Margarita Grilled Shrimp

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Easy and healthy margarita grilled shrimp will be your summer grilling staple! Serve these shrimp right off the skewer, on top of a salad, or even in a taco…just make sure to pair them with a margarita!

Summer is all about grilling fast, easy, and flavorful meals like these easy margarita grilled shrimp. And it doesn’t hurt when they’re easy on the waistline and pair well with a tasty cocktail.

Grilled shrimp is often on my summer menu. A simple shrimp salad topped with avocado is a favorite weeknight dinner or grilled shrimp skewers and marinated skirt steak make for a quick and satisfying surf and turf dinner for a crowd.

But let’s be honest. Summer is also about taking it a little bit easy. Lazy summer nights, cool cocktails, sun, and sand. It’s the time of year when I dust off my margarita glasses and buy limes by the bagful. The blender isn’t just for AM smoothies, but late night libations. But the absolute best part of summer for me is relaxing with friends and hanging with my boys.

So with easy in mind, today I’m sharing my recipe for margarita grilled shrimp. This encompasses all of my summertime favorites and ideals on one plate. This recipe is simple enough for a Monday, but pretty enough for a party.

It has all the ingredients of a classic margarita cocktail, so of course it begs to be served alongside one. And the trick to making these shrimp extra juicy and tasty is the salt. Before dunking them into a quick margarita marinade, the uncooked shrimp get tossed into a dry brine of salt and sugar. This is ensures a tender bite, instead of a rubbery mess.

These grill up super quick and most of the time spent on this dish is inactive…you just have to give the shrimp some time to soak up all those flavors and tenderizers from the brine and marinade.

Of course that works just fine for me. It gives me extra time to soak up a little late day sunshine, watch my boys toss the ball around, and maybe mix up a pitcher of margaritas. Just might need some extra limes…

Let’s make Margarita Grilled Shrimp

1. Toss the shrimp with salt and sugar for the dry brine. Cover and chill for one hour.
2. Mix up the margarita marinade.
3. Rinse the shrimp well and toss in the marinade. Chill for about an hour.
4. Skewer the shrimp and grill.

Tips for success

• Don’t skip the dry brine! This makes a difference when you’re grilling peeled shrimp to ensure they stay plump and juicy.
• Be sure to really rinse the shrimp well after they are brined so they taste flavorful when grilled, but not too salty.
• 1-2 hours is ideal for the marinade to infuse the shrimp with maximum flavor.
• Don’t over-cook! These take a max of 6 mins on the grill, so be sure to pull them off as soon as they’ve turned pink.
• I love to squeeze loads of fresh lime juice on these to serve. It really gives them that margarita flavor!

More Margarita Magic

• Classic Margarita
• Margarita Chicken Tacos
• Margarita Watermelon Bites
• Mango Shrub Margarita

5 from 1 vote

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Margarita Grilled Shrimp

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

6 mins

Marinating Time

2 hrs

Total Time

21 mins

 

Easy and healthy margarita grilled shrimp will be your summer grilling staple! Serve these shrimp right off the skewer, on top of a salad, or even in a taco...just make sure to pair them with a margarita!

Course: Dinner/Grilling

Cuisine: American

Keyword: grilled shrimp, margarita shrimp

Servings: 4 Servings

Calories: 479 kcal

Author: Cathy Roma | What Should I Make For...

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 lbs shrimp, uncooked, peeled and deveined
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped (leave the seeds in if you like a little heat)
• 1 Tbsp lime zest
• 2 oz tequila blanco
• 2 oz triple sec (orange liqueur)
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• lime wedges and chopped cilantro for serving

Instructions

1. Mix together the salt and sugar in a medium bowl and add the shrimp. Turn well to coat and cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for one hour. Alternatively, let the shrimp stand in the brine at room temperature for about 20 mins.

2. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the garlic, cilantro, jalapeño, lime zest, tequila, triple sec, olive oil, and pepper.

3. Place the shrimp in a colander after it's brined. Rinse well with cool water, pat dry, and add to the bowl with the margarita marinade. Turn to coat, cover, and place in refrigerator for at least 30 mins, but ideally 1-2 hours.

4. Turn grill to high, skewer shrimp (threading through the head and the tail in a "C" shape) and grill for about 2-3 mins per side or until just cooked through, turning once.

5. Squeeze some fresh lime juice over the shrimp and garnish with cilantro and lime wedges. 

Recipe Notes

• Don't skip the dry brine! This makes a difference when you're grilling peeled shrimp to ensure they stay plump and juicy.
• Be sure to really rinse the shrimp well after they are brined so they taste flavorful when grilled, but not too salty.
• 1-2 hours is ideal for the marinade to infuse the shrimp with maximum flavor.
• Don't over-cook! These take a max of 6 mins on the grill, so be sure to pull them off as soon as they've turned pink.
• I love to squeeze loads of fresh lime juice on these to serve. It really gives them that margarita flavor!

Nutrition Facts

Margarita Grilled Shrimp

Amount Per Serving

Calories 479 Calories from Fat 189

% Daily Value*

Fat 21g32%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 571mg190%

Sodium 3509mg153%

Potassium 190mg5%

Carbohydrates 8g3%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 46g92%

Vitamin A 130IU3%

Vitamin C 14.9mg18%

Calcium 333mg33%

Iron 4.9mg27%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Update Notes: This post was originally published in May 2016 but was republished with tips and step by step photos in July 2019.