How to Grill Shrimp Like a Pro

If you’re looking for a fast, easy dinner, put grilled shrimp at the top of your list. Shrimp need little prep time, absorb flavor marinades and seasonings quickly, and when done right, emerge from the grill tender, tasting like summer on a plate. 

Shrimp are a dream to cook with, whether you purchase them fresh-caught and prep them yourself or get them at the fish counter peeled, cleaned and ready to cook. Keep them in mind for dinner party-worthy dishes like 2021 Best New Chef Fermin Nunez’s chile- and garlic-marinated shrimp and Bobby Flay’s grilled shrimp with habanero-garlic vinaigrette, easy weeknight dinners like grilled shrimp Green Goddess salad and shrimp and zucchini flatbreads, or an upgrade to an old favorite, like this grilled shrimp cocktail. Here’s how to grill shrimp to get a restaurant-level meal on the table, fast. 

How do I select shrimp for grilling?

Choosing the right shrimp is the first step; there are over 2,000 shrimp species worldwide. The most commonly available shrimp for purchase include rock shrimp, royal red, brown, pink and white shrimp. Each offers a distinct flavor profile influenced by the waters and area they come from. Talk to the people at your fish market about what they have available, and check sustainability reports from a reliable source, such as the guides maintained by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch.

Should I buy fresh or frozen shrimp?

Surprise: In most cases, frozen shrimp is the best option. Most shrimp is frozen on the shrimp boat after it’s caught, so a lot of the shrimp you see displayed in grocery stores and even seafood markets has been thawed. You have no way to tell how long they've been thawed and refrigerated (thawed shrimp should be used within one to two days). So, when shopping for shrimp, look for individual quick frozen (IQF) shrimp, rather than those frozen in a solid block. This rapid freezing method minimizes bacteria growth and preserves the shrimp texture, flavor, and nutrition. When you purchase shrimp, whether thawed or fresh, look for firm translucent flesh that has a glossy, but not slimy, sheen. Avoid shrimp with black spots just beneath the shell — those can occur after prolonged exposure to the air. 

What size shrimp is best for grilling?

Generally you will almost always want to use jumbo shrimp or large shrimp for grilling directly on the grates or on skewers. Check the numbers on the package; you will find a smaller number followed by a slash and then a larger number. These indicate the number of shrimp in a pound; the smaller the number, the larger the shrimp. For example, a 16/20 indicates there are 16 to 20 shrimp per pound. If you can’t find large shrimp, then use a grill basket. 

Should I peel shrimp before grilling?

Whether or not to remove or keep shells, heads, tails, or any combination of the three on shrimp is a matter of personal taste or the recipe. You can lean into fully peeled  shrimp — they’re a canvas ready to quickly absorb flavor such as the citrusy-creamy marinade in Hawaiian-style garlic butter shrimp.

But don’t overlook opportunities to grill shrimp with the heads and shells intact — they are full of flavor. Chef Eric Ripert calls for head-on shrimp in the shell for his garlic-herb butter grilled shrimp because it’s part of the dining experience when you peel and eat them at the table. Carla Hall leaves the tails on her barbecued shrimp to protect the delicate meat at the tail and for the presentation; the curled end of the tail serves as a handle for dipping in her homemade spicy-sweet sauce. For grilled shrimp dishes that require a fork, removing the tail makes for easier eating. But if you keep the tail on for a dish like soba noodles with grilled shrimp and cilantro, provide a small dish at the table for the inedible tail pieces. 

Save the shrimp shells in the freezer to make shrimp broth for soups, jambalaya, étouffée, and sauces to punch up the seafood flavor.

Can shrimp be marinated before grilling?

Marinades are a great way to amp up the flavor of mild tasting shrimp, but keep in mind that delicate shrimp will be quickly affected by any acidic ingredients in the marinade. Citrus like lemon, lime, or orange juice, vinegar, and tomato juice will start to “cook” the shrimp like with ceviche, so limit the marinade time to 20 to 30 minutes . 

You can also marinate with less acidic ingredients like yogurt or sour cream, like with chef Suvir Saran’s cumin- and garam masala-spiced sour cream marinade for his take on tandoori shrimp. Or, forgo the acid and marinate shrimp with spice or herbs and oil; chef Jamie Bissonette simply tosses shrimp with oil, garlic, chiles, and salt and lets it stand for 10 minutes before cooking his grilled shrimp with miso butter. 

How to skewer shrimp

Using skewers makes it easy to turn shrimp on the grill and cook them evenly. Position shrimp closely together on the skewer for even cooking. You can thread shrimp a few different ways depending on your needs. Position shrimp lengthwise from head to tail on the skewer as award-winning cookbook author Andrea Ngyen does for her grilled shrimp with green chile–condensed milk sauce, and the shrimp will remain long and straight after they are pulled off the skewer. And when you want to impart flavor from another ingredient, thread them next to the shrimp on the skewer. Nestling a coin-sized slice of cured chorizo into the natural curl of shrimp allows both the briny seafood and the smoky meat to pick up the taste of the other ingredient for sublime kebabs or as a quick and easy weeknight main.

The type of skewer you use (wood or metal) can affect cooking time. Metal skewers will conduct heat well, so shrimp may cook more quickly. Bamboo skewers also work well, but make certain to soak them in water for 30 minutes before using them, so the exposed ends don’t catch fire. For a pro move, thread shrimp onto a double set of skewers so that the skewers are lined up side-by-side through the meat — the shrimp won’t twirl as you flip or move them around the grill. 

How long to grill shrimp

Usually you will grill shrimp over high, direct heat (450°F to 500°F) or medium-high (375°F to 450°F), so the shrimp will cook in around five minutes, depending on their size. Visual cues are the best way to know when shrimp is ready to come off the grill. Raw shrimp is a translucent steel-gray and, but once cooked, will become pink on the outside while the meat turns an opaque, pearly-white inside. If the shrimp are cooked in their shells, the shells will turn bright red as they cook. 

If you are grilling shrimp in a grill basket, you can also look at their shape. Shrimp will curl as they cook and the flesh tightens; you’ll see them form a “c” shape. Don’t let them cook so long that the head and tail end meet to form an “o” — that means they are overcooked.

Can I grill shrimp in advance and use them later?

Yes, absolutely — we love using a grill to meal-plan. Store grilled shrimp in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days, then pull them out to use as a final touch in recipes that call for little-to-no cooking, so you don’t end up with rubbery, overcooked shrimp. Add them to fried rice, pasta, or a grain bowl, fold them in tacos, or wrap them in rice paper for no-cook summer rolls.