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 can be enjoyed as-is, it’ll also taste amazing in a salad, or served with pasta or rice. 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):

• Fresh Thyme
• Fresh Rosemary
• Garlic
• Italian Parsley
• Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• Honey
• Lemon Juice

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 marinate 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. This is a decent rule to go by, but you’ll often find that many shrimp cook to an “O” shape even when they’re perfectly cooked.

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 marinades and marinate recipes for grilling.

Steak Marinade
Grilled Rack of Lamb with a Garlic Herb Marinade
Sweet Heat Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast

Grilled Shrimp Marinade Recipe

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Grilled Shrimp Marinade

Susie Bulloch (heygrillhey.com)

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.

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time : 15 mins

Cook Time : 5 mins

Marinade Time : 1 hr

Total Time : 1 hr 20 mins

Servings : 4 people

Calories : 239kcal

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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

I used shrimps with the tails on because we were planning to eat these with our fingers like hors d'oeurves. If you want to mix these into pasta, sandwiches, rice, etc. cook shrimp with the shells off. 

Nutrition

Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 286mg | Sodium: 884mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 363IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 176mg | Iron: 3mg

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