Sweet and Spicy Honey Grilled Shrimp

Okay, this has absolutely nothing to do with the posts earlier this week, but somehow, it’s that time of the year when kids are going back to school and the nights are starting to get cool (okay, well, everywhere except where I am–we’re just bracing for a hurricane and it’s in the 80s at night!) Monday is Labor Day and everyone needs something yummy to grill, so here you go!Shrimp are pricey no matter how you cut it. I made this recipe for my family a couple of weeks ago when I was visiting them in Utah and it was worth every penny–I think shrimp definitely fall under the category of “fun food”–people just seem to relax when there’s a big platter of shrimp sitting in front of them. These were a hit with everyone there, including a non-shrimp-lover and a one-year-old. They’re a bit spicy, but, again, in a fun way and an “I’M DYING!!” way. Serve these family-style at your next shindig and I promise you’ll have a great time. Well, everyone will have fun except for Sara because she hates shrimp, so maybe she won’t have such a great time…

Sweet and Spicy Honey Grilled Shrimp

2-2 1/2 lb. raw, shelled, de-veined shrimp; raw shrimp are blue or grey, not pink. Get Tiger Shrimp if you can find them. Oh, and that “vein”? It’s not actually a vein. It’s poop. Don’t let the Euphamism Police trick you.
1 Tbsp. minced or pressed garlic
1/4 c. minced fresh ginger
1/4 c. hot chili garlic paste
1/2 c. sweet chili garlic paste
1 c. honey
1 c. fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
1 c. canola oil

Rinse shrimp in cold water and place in a large Ziploc bag. Combine garlic, ginger, both chili pastes, honey, lime juice, salt, pepper, and oil in a large bowl. Whisk thoroughly. Set aside 1 c. of the marinade. Pour remaining mixture over shrimp and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours.

When ready to cook, thread shrimp onto skewers. If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for at least 1/2 hour before skewering anything. Preheat outdoor grill. This really should be done outside because they get VERY smokey! When grill is hot, reduce heat to low and quickly place all skewers over the heat. Brush with reserved marinade. When they’ve cooked for 1 1/2-2 minutes,quickly flip them over and brush or drizzle with remaining marinade. Cook for another 1 1/2-2 minutes, or until opaque and pink.Shrimp cook extremely quickly and you don’t want to overcook them, but these are pretty forgiving if you do.

Remove skewers from grill and remove shrimp from skewers. Pile them on a big ol’ platter, drizzle with any remaining reserved marinade, and squeeze the juice from a lime all over them. Toss to distribute the deliciousness. You could serve this with:

Lime Cilantro Rice with Pineapple
Sweet and Savory Coconut Rice
Caramelized Green Beans
Mango-Steak Salad (minus the steak…or with the steak! Surf and turf, baby!)

Whatever you do, enjoy these last few weeks of summer! And if you’re sad about summer and summertime recipes ending, just imagine all the fall-y awesomeness we have ahead of us!

 

Sara Wells
Meet The Author

Sara Wells

Sara Wells co-founded Our Best Bites in 2008. She is the author of three Bestselling Cook Books, Best Bites: 150 Family Favorite RecipesSavoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, and 400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites. Sara’s work has been featured in many local and national news outlets and publications such as Parenting MagazineBetter Homes & GardensFine CookingThe Rachel Ray Show and the New York Times.

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Questions & Reviews

  1. This was DELISH! I served it with the pineapple lime-cilantro rice and enjoyed every bite. Simple and lots of flavor, thanks!

    Also, I don’t have a grill in my downtown Chicago condo so I broiled the shrimp…tasted great!

    1. I wouldn’t–it’s hard to reheat shrimp without things going horribly wrong…

  2. what is the brand name of the chili sauce that is in the picture above with the rooster on it? What is the name of it?

    1. Not really. 🙁 You can buy them deveined, but they’re a lot more expensive (at least quality shrimp that have been deveined are a lot more expensive). There’s always the cut down the back and pull out the vein method, which gets faster as you go along, but it’s not exactly super speedy. Or fun.

  3. was wondering if you could try it with out the oil? trying to watch the fat intake these days

    1. I’ve never tried it, but you could give it a shot (or replace the oil with water). I WILL say that you will discard nearly all of the marinade, so very little of the oil will end up in the shrimp.

      1. That’s a good move in baked goods, but it wouldn’t work here. If you’re wanting to cut back on the oil, replace some of it with water or juice.

    1. Nope! If it were regular fish, then it wouldn’t, but shrimp is much more resilient. 🙂

  4. Where do you get the hot and sweet garlic pastes? I was on a mission to find them today and came home empty handed…. 🙁 LOOKS SOOOO good, I really want to try it!

    1. Have you tried an Asian or International market? That’s usually the best bet, followed by a really well-stocked grocery store.

  5. Made this for dinner tonight, very good. I didn’t grill it since here in conn it is cold out. Put it in a pan on top the stove then added plain white rice to the pan and it picked up the flavors very nicely.

  6. You can probably use sriracha for the heat. Are you looking in the right section of your grocery store? Chili paste is usually in the Asian food section near the hoisin sauce. Everytime I buy it there is a picture of a rooster on the front and it usually has a red or green plastic top.
    Btw: I didn’t quite follow the recipe so much as I was inspired by it. 1tbs chili paste, 1/4 cup of honey, tsp ginger and a tbsp garlic- marinade for about 30 minutes and then sautéed on the stovetop. Pulled the shrimp out once cooked and then I added a 1/4c brown sugar to the sauce and reduced it down to a thick glaze. Served atop cilantro lime rice and then I squeezed half a lime over the final product. Very good! I can’t wait until its warm out so I can follow the actual recipe!

  7. I found this on pinterest. My husband grilled this tonight in the cold and it was SO worth it. We marinated it for 24 hours and this is some of the best shrimp we’ve ever had! Thanks for the recipe 🙂

  8. This looks so amazingly delicious! I have been craning it ever since I saw the picture. I look forward to making it tomorrow for hubbie & kids! Thanks for sharing.

  9. This recipe is a winner! Made this last night for Father’s Day and everyone (including my kids) loved it. I have yet to try a recipe from you guys that we don’t like….thanks!!

  10. Any substitutes for sweet/hot chili garlic paste? i asked the manager of my grocery store and he walked with me all around the store and couldn’t fine anything like that.

  11. This was really good. Halved the recipe for 1lb of shrimp. Also had to substitute maple syrup for the honey. Very nice.

  12. RMCarter–You definitely *could* do these under a broiler–just cook 'em under a broiler on high for a few minutes on each side. The only thing is that these smoke like you wouldn't believe, so be sure and turn the vents on and open your windows! 🙂

  13. Could you broil these instead if you have no outdoor grill? If so, would you change anything about the cooking method? Thanks.

  14. MMM! I love Shrimp and these look so good. I usually marinate mine in Teriyaki and then eat them with tons of melted butter and lemon juice. I am excited to try them with a new flavor.

  15. MMM these look excellent! Somehow the “I hate seafood” gene that seems to run through most of my family skipped me. I love it, but rarely cook it because the people I’m with won’t eat it! I am definitely going to have to try these.

  16. “fall-y awesomeness” – I LOVE your blog. And the shrimp looks so tangy and perfect I could just eat that whole plate full.

  17. Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I didn’t notice this earlier, but I love your little ginger man. It looks like a little guy with a pointed hat and two stubby arms and 2 big legs, sitting down balancing on his tail. hahaha, awesome!

  18. i made the chicken skewers last night (i changed up the recipe a bit…) and when my boyfriend realised how easy and fun they were… we decided we were going to try shrimp next time.. great timing! its like u read my mind. 🙂 THANKS

  19. I know I know, I’m a crazy freak of nature and I hate seafood. But I WANT to like it, doesn’t that count for something?! It’s no use. I’ve tried everything and it all triggers my gag reflex.

    BUT, I think this marinade looks divine so I’m definitely going to try it with something else- like chicken!

    Can I also just say on a totally unrelated note…GO STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING!!

  20. Oh my gosh I was just coming on here to say the same thing as Eric, “Finally, some SEAFOOD!! ”

    I am SO TRYING THIS!

  21. Finally some seafood!!!! I’m gonna have to rely on Kate for that…I don’t Sara will ever put anything with seafood in it on the blog. Looks great!