Grilled Garlic-Lime Shrimp Recipe

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Joshua Bousel

I've almost turned the corner in my anti-seafood stance, welcoming it with the open arms usually reserved for large chunks of slow-smoked meat. I've taken on this embarrassingly large aversion by pairing my foe with flavors I cannot resist, which is how this garlic-lime marinated shrimp came about.

Trying to add some heat and Tex-Mex flair to these shrimp, I put together a marinade heavy on the jalapeño, lime, and garlic with a little chili powder thrown in for good measure and color. The shrimp then soaked up the marinade for a half an hour before being quickly grilled over medium-high heat until just cooked through.

The jalapeño didn't pack the fiery punch I was expecting, but it did lend a nice fruitiness that complemented the lime and garlic combo well. The marinade was strong enough to coax me into throughly enjoying the shrimp, but not so heavy that it masked the shrimp's natural flavor, which I'm very slowly learning to like.

Recipe Details

Grilled Garlic-Lime Shrimp Recipe

Active 15 mins
Total 45 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and rinsed

For the Marinade:

  • 1 small jalapeño pepper, stemmed and seeded

  • 1/4 cup fresh juice from 3 to 4 limes

  • 4 medium cloves garlic

  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon chile powder

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon zest from 1 lime

Directions

  1. To make the marinade, place jalapeño, lime juice, garlic, olive oil, chili powder, salt, and lime zest in jar of a blender. Puree until garlic and jalapeño are completely chopped.

  2. Place shrimp in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour in marinade and toss to combine. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes while preparing the grill.

  3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Alternatively, set all the burners of a gas grill to high heat. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Grill shrimp over high heat until just cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove to a platter and serve immediately.

Special Equipment

Blender, grill

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
148 Calories
4g Fat
5g Carbs
24g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 148
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 214mg 71%
Sodium 1511mg 66%
Total Carbohydrate 5g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 24g
Vitamin C 10mg 48%
Calcium 105mg 8%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 251mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)