These chimichurri grilled shrimp skewers are a great addition to your summer BBQ menu! Made with a homemade blender chimichurri sauce and marinated shrimp it’s bursting with flavor and ready in just 30 minutes!
There is nothing I love more than grilling during the summer.
Not joking, we grill at least 5 out of the 7 days during the summer.
I want everything from Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs, to Grilled Corn on the Cob, to one of my favorite summer salads ever, Grilled Sourdough Panzanella Salad. The best part about that salad is the tomato water vinaigrette – so good!
Now, this recipe takes shrimp and marinates them quickly in a homemade blender (or food processor) chimichurri sauce.
If you have been following me for a while you know I love chimichurri. It’s so packed with flavor.
Have you tried my Chimichurri Flank Steak or my Chimichurri Crispy Chicken?
Then I thread those delicious little shrimps onto some skewers, pop them on the grill, cook, drizzle with more chimichurri sauce and DEVOUR!
This recipe is delicious and perfect for summertime grilling!
Table of Contents
Ingredients for chimichurri grilled shrimp skewers
- Large shrimp – I used large shrimp which gives you around 30-40 shrimp per pound. You can use larger-sized shrimp but you’ll get fewer shrimp per pound and you may need to adjust your grilling time.
- Garlic – Always a debated topic but feel free to add more garlic if you like a heavy garlic flavor. This may depend on the potency of your fresh garlic. If you only have refrigerated minced garlic on hand use 1 teaspoon of minced garlic for each clove of garlic.
- Red onion – I use a quarter of a red onion but you could use sweet onion in a pinch.
- Fresh herbs – A combination of Italian parsley and cilantro gives a bright, earthy, and fresh flavor to the chimichurri sauce.
- Spices – I used a combination of cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, kosher salt, and black pepper. This gives the shrimp a smoky rich flavor that pairs perfectly with the fresh herbs and other sauce ingredients.
- Honey – Just a touch for added sweetness that pairs nicely with the flavor of shrimp. If you don’t have honey on hand you feel free to leave it out or use another sweetener like agave or granulated sugar.
- Lemon – I love the addition of lemon as it adds brightness and you can grill extra lemon slices with the shrimp if you’re a big fan of grilled lemon. You can see I did that in the photos as I LOVE all things lemon.
- Red wine vinegar – This adds a hint of tang with a delicious red wine undertone.
The best sized shrimp to use
For this recipe, I used large-sized shrimp which gives you about 30-40 shrimp per pound.
I like large-sized shrimp because it gives you a good amount of shrimp per serving.
If you want to use larger shrimp you can but you’ll get fewer shrimp per pound and you may need to adjust your grilling time.
Using wooden or metal skewers
I like to use metal skewers as they hold up well to the grill and don’t burn or char the way wooden skewers can.
If you only have wooden skewers on hand make sure to soak them in water for 1-2 hours BEFORE grilling. This helps them not burn and char as much on the grill.
This step isn’t totally necessary but unsoaked wooden skewers will burn away on the grill.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions about grilled shrimp skewers
No, it’s not authentic.
Original, authentic chimichurri sauce usually comes from Argentina and sometimes Uruguay. And it’s typically not made in a blender, but this version tastes a lot like the real thing and it’s easier to make in a blender or food processor.
It tastes great on many things, over veggies, on chicken, over steak, or with fish! It can also be used as a dressing or marinade.
Yes, you could but I don’t recommend it.
When you add the shrimp to the grill to get that “grilled” taste you’ll likely end up overcooking your shrimp resulting in a more rubbery texture.
You absolutely DO NOT want to marinate your shrimp for longer than 2 hours.
The acid in the chimichurri sauce will “cook” the shrimp if it sits for too long. This will result in an odd mealy texture once it’s grilled.
No, but you’ll likely need to use larger shrimp (so they do not fall through the grill grates) or use a grilling mat or grate.
I keep a grilling grate on my grill at all times to grill vegetables.
Great question!
You can either grill them on an indoor grill pan, cook them on the stovetop, or pop them in the oven.
Grill pan: preheat your grill pan oven to medium-high heat, add your shrimp, and grill according to directions.
Stovetop: Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil into a large pan, add to the stove and set over medium-high heat, when the oil is hot add the shrimp and cook until done. You do not have to skewer for this method.
Oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and add non-skewered or skewered (both will work here) shrimp to a 9×13 dish or a sheet pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until shrimp is firm and fully cooked.
Storage and leftovers
Shrimp is typically best tasting the day you make it.
Reheating already cooked shrimp can result in a somewhat rubbery texture.
If you opt to store the shrimp you can store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
More shrimp recipes
- Want a delicious rice bowl with some added heat? Try my Chipotle Shrimp Fajita Bowls.
- Craving creamy spicy pasta? Try my Cajun Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo.
- Love all things shrimp? Try my Spicy Garlic Cilantro Shrimp.
- Need another shrimp grill recipe? Try my Shrimp Couscous Packets with Avocado Mango Salsa.
Chimichurri Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 1/4 red onion
- 1 cup Italian parsley
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Add your cleaned and defrosted shrimp to a large bowl, and set aside.
- Make your chimichurri sauce – In a blender, or food processor, add garlic, red onion, parsley, cilantro, olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, lemon juice, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, black pepper, and kosher salt.
- Pulse until combined, but chunky.
- Toss 1/4 of the chimichurri with the shrimp and set aside 10-15 minutes.
- Preheat your grill to medium heat, between 325-350 degrees F.
- While the grill preheats, add your shrimp onto the skewers. You’ll need about 4-6 skewers depending on the length of the skewers and the size of the shrimp.
- Place the shrimp on the grill and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side. Or until they’re opaque and curl a bit.
- When the thickest part of the shrimp, the opposite side of the tail, turns opaque and is no longer translucent, they’re done!
Natalie
Monday 18th of July 2022
My guests enjoyed your grilled shrimp skewers! It was something new to our usual meat menu, delicious, thanks!