Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Tomato, Garlic & Herbs
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Shrimp marinated in a mix of olive oil, tomato paste, lemon, garlic & herbs and then grilled until slightly charred.
In this easy recipe, shrimp are quickly marinated in a bright and tangy mixture of olive oil, tomato paste, lemon, garlic, and herbs and then grilled until plump and slightly charred. They’re perfect for entertaining because all of the prep is done ahead of time. All you have to do when your guests arrive is throw the skewers on the grill. But be forewarned: people will eat more than their fair share. Make extra!
What you’ll need to make Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Tomato, Garlic & Herbs
For this recipe, try to find jumbo frozen shrimp (21-25 to a pound) labeled “shell split and deveined.” Come dinnertime, all you have to do is poke a few holes in the bottom of the bag, run the shrimp under warm water to quickly defrost, and then peel.
Fact is, unless you live on the coast and have access to fresh shrimp, it’s best to buy frozen. The “fresh” ones you see in the seafood case at the supermarket have almost always been frozen and then thawed, and you never know how long they’ve been sitting there. Most shrimp are cleaned and flash-frozen shortly after being caught, so you’re better off buying the frozen variety and defrosting them yourself.
How to make them
Begin by making the marinade. Combine the tomato paste, olive oil, lemon juice, shallots, garlic, herbs, salt, sugar, and red pepper flakes in a mini food processor or blender.
Process until the mixture resembles a thick paste.
Toss the shrimp with the marinade and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Thread it onto skewers. This is optional, but I think the skewers make it so much easier to turn them over on the grill.
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, then grease the grates with a wad of paper towels dipped in oil.
Grill the skewers about 1-1/2 minutes per side. It sounds crazy but I always set a timer — three minutes goes by faster than you think, and it’s a sin to overcook them!
Enjoy!
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Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Tomato, Garlic & Herbs
Shrimp marinated in a mix of olive oil, tomato paste, lemon, garlic & herbs and then grilled until slightly charred.
Ingredients
- 2½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 large shallot, roughly chopped
- 4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds jumbo shrimp (21-25 per pound), peeled and de-veined (leave tails on if desired), thawed if frozen
Instructions
- To make the marinade, combine all of the ingredients except for the shrimp in a mini food processor or blender; blend until the mixture forms a smooth paste.
- Combine the shrimp and the marinade in a medium bowl and stir until shrimp are evenly coated. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes - 1 hour.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Meanwhile, thread the shrimp onto skewers (going through the top and bottom of each shrimp). Lightly dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and, using tongs, carefully rub over grates several times until glossy and coated. Grill the shrimp skewers about 1½ minutes per side. Be sure not to overcook! Serve hot, room temperature or cold.
- *If you're entertaining and want to get everything done ahead of time, you can thread the shrimp onto the skewers right after mixing with the marinade.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 251
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 21 g
- Sodium: 911 mg
- Cholesterol: 191 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Hi Jenn! If I broil these in the oven, should the rack go in the top position? Thank you!
Yes – hope you enjoy!
I have never commented on a recipe before but this shrimp was so delicious I had to. My hubby & I loved it. It was excellent! Thank you. I am going to try more recipes on your website now. After this recipe, I trust that I will find many more excellent recipes.
I need the recipe for 20 people. How do I adjust the ingredients.
Hi Toni, you’ll need to multiply all the ingredients by 4 or 5 (you’ll likely have leftovers if you multiply by 5). Hope everyone enjoys!
We absolutely love this recipe and I have shared it with so many people. Either way we make it, with shrimp or chicken thighs, it is just wonderful. We had it for dinner last night and I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your skill and awesome abilities with all of us. You are very talented and I have always been so grateful I found your website years ago. Thanks again!
So glad you like the recipes! ❤️
This one will make it into our regular rotation AND onto the short list for dinner for guests. Easy to make, but the presentation is beautiful. We had it with polenta, a Caesar salad (dressing from this site), and Italian bread. I used bottled lemon juice (I was out of lemons) and dried thyme, but followed the directions exactly. I love the tip for poking holes in the bottom and thawing the shrimp in the bag! I always use frozen shrimp and this was neater and quicker than my colander method. Thanks for another great recipe!
This was the best shrimp dish I have ever had. The marinade for the shrimp is fabulous and the time on the grill was just right.
Made this in about 10 minutes flat! I had all the ingredients in my kitchen except the shallots, so replaced it with a small onion. Also broiled in the oven instead of grilling. Delicious and fast and my family asked for it again next week.
I read all the wonderful reviews for these grilled shrimp and decided to give this recipe a try.
My little grandson, who absolutely loves shrimp, pushed these away when he tasted them. That summed up my feelings as well.
Sorry.
The marinade is yum and I’m going to use it for just about anything in sight! Prepping the grill would have taken too long so I put olive oil in a pan and cooked the shrimp on top of the stove. It was delicious but I think I marinaded the shrimp too long.
Just delicious.
Could I use 4 tablespoons oil instead of 6? Just trying to cut back some of the fat.
Yep 🙂