Sweet chili glazed grilled shrimp skewers is my new go-to grilling recipe. I’ve tested these delicious shrimp skewers on kids and adults alike and they’re a crowd favorite! Tender shrimp get a quick marinade in lemon juice, olive oil and jerk seasoning. Then you’ll grill them and finish with a glaze of sweet chili sauce.
Sweet Chili Glazed Grilled Shrimp Skewers:
Even when it’s a hot summer day in Phoenix, I still like firing up the grill! My semi-picky eater son recently discovered that he loves shrimp, so I decided I needed to encourage him by coming up with a recipe for grilled shrimp that we’d all love. Shrimp cook really quickly, so I want to give them some flavor before they hit the grill. A fast marinade in lemon juice, olive oil and Jamaican jerk seasoning did the trick.
The shrimp would be awesome grilled just like this, but I wanted to add a nice sweet, slightly spicy glaze as a finishing touch. I had a bottle of sweet chili sauce in the cupboard, so I poured some of that into the remaining marinade. It was the perfect, easy solution!
The Ingredients:
I like to use larger shrimp for grilling. There’s a couple reasons for this. First, smaller shrimp cook too fast on the grill. There’s nothing worse than overcooked shrimp, the texture gets “rubbery” and they are no fun to eat. Second, the larger shrimp will be much easier to get on your skewers. This also means less prep work since you’ll have to skewer fewer shrimp if they’re big. If you can, I’d get the large or jumbo sized shrimp.
You can buy shrimp either by the pound or by the count. The easiest way to know you are getting the largest shrimp is to look at the count on the bag. For instance, if you’re buying frozen shrimp and the bag says 16/20, you know you’re getting 16 to 20 shrimp per pound. If the bag says 51/60, you’re getting 51 to 60 shrimp per pound – which would mean some really small shrimp! Look for 21/25 and larger.
Jerk seasoning is a spice blend that’s used throughout the Caribbean, but is famous in Jamaica. I went to Jamaica in college and basically ate jerk chicken for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’ve loved that flavor ever since. The jerk blend I used for the marinade had red and black pepper, thyme and allspice. If that doesn’t sound good, you don’t have to use jerk seasoning. Use whatever kind of seasoning blend you like!
Sweet chili sauce is a popular sauce/condiment in Thai and other Asian cooking. It’s made from chilies, garlic, vinegar, sugar and other good stuff. It’s got a consistency similar to ketchup. You should be able to find it in most grocery stores.
Other than the shrimp, jerk seasoning and sweet chili sauce, you’ll also need a lemon and some olive oil.
The Preparation:
One of the easiest ways to cook shrimp on the grill is with skewers. You can use metal skewers if you have them, but I usually use the bamboo kind. If you’re also going to use bamboo, the first thing you want to do is soak the skewers in water. This will keep them from going up in flames while you’re grilling your shrimp. You want your shrimp to have a nice, light char on them, but not to actually start on fire. I would soak them for at least 15 minutes, and up to an hour.
You can thaw shrimp quickly in a colander, under running water. Make sure you don’t soak the shrimp in water though. They’ll get water logged and the marinade and glaze won’t stick as well. Once the shrimp are thawed, peel them, but leave the tail on.
While the skewers are soaking you can make your simple (but delicious!) marinade. Squeeze the juice from a lemon into a measuring cup. Add the olive oil and jerk seasoning and whisk it all together. You’ll pour about half of the marinade onto your shelled, raw shrimp and let them sit for 15 minutes or so.
After the shrimp are marinated, drain the bamboo skewers. This part is kind of messy, but sometimes you just need to get your hands dirty. Skewer 4-5 shrimp onto each skewer until you run out of shrimp. I used about 12 skewers for two pounds of shrimp (21/25 count).
Now to make the glaze, you’ll pour enough sweet chili sauce into the remaining marinade to make about a cup. This is the delicious sauce you’ll baste the shrimp with on the grill.
I’ve found the easiest tool for glazing or basting on the grill to be a heat proof silicone brush. Nothing is more depressing than preparing your food for the grill, then having your basting brush melt, go up in flames, or leave little pieces of bristle stuck to your food.
Because the sweet chili sauce glaze has such a high sugar content, it can burn pretty easily. We want caramelized with a little char, not burnt. To avoid burning the glaze, you’ll start your grilling without it to give the shrimp time to start cooking.
That being said, shrimp cook very quickly! This is how I time it:
- Put the marinated shrimp on the preheated grill (medium high), cover and cook for about a minute.
- Using tongs, turn the shrimp to the other side.
- Using your silicon basting brush, brush the first side with the sweet chili glaze and be generous! This will take you another minute or two, so when you’re done glazing, the shrimp are ready to turn again with your tongs.
- Brush the second side with the rest of the sweet chili glaze. Close the lid for a minute or two.
- Turn the shrimp over a final time. Hopefully the glaze on the first side has caramelized and charred a bit. Close the lid for another couple minutes.
- The grilling will take 6-10 minutes depending on the size of the shrimp, your grill and the level of heat you have, so pay close attention to how the shrimp look. Try your best not to overcook them while still getting a nice finish.
The Payoff:
Grilling season lasts all year long at our house. If you try these sweet chili glazed grilled shrimp skewers this weekend, you’ll like them so much, you’ll extend your grilling season too!
Speaking of grilling, I’m also working on my Sonoran dogs. Grilled bacon wrapped hot dogs served with homemade pico de gallo…. coming soon!
Disclaimer: any links to products in this post may be affiliate links. This means I would get a small commission if the product was purchased. I only link to products I like and use myself, or are similar to what I use. Thanks for your support!
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Sweet Chili Glazed Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Description
Tender shrimp get a quick marinade in lemon juice, olive oil and jerk seasoning. Then you’ll grill them and finish with a glaze of sweet chili sauce!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds large (21-25) or jumbo (16-20) shrimp
- 1 lemon, juiced, 3-4 tablespoons
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon jerk seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- You’ll also need bamboo or metal skewers for grilling
Instructions
- Thaw the shrimp overnight in the fridge, or in a colander under cold running water. Do not soak the shrimp in water, they’ll get water logged! Drain the shrimp on paper towels, you want them to be as dry as possible.
- Soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least 15 minutes. This will make it less likely for them to burn on the grill. You can also use metal skewers.
- Make the marinade. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, jerk seasoning and salt.
- In a glass or plastic container (not metal), pour half of the marinade over the dried shrimp and toss to coat. Set the shrimp aside for 15 minutes or so to marinate.
- Heat the grill to medium high. While the grill is heating, skewer 4-5 shrimp, depending on size, on each bamboo or metal skewer. Keep going until you’re out of shrimp.
- The Grilling: Put the marinated shrimp on the preheated grill (medium high), cover and cook for about a minute.
- Using tongs, turn the shrimp to the other side.
- Using your silicon basting brush, brush the first side with the sweet chili glaze and be generous! This will take you another minute or two, so when you’re done glazing, the shrimp are ready to turn again with your tongs.
- Brush the second side with the rest of the sweet chili glaze. Close the lid for a minute or two.
- Turn the shrimp over for a final time. The glaze on the first side should be caramelized and charred a bit. Close the lid for another couple minutes.
- The grilling will take 6-10 minutes depending on the size of the shrimp, your grill and the level of heat you have, so pay close attention to how the shrimp look. Try your best not to overcook them while still getting a nice finish.
Notes
- If you can’t find jerk seasoning, just use whatever seasoning blend you like.
- You can serve extra sweet chili sauce on the side for dipping.
