the grill for a shrimp party everyone will keep coming back for! This is one of my favorite recipes for seafood. Round out the menu with some favorite sides: add grilled asparagus or any grilled veggies and Lebanese rice to the main dish for a super easy meal.

What You Need to Make Grilled Shrimp

Shrimp most always takes a light touch with other ingredients. My simple marinade uses just a handful of ingredients, a great way to impart big flavor.

Extra virgin olive oil

Lemon juice and lemon wedges (for a squeeze of lemon when serving)

Garlic. Fresh minced garlic is a key flavor maker in the marinade.

Sumac. This bright red spice is bright in flavor too, a great pairing with the lemon juice here. Want to learn more? Check out my post, What is Sumac, and head to my shop to get sumac too.

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined with the tail on. Fresh shrimp is ideal, but frozen shrimp works well here; just be sure it is raw shrimp. The size of the shrimp is important–the right shrimp for grilling is extra large shrimp, which yields juicy shrimp. 

How to Grill Shrimp

Here’s how to make this simple grilled shrimp recipe:

Step 1. In a medium bowl that is nonreactive (non-metallic), combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, sumac, salt and pepper.

Step 2. Add the shrimp and coat each one well with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Step 3. Heat the outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Use a gas grill or a charcoal grill.

Step 4. Thread the shrimp on skewers, about 5 per skewer.  Discard remaining grilled shrimp marinade.

Step 5. Coat the grill grates with a bit of oil, using tongs and a folded paper towel. Lay the shrimp skewers on the coated grates and cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes. Use a pair of tongs to turn and grill the second side of the shrimp skewers for 2-3 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque pink.

Step 6. Remove the skewers from the grill and brush the hot shrimp generously with olive oil. Dust them with more sumac, then push the shrimp off of the skewers to serve.

Quick Tips

Always peel and devein shrimp before grilling.

One key to making this an easy grilled shrimp recipe is making shrimp kabobs, with the shrimp threaded onto skewers. This way the many shrimp can be turned more easily and cook time better controlled. Metal skewers are ideal because they don’t burn when grilled, but wooden skewers are also an option.

Small shrimp are difficult to thread on skewers and are easily overcooked, which ruins the texture of the shrimp. I like to buy deveined shrimp that is already peeled, so much easier and faster! But you can peel and devein the shrimp yourself.

Be sure the skewer the shrimp in two spots, just below the tail and through the other larger head-end of the shrimp. Don’t skewer through the sides of the shrimp.

Lime juice is a fine substitute for the lemon juice in the marinade. Get some heat with a dash of cayenne pepper.

Storage

Serve grilled shrimp immediately when it comes off the grill for the most flavorful shrimp. Store leftover shrimp in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Do not reheat the shrimp; serve it cold or at room temperature. Reheating the shrimp will overcook it. Leftovers can also be used to make shrimp salad or shrimp tacos.

Grilled Shrimp FAQs

In this Recipe:

Ingredients

What Is Sumac?

Ground Sumac

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Lebanese Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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