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My Grilled Shrimp with Lemon Ginger Dipping Sauce is your summer MVP! It’s the perfect appetizer or a light meal. Just add a side of veggies or pasta to turn it into a satisfying dinner.

A closeup of grilled shrimp

This is the perfect summer shrimp recipe that is light, with bright flavors, lemony and garlicy shrimp that cooks in minutes on the grill. In the summer, I grill a lot of food on skewers (with sweet shrimp being my favorite). 

You may want to check out my Chicken Teriyaki Skewers the next time you’re in the mood for grilled chicken, or skewer up some mushrooms and make my Asian Style Mushroom Skewers that make the perfect side dish, as well as my Fried Rice.

Seasoned shrimp on skewers

Easy Grilled Shrimp Marinade

A quick mix of fresh flavors like lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper makes for a tasty marinade. Note: The most important thing when marinating shrimp in acid liquid like lemon too long is, it can break it down the shrimp meat, so I only recommend a maximum of  1 hour marinating time.

Tips for Buying Shrimp

This also goes for prawns too. It is best to buy shell-on shrimp that have not been peeled or deveined.  They tend to have better flavor than those that have been shelled. Avoid any shellfish that smells fishy or like ammonia (this means that they are not fresh) and should smell fresh like the ocean. 

Deveined, cooked shrimp

Tips for Buying Frozen Shrimp

There are some excellent frozen shrimp or prawn options available. To ensure optimal shrimp quality, I prefer buying frozen shrimp with the shell intact. In my experience, shelled frozen shrimp retain a better texture after thawing.Unshelled frozen shrimp can become watery and less firm.

When making shrimp skewers, large shrimp work best as they hold up better to being skewered than small shrimp or even jumbo shrimp. I also like to remove the tails from the raw shrimp so they don’t burn and this makes them easier to eat.

Shrimp are sold by count and this is based on their size. For instance with this recipe, I used 21-25 count. This means there are 21 to 25 in 1 pound of shrimp. The lower the number, the larger the shrimp.

A pink, cooked shrimp dipped into ginger lemon sauce

Shrimp Dipping Sauce

The lemon ginger sauce is the perfect accompaniment for dipping shrimp. This easy sauce has a sour cream base (you can make it dairy-free or vegan by using your favorite non-dairy sour cream) and utilizes more fresh lemon and fresh ginger, which we know taste so good together along with a touch of honey for slight sweetness. Add some chopped fresh herbs of your choice if you like. Dill would be perfect.

Grilled Shrimp Flavor

Grilling shrimp (or prawns for my U.K friends) is one of the best cooking methods for highlighting the natural sweetness of this simple shellfish. Skewering the shrimp keeps them from fall through rather than trying to balance the shrimp on the grill grate.

Rows of shrimp on skewers

Grilling Shrimp

They take just minutes too cook on a hot grill. You’ll know they are ready to turn as soon as the shrimp turn pink, then only need a couple of minutes on the second side.

Metal Skewers vs Wooden Skewers

For easy grilling, I like to thread the shrimp onto skewers. You can use metal or wooden skewers, but it is best to soak wooden skewers in water so they don’t burn.

Leftover Grilled Shrimp

Should you have any leftover, they keep well in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

If you’ve made this Grilled Shrimp with Ginger Lemon Dipping Sauce, leave a comment below. I love to hear from my readers.

Yield: 4 -6

Grilled Shrimp with Ginger Lemon Dipping Sauce

dipping a grilled shrimp into a white sauce

Sweet shrimp are marinated in lemon, garlic, salt and pepper, then grilled. The ginger lemon dipping sauce is the perfect accompaniment for a dish that is the perfect appetizer

Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • For the marinade:
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice (1 large lemon)
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 pound jumbo shrimp, 21-25 count, peeled and deveined
  • For the dipping sauce:
  • 1 cup (215 grams) sour cream
  • Juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Small pinch freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. To a large bowl add the lemon zest, juice, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Whisk until combined. Add the shrimp to the marinade and stir to coat well. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
  2. Preheat grill.
  3. To a mixing bowl, add the sour cream, lemon juice and zest, ginger, salt and pepper. Stir to mix well. If it is too thick, add a splash of water to thin. Refrigerate.
  4. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes.
  5. After 1 hour, remove the shrimp from the marinade and thread onto skewers.
  6. Grill the shrimp on the first side for about 3 minutes, turn and grill for 1-2 minutes, just until they are pink. Remove from the grill and when cool enough take them off the skewers.
  7. Serve warm with the ginger lemon dipping sauce.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 325Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 189mgSodium 1123mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 1gSugar 4gProtein 28g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.

© Culinary Ginger
Cuisine: American / Category: Appetizers