Grilled Shrimp Recipe (GF, Paleo, Whole30)

grilled shrimp skewers on a white platter with herbs and a lime

This healthy Grilled Shrimp recipe is great for dinner and so easy to make. Using a simple seasoning, these shrimp skewers cook up in minutes on your gas grill and are perfect for tacos, a salad, or on top of zucchini noodles. (Gluten Free, Paleo, & Whole30 compatible)

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword #grilling, #paleo, shrimp, whole30

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 5

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 106kcal

Author Taryn Solie

Equipment

A small bowl
Measuring spoons
A large bowl or dish
Paper towels
4 or 5 12 inch metal skewers
An oven mitt
A plate or platter to take the skewers off the grill

Ingredients

¾ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
½ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ground cumin
⅛ tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp oil avocado or olive
16 ounces large raw shrimp - peeled and deveined about 20 shrimp

Instructions

First make the spice blend. Use measuring spoons to measure out the Diamond Crystal kosher salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, and ground black pepper, then combine them in a small bowl. Set aside.
Now prep the shrimp. Get out a large bowl and place the raw shrimp in it. Dry the shrimp off using paper towels (this helps the seasoning stick better), then throw the towels away. Sprinkle the seasoning over the shrimp, then measure out the oil and drizzle it over the shrimp as well. Use your fingers to combine everything together, making sure each shrimp is as evenly coated as possible.
Take out one metal skewer and gently push a shrimp onto it, making sure to get the skewer's point as close to the middle of the shrimp as possible. Slide it down to the bottom of the skewer, then keep repeating until all of the shrimp are on all of the skewers. Place the same size of shrimp together on the same skewer - smaller ones on one skewer, larger ones on another. You should be able to fit 5 shrimp onto 1 skewer, depending on the size of your shrimp (or if you’re using different sized skewers).
Next grill the shrimp. Heat the grill to 350 degrees F, then once it comes to temperature place the shrimp skewers on the grill. Close the lid and cook for 2 minutes, then flip the skewers (use an oven mitt to protect your hands!) and cook for another 2 minutes with the lid closed. Check the shrimp and see if they are opaque all the way through and at an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. The larger shrimp or the shrimp in cooler spots on your grill (like the front of the grill) may need another 2 to 4 minutes to cook all the way through.
Remove the shrimp from the grill on a platter or plate and serve immediately! The skewers will still be hot so wear the oven mitt while removing the shrimp from the skewers.

Notes

I typically buy peeled and deveined frozen shrimp for this recipe. You can either stick the frozen shrimp in the fridge to defrost a day ahead of time, or if you're forgetful like me then take them out of the bag, put them in a colander, and let them run under cold water for 5-10 minutes until they're defrosted.
I use a casserole dish to mix the shrimp with the seasoning. Then as I'm putting them on the skewer I place the skewers in the dish. It makes it much easier to carry the skewers to the grill without having to dirty a separate dish.
Don't try to cram the shrimp onto your skewer. If they're too close together they won't cook as evenly and you may wind up with under done (or over done) shrimp.
You can use wooden skewers, but every time I've tried they get charred and burned up. I finally bought a set of metal skewers and I recommend you do too. You can find them at local stores (during grilling season) or these ones on Amazon are similar to the ones I have (affiliate link).

Nutrition