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Grilled shrimp skewers arranged on a round wooden platter, garnished with chopped herbs and served with lime wedges.
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5 from 2 votes

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.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Marinating Time15 minutes
Course: 30-Minute Meals, Dinner, Seafood
Cuisine: Carribbean, Jamaican, Shrimp
Keyword: easy grilled shrimp, grilled jerk shrimp, grilled shrimp recipe, jerk shrimp
Servings: 8
Calories: 89cal

Equipment

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.
    A glass bowl containing a mixture of various ground spices and brown liquid on a white surface.
  • 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.
    Raw shrimp coated in a reddish marinade sitting in a clear glass bowl on a white surface.
  • While the shrimp are marinating, soak wooden skewers in water if using wood rather than metal skewers.
    Five skewers of grilled, seasoned shrimp arranged on a white plate, viewed from above.
  • 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.
    Four wooden skewers with grilled shrimp cooking on a barbecue grill, showing char marks and a reddish seasoning.
  • 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.
    Four skewers of grilled shrimp garnished with chopped herbs, served on a white tray with lime wedges on the side.
  • Optionally, but recommended, garnish with fresh herbs, extra lime wedges, salsa, rice, etc. as desired and serve immediately.
    Three skewers of grilled shrimp are served over a bed of white rice, garnished with chopped herbs, lime wedges, and a small side of pineapple salsa.

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
Storage: Shrimp are best eaten warm and freshly made but leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. I don't recommend freezing leftovers.

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
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