These Grilled Cilantro Lime Shrimp skewers make for an excellent meal. Shrimp is easy to marinate and quick to grill to perfection. We love serving these grilled shrimp with cilantro lime rice and a salad.
I grew up in the Mediterranean and we love fresh foods, cooked with fresh herbs and fresh ingredients. While cilantro wasn’t an ingredient I was familiar with until I moved to Miami decades ago, the cilantro lime flavor combo got my foodie taste buds interested right away.
So that’s why I love serving these shrimp skewers right after grilling them with a cilantro lime rice and a freshly made salad.
Marinating Shrimp
So I want to say that I buy frozen shrimp from Costco to make this dish. I buy a bag of about 2 lbs and that’s good enough for my family of 4. While frozen shrimp comes in different sizes, I buy the jumbo one (about 20 shrimps per pound).
Second, you need to thaw the shrimp properly before marinating it. Once thawed, I use paper towels to wipe dry the shrimp. If you don’t then the marinate will be thinned out.
Finally, I add shrimp to a glass bowl. Then I add the following ingredients:
- fresh lime juice
- olive oil
- sea salt
- cilantro
- crushed red pepper
- garlic
Mix to coat all shrimp, refrigerate for about half an hour while you can cook the rice and make the salad.
If you love adding a dip or sauce to your meals, consider this garlic, cilantro yogurt dip to add to your plate because it will compliment all the flavors really well.
Grilling Shrimp Skewers
Once shrimp has marinated for about half an hour, I thread them on bamboo skewers one after the other, leaving tails all on one side.
These instructions work for my grill but might vary slightly for yours.
- Temperature about 400 degrees F.
- Place skewers on grill slats over direct heat.
- Grill for about 5 minutes until shrimp turns pink, flip over and grill on the other side for few minutes as well.
- Be careful to not over cook as shrimp will dry out.
I also use a cast iron griddle to grill the shrimp quickly over the stovetop when I don’t want to light up the grill outdoors. This is the griddle I use over my stovetop (affiliate).
Grilled Cilantro Lime Shrimp
Equipment
- 1 medium glass bowl for marinating
- 1 cast iron griddle optional if it's too hot/cold outside to use the grill.
- 1 Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 2 lbs jumbo shrimp I buy frozen jumbo shrimp, peeled, tail on, deveined.
- 3 tbsps olive oil
- 2 limes
- 1 cup cilantro
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 0.5 tsp crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Thaw shrimp, wipe the moisture with paper towel. Add shrimp to a glass bowl.
- Squeeze limes, pour fresh lime juice over the shrimp. Add olive oil, finely chopped cilantro, minced garlic, salt and crushed red pepper. Mix well.
- Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap, place bowl in refrigerator for about half an hour (enough time for shrimp to marinate and prepare side dishes).
- Place shrimp in skewers, all tails in one side. Usually I place about 5 shrimp in one skewer.
- Grill shrimp over direct heat for about 4-5 minutes until pink, then flip around. Grill for few minutes then place all skewers on a platter. Garnish with more cilantro and limes as desired upon serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- I prefer a glass bowl for marinating since it’s easy to clean and it’s not prone to smells or stains.
- Use an outdoor grill (gas or charcoal your preference) or a cast iron griddle over the stovetop for grilling.
- If crushed red pepper is not spicy enough then add a little bit of sriracha or rocoto paste to the marinade. If crushed red peppers are too spicy for you, then replace crushed red peppers for paprika or harissa powder.
Nutrition Label
Nutrition
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Additional Seafood Recipes
Here are some more seafood recipes from my blog:
- Shrimp in roasted tomato sauce over polenta
- Cucumber Shrimp Salad
- Baked Whole Red Snapper
- Cast Iron Halibut served with couscous
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