Why You’ll Love This Easy Shrimp Skewer Recipe:
- Fast—Using pre-cooked shrimp makes these skewers extra quick, plus they only need to marinate for 15-20 minutes. They’re ideal for last-minute summer get-togethers or weeknight dinners.
- Flavor-Packed—A lemon and garlic marinade is drizzled over the shrimp before grilling to add fresh, lemony flavor in every bite.
- Versatile—Serve with pasta (like this lemon pasta), add to wraps and salads, or dip them in boom boom sauce.
These garlic lemon shrimp skewers are perfect for summer and, thanks to a major shortcut, are also incredibly easy to make. Pre-cooked shrimp (yes, pre-cooked) are drizzled with a homemade lemon and garlic marinade before being grilled for only a few minutes—just long enough to heat them through and get that delicious smoky grill flavor. The result? Juicy, charred, flavor-packed shrimp that taste like they took way more effort than they did.
Lemon and Garlic Grilled Shrimp Skewers Ingredients
Pre-cooked shrimp: I use medium (26/30 count per bag) pre-cooked white cocktail shrimp, thawed. Since these shrimp have already been cooked through, you will simply need to heat them on the grill.
Can I use raw shrimp instead? Of course! Marinate the skewers the same way, but grill them until they are fully cooked and opaque. The time required for this will depend on the size of your shrimp and the heat of your grill.
Avocado Oil: Or your favorite neutral oil.
Fresh Garlic: Three cloves, pressed.
Lemons: Freshly-squeezed lemon juice is used in the marinade, plus lemon wedges bookmark the ends of each shrimp skewer. In total you will need 3-4 lemons (2 for wedges and 1-2 for juice—depending on size and juiciness).
Homemade seasoned salt: I add this smoky, savory homemade seasoned salt to the marinade.
Smoked sea salt: Adds extra smoky flavor to the marinade. My favorite smoked salt is from Gustus Vitae (shop on Amazon).
Dried oregano: Pairs perfectly with lemon and adds an extra Mediterranean flair to the marinade.
Sugar: Just a little bit to offset the acidity of the lemon juice.
You’ll Also Need…
Wooden skewers: Like these on Amazon. I cut them down to a slightly smaller size to make 8 skewers with 3 shrimp and 2 lemon wedges each—but feel free to make larger skewers instead!
Grill: Obviously! You’ll see in the step by step instruction photos below that I grilled these shrimp skewers on the Ninja 7-In-1 Grill & Smoker. I love that you can grill the shrimp and smoke them at the same time, which gives them delicious flavor in the short time it takes to heat them on the grill. You can read my full Ninja Grill & Smoker review here.
How to Make Quick Grilled Shrimp Skewers
1. Prep the skewers.
Soak the skewers in water for about 20-30 minutes before use—so they don’t catch on fire while grilling.
2. Make the marinade.
While the skewers soak, make the marinade. Whisk together avocado oil, dried oregano, pressed garlic, smoked sea salt, some of my homemade seasoned salt for grilling, and a pinch or two of sugar in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside.
3. Assemble the skewers.
Add a lemon wedge, followed by three to four shrimp, then another lemon wedge to each skewer. Place all the shrimp skewers in a large baking dish.
4. Drizzle on the marinade.
Pour the marinade over the shrimp skewers and allow them to sit for 15-20 minutes before grilling—to allow the shrimp a chance to absorb some of that lemony, garlicky flavor.
5. Grill the skewers.
Grill the shrimp skewers for about 60 seconds per side—just enough time to heat the shrimp through, get some color, and infuse a bit of smoky grill flavor. Remember, these shrimp are already cooked so you need to only heat them briefly on the grill. Do not grill them for more than 60 seconds per side—otherwise, you could end up with rubbery shrimp (and no one wants that).
When using the Ninja Grill & Smoker (pictured below) you can grill and smoke the skewers at the same time, infusing delicious woodfire smoke flavor as well—yum!
6. Serve Right Away!
I like to sprinkle some crumbled feta over the shrimp skewers, then serve.
Storage
In my opinion, these shrimp are best when served right away. However, you can store leftover shrimp in an airtight bag or container in the fridge.
Serving Ideas
- Serve these shrimp skewers with creamy lemon pasta—the perfect combo!
- Add them to your favorite wraps.
- Dip them in Boom Boom Sauce.
Read on for these lemon and garlic shrimp skewers!
Once you’ve given them a try, come back and leave a rating and review to let me know how you liked them.
Easy Lemon Garlic Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Equipment (Shop on Amazon)
- 8 wooden skewers
- Large Baking Dish
- Ninja Woodfire 7-in-1 Grill & Smoker
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3 cloves fresh garlic pressed
- 2 pinches smoked sea salt
- 1 large pinch white granulated sugar
- ½ tsp homemade smoky seasoned salt
- 16 lemon wedges
- 1 lb medium pre-cooked white cocktail shrimp 26/30 per lb; thawed
Instructions
- Soak the wooden skewers in water for 15-20 minutes so they do not catch fire while on the grill.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the fresh lemon juice, avocado oil, oregano, pressed garlic, smoked sea salt, sugar, and seasoned salt. Set aside.3 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice, ⅓ cup avocado oil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 3 cloves fresh garlic, 2 pinches smoked sea salt, 1 large pinch white granulated sugar, ½ tsp homemade smoky seasoned salt
- Assemble your shrimp skewers. Use the sharp end of your wooden skewer to add a lemon wedge, followed by three to four shrimp, and then another lemon wedge to each skewer. Place the skewers in a large baking dish.16 lemon wedges, 1 lb medium pre-cooked white cocktail shrimp
- Drizzle the lemon marinade over the shrimp. Allow the shrimp to sit for 15-20 minutes before grilling.
- Grill the shrimp for 60 seconds per side, no longer. Remember, these shrimp are already fully cooked. You're just looking to heat the shrimp, char them a bit, and infuse some smoky grilled flavor into them.
- Serve the shrimp skewers right away! Store any leftovers in an airtight bag or container in the fridge.
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