Learn how to make 🍤🍋🟩🍯 Grilled Jerk Shrimp skewers that taste like a meal you’d eat on a Caribbean island! The shrimp are marinated in a spicy and aromatic blend of jerk seasoning, soy sauce, and honey before being grilled to smoky perfection! The shrimp are tender, juicy, light yet packed with protein, and make an amazing summer meal!
Easy Grilled Jerk Shrimp Recipe
- When you’re ready for something a little spicy, a little smoky, and a little sweet this Caribbean grilled jerk shrimp recipe is just what you need.
- Jerk seasoning can be either Caribbean (more mild) or Jamaican (spicier) and it’s a blend of lots of spices that serve to provide rich depth of flavor to the food.
- But the reason that ‘jerk chicken‘ or ‘jerk shrimp’ gets their namesake, is actually because to jerk, actually means to cook food over an open fire with (pimento) wood and the smokiness from the wood and the char of the fire flavors the food. Not super practical for busy weeknight dinners which is why my recipe makes jerk shrimp an easier reality!
- You can also make your jerk seasoning own because while there are many spices, they’re common ones that you probably already have on hand. Onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, allspice, ginger, cinnamon, and so forth. More details in the recipe card.
- No grill? No worries! In case you don’t have an outdoor grill , you can make this in a indoor grill pan on your stovetop or simply saute the shrimp in a skillet.
Key Ingredients in Jerk Shrimp
- Jerk seasoning: There are two common types of jerk seasoning. Namely, Caribbean jerk seasoning OR Jamaican Jerk Seasoning. Jamaican jerk is known for its use of Scotch bonnet peppers (spicy!) and warming spices like allspice, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Conversely, Caribbean jerk, is less spicy, theoretically, while using similar warming spices, just minus the hot peppers. Want to make your own jerk seasoning? See the recipe card below for my homemade jerk seasoning.
- As a caveat, with any ethnic cuisine, everyone’s mom, grandma, or auntie likely has a little bit different way of doing things and there isn’t one ‘right way’. Use the type jerk seasoning that resonates with you.
- Olive oil, fresh lime juice, soy sauce, and honey round out the other key marinating ingredients.
- Shrimp: Bigger is better when it comes to grilled shrimp for many reasons. They’re easier to thread onto skewers, they’re less prone to overcooking in the blink of an eye, and they just taste better. Opt for U-20 size shrimp which I think is a nice balance of big enough, but they’re not so big that they hurt your wallet! The shrimp are the star of the show so use fresh shrimp. Devein them and you can keep the tails on, or remove them. However, if you must – you can use frozen shrimp that you thaw. But make sure they were not previously cooked before being frozen otherwise you’re cooking them twice!
- Fresh parsley or fresh cilantro for garnishing are great, but optional.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How To Make Jerk Shrimp on the Grill
- Combine all the olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce, honey, and jerk seasoning in a large bowl.
- Add the shrimp and toss to combine. Marinate on your countertop for 15-20 minutes. Tips – Do NOT marinate longer than 45-60 minutes because you’ll almost be ‘cooking’ the shrimp in the lime juice. And if you’re going to marinate more than 15-20 mins, for food safety you’ll want to cover your bowl and place it in the fridge.
- Soak the wooden skewers in water while the shrimp marinate.
- Preheat your grill to medium-high, oil the grates, and thread the marinated shrimp onto the soaked skewers.
- Grill for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Shrimp cook VERY fast! Garnish and serve!
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for step-by-step photos and process shots of the cooking process.
what to serve with jerk shrimp
Enjoying your Caribbean or Jamaican jerk shrimp right from the skewers is fine. Or warm up some tortillas and make jerk shrimp tacos or add them to salads with bell peppers and red onions.
Grilled Jerk Shrimp
🍤🍋🟩🍯 These jerk shrimp skewers taste like the Caribbean! The shrimp are marinated in a spicy and aromatic blend of jerk seasoning, soy sauce, and honey before being grilled to smoky perfection! Use any type of jerk seasoning you'd like (including homemade, see Notes). Outdoor grilling is the best but you can make due with an indoor grill pan or sauté them in a skillet.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons jerk seasoning, or to taste (see notes for homemade jerk seasoning; or check the links for store bought options)
- 1 medium lime, juiced + extra lime wedges for serving if desired
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, (I use reduced sodium)
- 1- pound fresh medium-large shrimp, deveined with tails off or on based on your preference (about U-20 size; fresh shrimp recommended but previously uncooked shrimp that were frozen and thawed may be used)
- Fresh cilantro or fresh parsley, finely minced; optional for garnishing
Instructions
- To a large bowl, add the olive oil, jerk seasoning, lime juice, honey, soy sauce, whisk to combine, then add the shrimp and toss to coat evenly.
- Allow the shrimp to marinate for 15-20 minutes; you can keep them on the counter. If you're going to marinate longer, cover with plastic wrap and place the bowl in the fridge. Do not allow the shrimp to marinate longer than 45-60 minutes because the lime juice will start 'cooking' them and they'll turn out tough later.
- While the shrimp are marinating, soak wooden skewers in water if using wood rather than metal skewers.
- Preheat your grill to medium-high and oil the grates. Or place your grill pan over medium-high to high heat on your stove. Thread 5-6 shrimp onto each skewer until all shrimp are threaded. Reserve the excess marinade. If you're making this in a skillet and plan to saute them, you don't have to thread them onto skewers.
- Grill the shrimp for about 2 minutes, flip over, brush generously with the reserved marinade, and cook an additional 2 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked through. After basting with the reserved marinade, discard it.If you're sautéing them, add them to a large skillet with a bit of olive oil and saute over medium high-heat for about 4 minutes or until done, flipping once midway through.Flipping/Sticking Tip – If the shrimp are sticking and don't want to release, give them another 30-45 seconds. When protein is closer to being done, it will flip/release easier than when it's raw.Cooking Tips – Shrimp cook very QUICKLY and the smaller they are, the faster they cook; total cook time is likely less than 5 minutes but of course, it will vary based on the size of the shrimp and the heat output of your grill. Outdoor grills get very hot, much hotter than your stove, so they'll likely cook even faster. Shrimp are done when they're an opaque peach-pink, and no longer a translucent. They'll also start to curve into themselves like the letter C. If they start curving into a 'tight' C shape, they're on their way to being overdone so take them off the heat. 145F is the desired temp but shrimp give lots of visual cues so I don't tend to actually take the temperature.
- Optionally, but recommended, garnish with fresh herbs, extra lime wedges, salsa, rice, etc. as desired and serve immediately.
Notes
- I like this Caribbean Jerk Seasoning and this Jamaican Jerk Seasoning is also great (a bit spicier).
- Homemade Jerk Seasoning (these are my measurements, adjust to your preferences as desired)
- 1 teaspoon EACH of chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, light brown sugar, salt
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH of allspice, ground ginger, ground cumin, pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon EACH of cinnamon, thyme
Nutrition
Serving: 1skewer, Calories: 89cal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 71mg, Sodium: 480mg, Potassium: 118mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 699IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 41mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Delightful grilled shrimps
Thanks
I can’t wait to try these recipes 😁 and they sound so great 👍. Thanks so much for giving them to me and keep them coming, PLEASE🇨🇦🌞🫵🥞🥪🧀🍏🍌🍛🍔🎂🧁 Connie B.
You’re so welcome, Connie! I am glad to hear you everything sounds great to you and happy cooking whatever you decide to make!