Grilled Shrimp Marinade
On January 10, 2020 (Updated November 26, 2024)
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Shrimp is a nice and easy dinner option for those busy nights when you’re scrambling to get something on the table. With the help of my Grilled Shrimp Marinade, not only will you be able to make a nice seafood dinner quickly, but it’ll taste completely amazing as well.
Best Grilled Shrimp Marinade
Oh man, this is by far the best grilled shrimp marinade ever. And I’m not just saying that because I’m totally biased. Everyone who ate this shrimp after it came off the grill LOVED it. Even the super picky kids enjoyed this shrimp, and that’s saying something!
The secret to this marinade is in the ingredients (obviously!), particularly the lemon, honey, and fresh herbs. This shrimp tastes so light and refreshing, you’ll find yourself eating these by the handful. Shrimp is already a great dinner option, and when it’s something healthy, fresh, and flavorful to boot, it’s a winner in my book.
While this shrimp tastes amazing as-is, you can also enjoy it in salads and pastas, or served with rice. It’s particularly delicious with my Southern Grits. I say get creative with the way your serve this shrimp. It’s versatile and can be served in a variety of ways.
Grilled Shrimp Citrus Marinade
As I mentioned previously, the magic to this marinade is that it is made with fresh lemon juice. The lemon juice makes it a good shrimp marinade for grilling because it’ll cover the shrimp in all sorts of flavorful goodness, and with the addition of a little heat from the grill, the flavors all work together for a fresh, yet savory shrimp.
Here’s what you’ll need for this marinade (exact measurements available in the printable recipe card below):
- 4 sprigs thyme (leaves removed and finely minced)
- 4 sprigs rosemary (minced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ¼ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (freshly cracked)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- juice of 2 lemons
Make sure you use fresh herbs for this marinade as well as freshly squeezed lemon juice. These two things will make all the difference!
How to Marinate and Grill Shrimp
Let’s chat a bit about how to marinate and grill shrimp. I’m sure you’ll find that it is incredibly easy, and the shrimp cook FAST. If you have a hour to give to the marinade time, you’ll find that these shrimp cook quickly (making them a pretty great dinner option!).
Begin by preparing the marinade. Simply combine all ingredients in a zip top bag, add the shrimp (I used extra large sized uncooked shrimp, but you can use what ever is available to you), and place the bag in the refrigerator. Allow the shrimp to marinate for up to 1 hour. Don’t go much past these 60 minutes, though, or the citrus in the lemon will begin to cook the shrimp.
As your shrimp is nearing the 1-hour mark, preheat your grill to 450 degrees F. After your shrimp have had plenty of time to marinate, remove them from the bag and place them directly on your preheated grill. These shrimp only need to cook for about 2 minutes per side, or 4 minutes total. Remove them promptly from the grill.
You’ll know when the shrimp are done cooking when the tails are red, the exterior is peach/pink in color, and the shrimp is opaque. But griller beware! If you leave your shrimp on the grill too long they will become overcooked and be chewy. Some cooks recommend cooking your shrimp until it is a nice “C” shape. You’ll still find some shrimp cook into an “O” shape even when cooked correctly, but this is a good rule of thumb.
More Marinade Recipes for Grilling
Marinating meat prior to cooking it on the grill helps to tenderize the meat and add great flavor. Scroll below to check out just a few of my favorite marinade and marinated recipes for grilling.
Grilled Shrimp Marinade Recipe
Making dinner for your family should be easy, and Hey Grill Hey is here to help! I’m all about helping you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a backyard BBQ hero. If you want to see more of my recipes, tips, and behind the scenes action, follow along on my social channels. You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube!
Grilled Shrimp Marinade
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp (extra large 26/30) deveined, with the shells removed
Lemon Herb Marinade
- 4 sprigs thyme leaves removed and finely minced
- 4 sprigs rosemary minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup Italian parsley
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon honey
- juice of 2 lemons
Instructions
- Make the marinade. Mix all ingredients for the lemon herb marinade together in a zip top bag. Add the shrimp to the bag and massage lightly to coat. Place the marinating shrimp in the refrigeration and allow it to marinate for 1 hour.
- Grill the shrimp. Preheat your preferred grill (this works well on gas and charcoal) to 450 degrees F. Remove the shrimp from the marinade and place it directly on the grill grates. Grill the shrimp for 2 minutes per side until opaque throughout.
- Serve hot. Remove the fully cooked shrimp from grill to a serving platter. Serve hot with fresh lemon wedges. This shrimp is also delicious in salad or on pasta or rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I was hesitant to try this because I never in a million years would think to put rosemary and thyme in a shrimp marinade! But it was AMAZING!!! Cannot wait to have people over and wow them with this one! Five stars aren’t enough!
Not going to lie, I had eye balled the recipe and added one or two seasonings of my liking… It..Was..Mind..Blowing … I love it. The family loves it. Thank you. Grill On!!!
Your smoked meat recipes are always so good I thought I check here for a grilled shrimp recipe. I am glad I did!! My wife and I LOVED it. The herb flavor with the lemon kick was amazing. We couldn’t stop eating. Thanks for all the variety of top notch recipes!!!