Spicy Ginger Garlic Shrimp Skewers

What's in the marinade?

The shrimp marinade is the key to this dish and takes the shrimp to another level. It requires a decent amount of ingredients, but all of them are easily found at almost any grocery store, or even online grocery delivery these days. As a matter of fact, most of these ingredients you likely already have in your pantry!

So don't fret over the long ingredient list! Also, it is completely worth it for the flavor you get with these tasty shrimp!

Prepping the Shrimp

We typically buy shrimp with tails and shells intact, but you can buy what you like or what you can find. We recommend buying shrimp with tails on, although this is not necessary, but it does add a nice little handle to each shrimp for easy snacking. Hey, it's Summer and finger foods are completely fine with us!

Shrimp Grilling Tips

Shrimp are quite easy to grill, and you shouldn’t be intimidated at all by doing this. Skewering your shrimp will certainly make life easier, like we did in this recipe. You can grill large shrimp without skewers, and they are easy to turn with tongs.

The absolute most important thing to remember when grilling shrimp (or cooking in any fashion) is NOT to overcook them. Shrimp are relatively forgiving when it comes to cooking, but a one-ounce shrimp will not tolerate being cooked for too long or it will be a rubbery mess. And even such a small piece of protein will continue to cook (carryover) after it is removed from the grill. Even if it is 2 degrees of internal temperature carryover, it will matter if you grill your shrimp to the limit of doneness. 

So, what does that mean and how do you know when your shrimp are done?

The best answer is as soon as the meat turns opaque. But unless you’ve done this a few times, that’s difficult to determine. Furthermore, every grill is different and, in the case of wood or charcoal grills, every fire is unique as well. So there really isn’t an answer that is equivalent to cooking rice. A good rule of thumb is to cook your shrimp over direct and high heat until they loosely curl.

If they are in the shells (and you plan to serve them that way (or take the shells off after cooking), the shrimp will probably need an extra minute of total cooking time.

But if you have “jumbo” shrimp (about 1 ounce each, peeled) they will be done after about 3-5 minutes per side. That range sounds way too unhelpful, but there are so many variables. If you cook your shrimp with the lid on your grill, it will be closer to 3 minutes and if uncovered closer to 4-5. If your fire is super-hot it may even be 2 minutes per side!

Keep an Eye on your Shrimp!

It's important to keep an eye on your shrimp – like an eagle. Don’t go swimming once your shrimp hit the grates! Stay close by and check your shrimp after a few minutes.

If you have an extra shrimp on hand, pull it off the grill, slice it open on the thickest end and check for doneness. If the flesh is still raw, keep cooking. You will know it's done if it’s white inside and still soft to the touch. If it’s white but as hard as a bicycle tire, then you’ve gone too far, and you should have an amazing sauce to cover up for this error!

A few times grilling shrimp and you’ll soon figure out that it is pretty easy as long as you don’t forget about it or cook it like a hot dog – they’re not that forgiving! Keep an eye on them and you’ll be rewarded for your efforts!

What to Serve with Spicy Ginger Garlic Shrimp Skewers

We like to serve this shrimp with a good rice and quinoa combo with cilantro and lime flavors and made with chopped bell peppers. This combo pairs perfect with the heat and flavor of the shrimp. Find the recipe below! If you are feeling a bit more adventurous, check out our Grilled Romaine and Pear Steakhouse Salad to pair with this dish as well.