Grilled Blackened Shrimp with Cilantro Lime Sauce

Serve up a spiced pop of Summer flavor with these Grilled Blackened Shrimp. Then, make sure to balance it out with our cool refreshing Cilantro Lime sauce recipe. Quick and easy to make, these go from your grill to your plate in just a few minutes. If you are looking for a great dinner or starter that doesn’t need a lot of fuss and muss, give this recipe a try.

Grilled Blackened Shrimp With Cilantro Lime Sauce Summary

This is a simple dish. First, much like our recent bacon-wrapped shrimp recipe, I brine the shrimp in salt and water. While brining, throw together the Cilantro Lime Sauce and set in the refrigerator. If using wood skewers, now is the time to soak them, as well. 

Once the shrimp is ready, a quick dip in the easy blackening season to coat the shrimp in flavor. Skewer the shrimp and grill for about 3 minutes and 30 seconds on each side. 

Take them off of your grill and serve with the creamy cilantro lime sauce. Easy, right?

What Size of Shrimp to Use?

I use large, raw, deveined, and tail-on shrimp. Each skewer should comfortably hold four shrimp, but this may depend on the size of your skewers. We, specifically, are using Kirklands Signature 21-25 Count Shrimp. 

Like usual, if you have a different size of shrimp, I encourage you to use that instead. You will, however, want to adjust your cooking time to ensure everything is to safe temps.

Brining The Shrimp

One technique we like to use with grilled shrimp is brining them beforehand in salt and sugar. The salt helps ensure that the shrimp remains tender. The sugar helps ensure it cooks a bit better on the grill. 

This step could be skipped and it would also cut out some prep time, but I really do think it is an important step. Brining shrimp before cooking helps make sure you get the best recipe possible. 

Time and Temp On Grill

We preheat a lightly oiled grill to 350° Fahrenheit and grill each side for 3 minutes and thirty seconds. Use your best judgement on the time you need for this, but make sure that your shrimp looks to be an appropriate color for food safety.

This recipe should not need that much time on the grill, but you will want to make sure that both sides get a chance to be heated over direct heat. 3 to 4 minutes on each side should be plenty of time.

I do like using both a spatula and tongs when dealing with shrimp just in case I find some shrimp stilling to my grill grates. If you lightly oil your grill and make sure it is clean, it should be no problem to flip. 

Cilantro Lime Sauce

This recipe makes shrimp that are flavorful and full of spice. The Cilantro Lime sauce brings a light balance to the strong flavors of the shrimp. You can use any sauce you want to for the shrimp, or none at all, but this is a perfect pairing for the blackened shrimp.

The recipe calls for making this while the shrimp is brining, but you can make this up to a day before and save in the refrigerator. This could save you time and you might benefit from a bit better blending of flavors. That said, it is handy to just make this sauce while you are making the recipe.

Grilled Blackened Shrimp with Cilantro Lime Sauce Tips

• The brining is optional, but I really recommend it.
• If using wood skewers, make sure to soak them for a bit.
• You can make the cilantro lime sauce up to a day before. 
• Preheat to 350° Fahrenheit before cooking on a clean and lightly oiled grill.
• Use a Meat Thermometer to make sure everything is at safe temperatures.

Products Used In This Recipe

• Genesis Weber
• Meat Thermometer
• Wood Skewers
• Grilling tongs and spatula

Did You Try This Recipe?

Awesome! That makes me super happy and so glad you trusted us enough for your grilling recipe. You could really do me a solid by leaving a comment below with how it went and a rating. This Grilled Blackened Shrimp with Cilantro Lime Sauce is a recipe I really like and I am pumped you gave it a try. Most of all, thanks for visiting Ramshackle Pantry.

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