Grilled Shrimp Marinade (Lemon Garlic)
This grilled shrimp marinade is packed with so much flavor. Made with fresh lemons, garlic, parsley. It's made with simple and fresh ingredients, and marinating takes just 30 minutes.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 350kcal
Equipment
- Resealable bags for the marinade
- Grill outdoor or indoor
Ingredients
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp, deveined and tail-on thawed if previously frozen
- ½ cup olive oil plus more as needed
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley plus garnish
- 1 teaspoon red pepper chili flakes or to taste
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Lemon halves for grilling and serving
Instructions
- Make the marinade: In a bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon zest, freshly squeezed lemon juice, minced garlic, chopped Italian parsley, red pepper chili flakes, honey, salt and pepper until well-combined. Transfer the marinade into a large resealable bag.
- Prep the shrimp: Using kitchen shears, remove the shell but leave the lower part of the tail attached to the shrimp. Pat dry.
- Marinate: Add the shrimp into the marinade in the bag, make sure everything is well coated. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes (max 45 mins). Tip: Because this is a citrus marinade, leaving it for too long can cause the shrimp to turn rubbery.
- Preheat grill: Meanwhile, preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Preheating properly prevents food from sticking to the grates.
- Thread in skewers: Assemble the marinated shrimp into metal skewers. I used one pound of shrimp, and it yielded 4 skewers with 6-7 shrimp in each. Note: If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water first to prevent them from burning.
- Grill: Grill the shrimp skewers for about 4 minutes per side, until cooked through and have grill marks. You can algo grill the lemon halves. Shrimp cooks really fast, don't overcook. It's ready when it turns orange and white in color and turns into a "C" shape.
- Serve with a good squeeze of the grilled lemon halves and parsley, and crumbled feta cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- What type of shrimp to use: Jumbo shrimp, deveined and tail-on.
- If you can't find jumbo, use extra large shrimp.
- Use raw shrimp (not pre-cooked) for this recipe. Thaw before using if previously frozen.
- Use fresh lemons and fresh parsley here. They make a big difference in flavor.
- Metal skewers are best for grilling. If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for about 20 minutes beforehand to prevent them from burning.
- Prep ahead: While I wouldn’t recommend marinating overnight, you can make and refrigerate the marinade on its own 1 day in advance. The next day, marinate and cook as directed.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Lemon: Limes and oranges will work too, although the flavor profile may change slightly.
- Add-ins for the marinade: Additional fresh herbs (oregano, thyme, or rosemary), garlic powder, lime juice, orange juice, smoked paprika.
- Customize the skewers: Zucchini or yellow squash slices, cherry tomatoes, button mushrooms, or bell peppers. Just make sure they are sliced about the same size as the shrimp.
Nutrition
Serving: 1skewer | Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 1235mg | Potassium: 252mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 535IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 1mg