5 Ingredient Grilled Shrimp Skewers

These grilled shrimp skewers are the perfect recipe for your next BBQ and come together with 5 easy ingredients! Marinated with lemon juice, adobo seasoning, and finished with fresh parsley, they’re as packed with flavor as they are easy to make.

Many popular Puerto Rican recipes (like this Pernil Pork Shoulder and Fried Pork Chops) use adobo seasoning to season meat, seafood, and veggies with bold flavor.

This recipe takes a few simple ingredients and minimal effort to create a satisfying appetizer, entree, or side dish.

We love enjoying these grilled shrimp skewers throughout the Spring and Summer months at BBQs, potlucks, and backyard parties.

And if you’ve got your grill hot and ready to go, don’t forget to check out these grilled vegetables as an easy side dish for your shrimp.

🧾 Ingredients

Here’s the grocery list (only 5 ingredients!) to make these shrimp skewers:

• olive oil
• lemon juice, plus additional lemon slices for serving
• adobo seasoning (can also be store bought) 
• large shrimp, peeled & deveined 
• fresh parsley, minced to garnish (optional) 

See recipe card for quantities.

👩‍🍳 Step by Step Instructions

Important: If using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for at least 1 hour before using on the grill to prevent them from burning. 

🔥 Alternative Cooking Methods

While these are super fun and easy to make on the grill, they can also be made in the oven or on the stovetop.

Here are some tips on how to do so:

• Cooking Shrimp in the Oven: if you plan to cook the shrimp in the oven, I recommend doing so at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the shrimp turns opaque in color. You don’t need to use skewers in the oven, but certainly can if you enjoy the look.
• Cooking Shrimp Skewers on the Stovetop: the best way to cook these shrimp skewers on the stovetop is with a grill pan or griddle. Follow the same directions as if you were cooking them on the grill!

💫 Marinade Alternatives

This recipe is extremely adaptable, so feel free to experiment with the spices and herbs in your marinade.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to mix it up:

• Chermoula – this Moroccan chermoula marinade is shrimp’s best friend. This marinade comes complete with oil, lemon juice, herbs, and spices, so you can just swap the entire marinade for this one!
• Sazon – if you’re enjoying the Puerto Rican adobo seasoning in this recipe but want to take the spice level up a notch, add a teaspoon of sazon seasoning, or substitute the adobo seasoning with it entirely.
• Harissa & Ras el Hanout – an even spicier route I enjoy using for these skewers is a combination of harissa paste and ras el hanout, two commonly used Moroccan ingredients.

You can also create your own custom spice blends and use that in place of the adobo seasoning!

🍴 Equipment

To make this recipe you will need skewers of some sort. If you have reusable metal skewers, this is a great place to use them!

You can also use disposable wooden skewers (as I’m using today).

Remember to always dry the shrimp well before marinating. You can do this with a colander or paper towels.

These shrimp skewers can be made on the grill, in the oven, or on the stovetop (more details listed above), so it’s not 100% necessary to own a grill to make them.

🥡 Storage

Any leftovers can last in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store in an air tight container.

I do not recommend freezing any leftovers.

🍽 What to Eat it With / Related Recipes

I also love serving these with this Puerto Rican mojo de ajo garlic oil on the side.

Enjoy,

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