Grilling makes everything taste better, and shrimp are one of the easiest and fastest foods you can prepare on the grill. While marinating them isn’t always necessary, using this seasoning for grilled shrimp gives this seafood a deliciously juicy and flavorful taste that gets your mouth watering as soon as they are ready.
Seasoning shrimp for grilling is easy and doesn’t call for complex ingredients. The basic ones you need are garlic, salt, cayenne, and Italian seasoning. Nevertheless, you can add other spices you prefer. So, how do you go about seasoning grilled shrimp? Let’s figure this out.
Seasoning for Grilled Shrimp
Best seasoning ingredients for Grilled shrimp
If you are looking for the perfect seasoning combo for grilled shrimp, this is it;
- Salt: Salt is an essential seasoning that enhances the taste of foods and brings out their natural flavor.
- Garlic: is a buddy of most culinary arts, and shrimps are not an exception. It adds great warmth to foods, giving them an earthy, spicy flavor that is difficult to explain. Another unique thing about garlic is that it sweetens more as it cooks.
- Italian Seasoning: This seasoning gives you a flavorful mixture of herbs with every spoonful. It’s majorly a combination of dry basil, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and oregano. It gives your shrimp an earthy flavor that is finely sweet and peppery.
- Cayenne: The subtle heat of cayenne is excellent for rich, spicy foods. It kicks up the heat and adds a deep umber color that brightens the shrimps.
Other seasonings for shrimps
· Onion powder gives savory dishes a sharp aroma with a sweet profile. Its flavor is tangy with a bit of bit profile of sulfur and a hint of garlic.
· Smoked Paprika: This has a smoky flavor with a fruity taste. The best paprika-based seasoning I know of is Cajun two-step.
· Black pepper: Strong pungent flavor that is hot and slightly bitter
Grilled shrimp seasoning steps
Ingredients
· 1 tsp. of garlic powder
· 1 tsp. of salt
· 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning
· ½ tsp. powdered cayenne pepper
· 1 tbsp. of olive oil
· I tbsp. of lemon juice (fresh)
· 1 pound of shrimp
Instructions
Course: Main course
Cuisine: American
Serving size: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 6 minutes
Wait time: 16 minutes
1. Mix the dry seasonings; salt, garlic powder, cayenne, and Italian seasoning in a bowl. You can add other spices you desire.
2. Place the shrimp in a separate mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle the seasonings on the shrimp and mix to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for a few minutes as the grill heats up. You can also skip the refrigerating step.
3. Alternatively, you can mix the seasonings in a large mixing bowl, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and stir them into a paste. Add the shrimp to the paste and mix to coat.
4. If grilling small shrimp, thread them in metallic or wooden skewers soaked in water for at least 30 minutes. Brush the grilling grates or pan with canola oil. While small shrimps need to be skewed first, you can place larger shrimps directly on the grill grates. Grill the shrimp for 6 minutes, flipping halfway or until pink and slightly opaque.
5. Discard excess juices and serve as desired
Important tips to note
· The flavor of seasoned shrimp tastes better the day it’s prepared. However, you keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days. The leftovers go well on a salad or with pasta.
· For this shrimp seasoning blend, you can prepare it ahead of time and store it in an airtight jar for later use. Multiply the mixture as much as possible and add 1 to 2 teaspoons to every pound of shrimp you prepare.
· You can use aluminum foil for even cooking. The foil also helps retain the moisture and promotes an easy clean-up.
· Lemon juice is key to tender shrimp. The acid in the juice breaks them down to fine tenderness.
Seasoning Substitutes
Though these seasonings are great on grilled shrimp for every occasion, you can substitute some ingredients as follows;
· Substitute olive oil with melted butter
· Explore different spices. For instance, use chili powder with onion powder
· Instead of using smoked paprika, sprinkle the shrimp with grated parmesan cheese when you’re done grilling.
Nutrition Information
· Calories: 298 kcal
· Carbohydrates: 3 grams
· Proteins: 24 grams
· Fat: 28 grams
· Saturated Fat: 4 grams
· Cholesterol: 268 milligrams
· Sodium: 1424 milligrams
· Fiber: 1 gram
· Sugar: 1 gram
· Potassium: 169 milligrams
· Vitamin A 21 IU
· Vitamin C 7 milligrams
· Calcium: 193 milligrams
· Iron: 4 milligrams
Conclusion
Seasoning for grilled shrimp is easy and more of a concept than a recipe. You just have to do it once and master it. With garlic, cayenne, salt, and Italian seasoning, you’ll have this delicious seafood served within 15 minutes. It’s mostly prepared as a dinner main course meal during weekdays as it takes very short time to cook.
