These lightly grilled shrimp skewers are smothered in savory garlic butter. They’re shrimp on a stick, the perfect appetizer or cocktail treat!
Anyone fancy some shrimp on a stick? Grilled, brushed with garlic butter and sprinkled with chives, these large, beautiful shrimp are the perfect party food for a backyard cookout.
How to grill shrimp skewers
Here’s a tip for grilling shrimp. First, make sure you soak your wooden or bamboo skewers (I recommend bamboo, they handle heat better) in water for at least half an hour. Then set up your grill so that one side is hot and another is cool.
Place the shrimp on the hot side and the exposed skewers on the cool side. This way the shrimp will cook quickly and the skewers will not burn.
Serve shrimp skewers
As soon as you remove the shrimp from the grill, immediately brush them with garlic butter while the shrimp are still hot. This way the shrimp will absorb the garlic butter flavors better.
I recommend making more of these than you think you need. Because although 1 pound of shrimp should be enough for four, you’ll want to eat them all yourself. In that way, they’re kind of irresistible.
Video: How to make Grilled Garlic Shrimp Skewers
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Grilled Garlic Shrimp Skewers recipe
Other ways to cook shrimp skewers
No BBQ or too cold to bother? You can still make these shrimp skewers.
- Broiler: Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange your assembled shrimp skewers on the sheet. Fry about 5 inches away from the heat for about 2 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
- grill pan: Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in a griddle pan over medium-high heat. Grill the skewers in batches, if necessary, about 2 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
What to do with shrimp skewers
- Caprese pasta salad
- Mediterranean mezze platter
- Goat Cheese Bacon Pops
- Grilled chicken satay with peanut sauce
- papaya, prosciutto and lime
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Grilled garlic shrimp skewers
If you have time, we highly recommend soaking the shrimp in brine to help them retain their moisture and stay plump and juicy. To make the brine, simply stir together 1/4 cup Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (3 tablespoons if using Morton’s), 1/4 cup sugar, and 4 cups water in a bowl until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Add 1 cup of ice and the shrimp and let sit for 30 minutes (no longer or the shrimp will be too salty). If you are putting the shrimp in brine, skip seasoning with salt as described in step 2.
We recommend leaving the tails on the shrimp for a nice presentation.
ingredients
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1 lb (count 16 to 20) large shrimppeeled and deveined
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Extra virgin olive oil
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3 tablespoon unsalted butter
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3 cloves garlicchopped
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1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
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1 teaspoon chopped chivesfor garnish
method
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Prepare the grill:
Prepare your grill for direct high heat, with one side of the grill being the cool side with no coals or flames.
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Thread the shrimp onto skewers:
While the grill is heating up, thread the soaked skewers through the shrimp. Starting at the tail, insert the skewers through the center and end of the shrimp. Brush shrimp with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
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Melt butter with garlic:
Place butter and garlic in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in microwave until butter is melted and hot. (If you don’t have a microwave, you can also just melt the butter and garlic in a small saucepan on the stovetop.)
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Grill shrimp:
Arrange the skewers on the grill so the shrimp are above the coals or flames and the exposed ends of the bamboo skewers are over the cool side of the grill. Grill for about 2 minutes on each side.
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Serve basted with garlic butter:
Once the shrimp are cooked, remove from the grill and place in a serving bowl. Baste generously with melted garlic butter. Sprinkle with chives to serve!
Serve immediately.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 175 | calories |
| 11g | Fat |
| 2g | carbohydrates |
| 16g | protein |
