• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Tabetha's Table
  • Recipes
  • Tips & Tricks
  • Secret Ingredients
  • About
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Tips & Tricks
  • Secret Ingredients
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Tips & Tricks
    • Secret Ingredients
    • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
  • ×

    Home » Appetizers

    Spicy Grilled Shrimp

    Published: Sep 28, 2022 · Modified: Mar 27, 2023 by Tabetha · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    I love shrimp a lot. It's one of my favorite proteins, whether it's grilled, sauteed, or in ceviche. Spicy, or covered in butter and garlic, shrimp is always a yes. This spicy grilled shrimp recipe was built from a love of this delicious seafood and my husband and I always trying to find new ways to make it. 

    Spicy Grilled Shrimp Recipe Ingredients
    Jump to:
    • 📖 Instructions
    • 🧄 Ingredients
    • 🥘 Equipment
    • 👩🏼‍🍳 Chef Tip
    • 🍽 Sides
    • 🥡 Storing Your Shrimp
    • 📖 Recipe

    📖 Instructions

    I'm not gonna lie, there is a decent amount of spices that go into this recipe. Sorry, not sorry and I promise it's worth it. As you are measuring it all just keep remembering this is gonna be really really good.

    Shrimp Marinading in Spices

    This doesn't need to sit and marinade for long either. I would suggest around 15-30 minutes if you can. If you're in a rush and need to cook them right away it isn't the end of the world either. 

    Once they have taken their flavor bath, you'll want to cook them for about 2 minutes per side. Whether that's in a grill basket, metal skewers

    🧄 Ingredients

    Shrimp: Need to be peeled and deveined! We recommend 16/20s generally.

    Chipotle Powder: Adds a little heat, but mostly a wonderful smokey flavor. 

    Smoked Paprika: Less spicy than chipotle powder, but it also adds smoke flavors and a little bit of heat. 

    Chili Powder: Adds more heat by using a blend of different peppers to spice things up a bit. 

    Cumin: Popular in Mexican/Southwest dishes, cumin adds an earthiness to your dish. 

    Honey: Adds a bit of sugar and liquid at the same time. Honey helps hold our ingredients together and helps us get a beautiful sear when cooking. 

    Fresh Garlic & Herbs: Brightens up all the heavy spices and gives us a pop of flavor. 

    Lime Juice: The acid helps round out all the flavors, and gives the final zest of flavor that makes this dish stand out. 

    marinaded shrimp on a metal skewer ready to be grilled
    Spicy Grilled Shrimp

    🥘 Equipment

    There are lots of different ways to go about grilled shrimp and it all boils down to personal preference and cost.

    Metal Skewers

    We personally use metal skewers 99% of the time. They are reusable, easy to clean, and don't require soaking like wood skewers. The downside is they cost more, and if you are feeding a crowd you might need quite a few.

    Spicy Grilled Grilled Shrimp on Skewers
    Spicy Grilled Shrimp

    Wood Skewers

    Wood skewers are super cost-efficient, but take a little more time to get ready.

    Metal Grill Basket

    Using a grill basket is another great way to grill food! You can completely skip the time-consuming step of individually adding shrimp to a skewer. Downside? You lose some of the direct contact areas of the grill. Leading to less char, and less flavor.

    👩🏼‍🍳 Chef Tip

    #1 While huge shrimp look fun to buy, if they aren't cooked properly they can become chewy. We lean toward a medium-size 16/20 (which means 16- 20 shrimp per pound).

    #2 Grilling adds another whole layer of flavor, but these also taste amazing pan-seared.

    🍽 Sides

    I'm always developing more recipes and trying to pair them up together. Until I get a few more recipes added here to Tabetha's Table, I would suggest putting these with Tacos, taco bowls, burritos, cut up in quesadillas, as an appetizer, or serving them just sitting on some guacamole! Use your imagination while I get to work! 

    Mediterranean Rice Bowl Set Up
    Mediterranean Rice Bowl Set Up

    🥡 Storing Your Shrimp

    If you find yourself with leftovers, you can absolutely throw these in the fridge for a few days and enjoy them on a salad for lunch the next day, or in a yummy quesadilla!

    I would not recommend eating them after more than 3 days. Seafood in general doesn't like to keep well and will stink up your fridge quickly. The more realistic problem is having any leftovers at all 😉 

    Enjoy! 

    📖 Recipe

    Southwest Shrimp

    Spicy Grilled Shrimp

    Zesty & full of flavor this shrimp recipe is addictive. Grilled or pan-seared these are perfect on their own or in a taco or burrito bowl. Warning: Try not to eat them all before dinner starts or just double the recipe to avoid fights.
    2 ratings (Click stars to rate)
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 5 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 330 kcal

    Equipment

    • Bowl
    • Cutting Board
    • Knife
    • Measuring Spoons

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 Pounds Shrimp - Peeled & Deveined
    • ¼ Cup Olive Oil
    • ¼ Cup Lime Juice
    • 1 teaspoon Honey
    • 1 tablespoon Fresh Cilantro
    • 1 tablespoon Garlic - Minced
    • 1 tablespoon Red Onion - Diced
    • 2 teaspoon Dry Oregano
    • 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
    • 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
    • ½ teaspoon Chipotle Powder
    • ½ teaspoon Cumin
    • 2 teaspoon Kosher Salt - Diamond is Prefered
    • 1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Make sure the shrimp are thawed, peeled, and deveined then set aside.
      Spicy Grilled Shrimp Recipe Ingredients
    • Add all remaining ingredients to a bowl. You can cheat on some of the prep here and add it all to a small blender or food processor if you'd like. I'm obsessed with my immersion blender which would also work beautifully.
      Shrimp Marinading in Spices
    • Add Shrimp to a bowl and marinate for at least 15 minutes. **Don't marinate overnight as the lime juice will cook the shrimp and make them chewy*.

    Cooking Methods

    • Grilling: Kabobs are one of the easiest ways to cook shrimp on the grill, but you can also find some neat grill baskets that prevent them from falling through. I suggest kabobs so you get as much color/char on them as possible. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
      marinaded shrimp on a metal skewer ready to be grilled
    • Pan Sear: If you don't have access to a grill you can easily cook this on a stovetop. The key here is to get your pan really really hot, add oil to your pan to prevent sticking, and only add enough shrimp to cover about ½ of the pan.
      If you add too many at once, all the moisture will drop the temperature of the pan and you will boil your shrimp vs sear them. Browing = Flavor. Flip the shrimp after 2-3 minutes. Cook another 1-2 minutes on the other side or until the center of the shrimp is no longer opaque.
    • Broil: This would be my last option, but it will work. Layer a pan with foil. Add shrimp and spread out. Cook on high broil for 3-5 minutes.
      They may need to be flipped if they are extra-large. Test if they are done by removing one, cutting it open, and checking to see if the center is no longer opaque.
    • In most cases, the shrimp should only take 3-5 minutes to cook depending on your cooking method and the size of your shrimp.
    • The key sign to look out for when trying to see if they are done is the color. When they switch from translucent to opaque/white, they are done.
      Southwest Shrimp

    Notes

    •  The fresher your shrimp are, the better. Even if they were previously frozen, just try and use them within the first day or 2 of defrosting. No one wants fishy shrimp.
    • Always devein your shrimp or buy your shrimp deveined. It’s a little more effort or costs a little more money but is well worth it.
    • Want a shortcut? Add all the marinade ingredients into a small blender OR a bowl with an immersion blender. Just leave yourself some fresh cilantro to finish with.
    • I prefer larger shrimp for this recipe. Something around 20/25’s (the count of shrimp per pound which is generally noted on the bag). 
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 330kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 46gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 365mgSodium: 1447mgPotassium: 660mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 486IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 158mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword Cilantro, Grilled, Lime, Shrimp, Southwest
    Tried this recipe?Mention @tabethas.table!

    Handy Tools

    Want to take your cooking game to the next level? Here's a list of some of the tools I use every time I make this recipe that help make this a breeze!

    Bowl
    Cutting Board
    Knife
    Measuring Spoons

    More Appetizer Recipes

    • Spicy Shrimp Queso in a bowl
      Spicy Jalapeno Shrimp Queso
    • Shrimp and guacamole on top of a spicy pita chip garnished with cojita cheese
      Jalapeno Shrimp Appetizer
    • Smoked Jalapeno Poppers on parchment paper with lime and dip
      Smoked Jalapeno Poppers
    • Cilantro Lime Shrimp in a bowl with cilantro garnish
      Cilantro Lime Shrimp

    Reader Interactions

    Trackbacks

    1. Jalapeno Shrimp Appetizer - Tabetha's Table says:
      October 18, 2022 at 12:52 pm

      […] ways for different things. Guacamole is more than a dip, it can also be a topping or a base. Our spicy grilled shrimp is perfect in quesadillas, shrimp tacos, or just as a snack. Our Mexican chorizo can be used in […]

    2. Spicy Jalapeno Shrimp Queso - Tabetha's Table says:
      January 19, 2023 at 10:29 am

      […] even realize that existed until a few years ago… The recipe we used is actually our Spicy Grilled Shrimp recipe that we pan seared instead of grilled. The spice blend is perfect and we love how all the […]

    Primary Sidebar

    Want to up your cooking game?

    Sign up for our monthly newsletter and you'll also get a list of my Top Secret Ingredients that I use all the time to level up my food!

    GET THE LIST NOW!
    Tabetha with Tabetha's Table

    My journey began at Le Cordon Bleu where my love of cooking & subsequently teaching really baked in. This is me pouring out what I've learned over the years & sharing it with the world. We are so glad you're here and hope you find something delicious while you're at it.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Carnitas street tacos on a white plate garnished with lime and cilantro
      Carnitas Street Tacos
    • Brioche french toast with whipped cream and blueberry sauce
      Easy Brioche French Toast Recipe
    • A spoonful of Berry Compote from a glass jar
      Berry Compote
    • Strawberry Compote being spooned onto brioche toast
      Strawberry Compote

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Subscribe

    • Subscribe for our Secret Ingredients

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2023 Tabetha's Table