Cajun Grilled Shrimp
Cajun Grilled Shrimp is marinated and grilled to perfection with the most mouthwatering bold Cajun flavor! Onions and bell peppers accompany the shrimp in the best combination of flavors and textures. The best part? This is an easy 30 minute recipe!
Enjoy more of my favorite easy shrimp recipes like Blackened Shrimp and Garlic Butter Shrimp.
Table of Contents
Cajun shrimp is slightly spicy, and combined with smoky flavors of the grill, it’s downright delicious! Spicy and smoky on its own also doesn’t quite seem like enough though, so I like to add fresh lime juice for a touch of citrus and honey to balance the spicy with a little sweet. The combination of flavors compliments the shrimp so perfectly!
There are so many ways to serve this grilled shrimp. However I plan on serving this shrimp, I like to grill some peppers and onions with it. The peppers and onions are seasoned with Cajun seasoning as well and they really compliment the dish in the best way, whether shrimp is served in tacos or as an entree all by itself.
When you grill shrimp, you get to not only infuse them with some smoky flavor – you also get to char them a little bit too! The charred element to grilled shrimp really sends them over the top. And, because they’re shrimp, you get the most amazing result in just a few minutes of cook time.
Ingredient Notes
Shrimp – They’ll need to be cleaned and de-veined prior to cooking.
Cajun Seasoning – Any brand will work! Just choose your favorite, and keep in mind that some brands tend to be spicier than others. (Save some seasoning to make Cajun Salmon and Cajun Corn Salad.)
Lime Juice – Make sure you’re using freshly squeezed lime juice only for the very best flavor.
Honey – This is used to balance the smoky and spicy flavors with just a touch of natural sweetness.
Red Bell Peppers – You can use another color of pepper if you’d like. I’ve just found that the flavor of red bell peppers tends to compliment the Cajun seasoning the best.
Red Onions – I prefer using red onions more than others because they have the most bold flavor.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
How to Make Cajun Grilled Shrimp
Prepare. Shrimp will need only about 20 minutes to marinate, so it’s the perfect time to prepare the coals and preheat the grill. If you’re using wooden skewers to cook the shrimp, make sure to soak them for about 30 minutes before adding shrimp.
Marinate the shrimp. Combine the cleaned shrimp with Cajun seasoning, lime juice, and honey in a mixing bowl and mix well (1). Let it marinate while preparing the grill and starting the vegetables.
Season the vegetables. Slice the onions and peppers and mix them with some Cajun seasoning (2).
Prepare the grill for the veggies. Grease a vegetable basket that has fine grate so that vegetables don’t fall through and spread the vegetables in it (3).
PRO TIP: When the grill is ready, start cooking the vegetables because they will take longer than the shrimp.
Skewer the shrimp. Skewer the shrimp onto the wooden skewers, but don’t pack them too tightly. Drizzle remaining marinade on top of each shrimp skewer (4).
Grill the shrimp. Spray both sides of the shrimp skewer with some oil and place it on the grill. Cook shrimp for about 4 minutes on each side, depending on the size of the shrimp. Once shrimp turns completely opaque, it’s ready (5).
Recipe FAQs
These grilled Cajun shrimp are fantastic in tacos, especially if you make onions and peppers along with the shrimp.
You can also make sandwich wraps with shrimp, vegetables, lettuce, and tomato. A citrus kind of dressing would work well in the wrap!
Top a dinner salad with Cajun shrimp and grilled vegetables and serve it with a citrus-based dressing. Or, add these shrimp to the Southwest Salad instead of chicken.
Leftover shrimp can be chopped and added to quesadillas with some Mexican cheese mix, tomatoes, onions, and peppers.
And of course, you can serve these Cajun grilled shrimp as dinner with some grilled sides, Mashed Potatoes, or mixed with pasta or rice.
Yes, but they’ll need to be fully thawed to room temperature prior to marinating and grilling. Make sure to discard all the liquid accumulated after thawing the shrimp.
Shrimp cook very quickly, so don’t walk away from the grill! Overcooked shrimp is rubbery, so avoid that by cooking the shrimp for just a few minutes per side until the tails are curled into a C shape and the color is opaque.
Storing and Reheating
In an airtight container in the fridge, grilled Cajun shrimp will stay fresh for up to 2 days.
The best way to reheat this shrimp is in a pan over medium heat. Preheat the pan, add the shrimp, onions, and peppers and cover with the lid. You may or may not need to add a little oil to the pan. Let it heat up, stirring a couple of times. When the shrimp is just hot, take it out of the pan right away.
PRO TIP: Don’t put seafood in a microwave because it’s such a high risk of overcooking it and making shrimp tough and chewy.
Enjoy More of the Best Easy Shrimp Recipes
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Cajun Grilled Shrimp
Ingredients
Shrimp:
- 1.5 lbs shrimp cleaned and de-veined
- 2 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 lime – juice only
- 2 Tbsp honey
Vegetables:
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 large red onion
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
- salt* if seasoning does not contain salt
Instructions
- If using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for about 30 minutes before adding shrimp.
- Combine cleaned, shelled, de-veined shrimp with Cajun seasoning, lime juice, and honey in a mixing bowl and mix well. Let it marinade while preparing the grill and starting the vegetables.
- Slice onions and peppers into straws and mix with some oil and Cajun seasoning. Grease a vegetable basket that has fine grate so that vegetables don’t fall through and spread onion and peppers in it.
- Start to coals and once coals are ashed over, add vegetable basket to the grill. Let vegetables cook until half way done before adding shrimp to the grill.
- Skewer the shrimp onto the wooden skewers but don’t pack them too tight. Drizzle remaining marinade on top of each shrimp skewer.
- Spray both sides of the shrimp skewer with some oil and place it on the grill. Cook shrimp for about 4 minutes on each side, depending on the size of shrimp. Once shrimp turns completely opaque, it’s ready.
- Take shrimp and vegetables off the grill right away.
Notes
Nutrition
Categories:
30 Minute Meals, Backyard BBQ Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Seafood Dinner Recipes, Shrimp Dinner Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
This was really tasty. Made my own Cajun spice mix but held back a bit adding to shrimp. Next time I won’t. Served it along BBQ’s steaks and salad. Perfect meal for us. Also tried your Shrimp Alfredo, we were in heaven two nights in a row. Thank you!
What a sweet compliment! I am so glad you liked both recipes! Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me know.