Spicy Grilled Shrimp

By Mark Bittman

Updated May 14, 2024

  • A white plate holds spicy grilled shrimp with lemon wedges.
    Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
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Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(1,957)
Comments
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This Mark Bittman recipe from 1999 is big on flavor, but not too much effort. The hardest part is preparing the grill. It calls for just a few spices — garlic, lemon, paprika and cayenne — to yield an intense flavor. Feel free to adjust the cayenne to taste, and pay close attention to your paprika: For best results, make sure it’s fresh. If it doesn’t taste vibrant and smoky, it’s time to buy more.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 large clove garlic

  • 1 tablespoon coarse salt

  • ½ teaspoon cayenne

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 teaspoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice

  • 1 ½ to 2 pounds shrimp, in the 15-to-18-a-pound range (or smaller, if skewered), peeled, rinsed and dried

  • Lemon wedges

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

1 gram carbs; 319 milligrams cholesterol; 234 calories; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 8 grams fat; 492 milligrams sodium; 40 grams protein

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Start a charcoal or gas grill, or heat the broiler. Make the fire as hot as it will get, and put the rack close to the heat source.

  2. Step 2

    Mince garlic with salt; mix with cayenne and paprika, then make into a paste with olive oil and lemon juice. Smear paste on shrimp. Grill or broil shrimp, 2 to 3 minutes a side, turning once. Serve immediately or at room temperature, with lemon wedges.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,957 user ratings
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Comments

Karin

I make this All. The. Time. I put all the ingredients in a large Ziploc, shake it all up and add the shrimp to marinade overnight - even from frozen, this works nicely. To make a double batch, 2x everything but the salt. For a single batch, a "scant" tablespoon is great.

I prefer them grilled, but under the broiler has been okay, too. For easy grilling, I have learned to line shrimp up on two skewers per bunch - they lay flat, don't spin and are much easier to flip.

Mark

Excellent but a bit too salty. Will cut salt in half next times. Used screeching hot cast iron grill pan on stovetop, 2-3 mins per side. Easy to turn shrimp with tongs. Hit shrimp with a squeeze of lemon just after they come off the heat. Do buy shrimp still in shells -- otherwise where would the shrimp stock for a great, quick risotto on the side come from?

Nancy

I made this with a 2 pound bag of large shrimp from Costco. I used 1/2 the cayenne called for and it was plenty spicy, and we like spicy food.

Frank

Made per the recipe and way, way, too salty. I may try again with 1 teaspoon of salt.

KarenSF

Not spicy enough. Next time I'll add more cayenne.

KB

I am using 10 precooked jumbo shrimp. Is it just me, or does this quantity of marinade seem scanty? Next time I will double up. Also, I used only 3/4th of a teaspoon for the salt. It’s easy for eaters to add more salt, but impossible to get rid of excess salt.

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