Shop our award winning sauces & rubs

logo
searchcart

posted April 03, 2023

Grilled Garlic Butter Shrimp

This garlic butter shrimp is a crustacean lovers’ delight. Perfectly grilled shrimp are tossed in a zesty garlic and lemon-laden butter sauce. It’s simple enough to add to your weekly meal plan, but fancy enough to feel like you ordered it from an upscale restaurant.

Grilled garlic butter shrimp on a serving dish with text overlay - Grilled Garlic Butter Shrimp.

Grilled Garlic Butter Shrimp

There’s so much to love about this grilled garlic butter shrimp. It’s delicious and versatile. Eat as an appetizer right out of the skillet or an entree spooned over pasta and sop the sauce up with some crusty bread.

This is a recipe that’s as simple as it is delicious and you’ll find yourself coming back to it over and over again. It’s also kid-friendly, with a light and fresh flavor that the entire family can enjoy.

Shrimp being seasoned with garlic.

Ingredients for Garlic Butter for Shrimp

This recipe is super simple with only a handful of pantry staples. Here’s what you’ll need to make this shrimp.

  • 2 pounds 21/25 shrimp
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

For the garlic butter sauce, you’ll need the following:

  • 8 Tablespoons butter
  • 8 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons flat-leaf Italian parsley
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon

Shrimp on the BBQ next to a skillet of melted butter.

Grilled shrimp in melted butter.

How to Make Grilled Garlic Butter Shrimp

Let’s quickly go through the process of making this meal.  It’s ridiculously easy and ready in a flash. Here’s how to make grilled garlic butter shrimp.

  1. Preheat and season. Fire up the grill to 450-500 degrees F. While the grill is heating up, toss the shrimp in a bowl with olive oil and then season with salt and pepper.
  2. Melt butter and add shrimp. Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet on the preheated grill. Add butter to the skillet and allow to melt and cook for 2-3 minutes. Place the shrimp directly on the grill grates while the butter melts.
  3. Continue cooking. Add garlic to the melted butter in the skillet and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Flip the shrimp and cook until they form a loose “C” shape, are opaque throughout, and reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
  4. Butter up! Add the grilled shrimp to the garlic and butter in the skillet then remove the skillet from the grill. Add the remaining ingredients and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Fresh lemon being squeezed onto grilled garlic butter shrimp.

Tips for Grilling Garlic Butter Shrimp

Pause here for a moment, folks. Before you dive into making this shrimp, take note of these tips for grilling garlic butter shrimp.

  • Look at your shrimp size when buying from the store. This recipe works great with larger shrimp (usually called “jumbo”). The larger size makes for easier cooking on the grill. Bigger shrimp are easier to handle and flip without losing them through the grill grates.
  • Tails on or off? This depends on how you’re serving your shrimp. I tend to leave them on for grilling and serving as an appetizer or standalone entree. I will remove the tails if I plan on tossing my shrimp into cooked pasta.
  • Don’t overcook! One of the hardest parts of grilling shrimp is the tendency for them to get overcooked. Shrimp only take minutes on the grill, so don’t walk away. Look for your shrimp to make the shape of a “c” instead of a “g” or an “o”. You can also use a thermometer on larger shrimp to get an internal temperature reading of 145 degrees F.

Grilled garlic butter shrimp on a serving dish.

More Grilled Shrimp Recipes

Ready for more grilled shrimp recipes that’ll satisfy all those seafood cravings? Grill Hey is here to ensure you always have a tasty shrimp recipe in your back pocket. Check out our favorites below.

Garlic Butter Grilled Shrimp Recipe

Follow the recipe, and let’s make some delicious food! If you loved this recipe, please leave it a 5-star review and sound off in the comments section below!

For even easier access to our tutorials and recipes, be sure to download the Hey Grill Hey App! Browse the entire BBQ library of over 500 recipes with a new one added each week!

Grilled garlic butter shrimp on a serving dish.

Grilled Garlic Butter Shrimp

Susie Bulloch
This garlic butter shrimp is a crustacean lovers' delight. Perfectly grilled shrimp are tossed in a zesty garlic and lemon-laden butter sauce. It's simple enough to add to your weekly meal plan, but fancy enough to feel like you ordered it from an upscale restaurant.
Prep Time : 15 mins
Cook Time : 6 mins
Total Time : 21 mins
Servings : 4 people
Calories : 243kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 2 pounds jumbo (21/25) shrimp
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Garlic Butter Sauce

  • 8 Tablespoons butter (cut into 1 Tablespoon pads)
  • 8 cloves garlic (grated or finely minced)
  • 2 Tablespoons flat leaf Italian parsley (chopped)
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

  • Preheat. Preheat grill to High (450-500 degrees F).
  • Season. Toss shrimp with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  • Melt the butter and grill the shrimp. Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet on your hot grill. Add the butter to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. While the butter melts, place the shrimp directly on the grill grates.
  • Finish cooking shrimp. Once your butter is bubbling, add your garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes. While the garlic cooks, flip the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are a "C" shape, opaque throughout, and read an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
  • Add garlic butter. Add the grilled shrimp to the garlic butter skillet and remove from the heat. Stir in the fresh Italian parsley, lemon zest, and juice. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 1345mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 871IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Ready to Become a Backyard BBQ Hero?Join The Grill Squad today!

BBQ Must Haves

reader reviews

No reviews

leave a review

Required fields are marked *

recipe rating

about you

Your email address will not be published.

susie grilling

Join the Grill Squad

The Grill Squad is our exclusive membership program that will transform bland cookouts into booming barbecues that you'll remember for a lifetime. The technique and skills you learn will bring your backyard cookouts to a new level. For the cost of a full brisket, you'll get annual access to an exclusive BBQ community, Pitmaster Classes, discounts, and much much more!

Learn More