Grilled Blackened Shrimp with Cilantro Lime Sauce

Serve up a spiced pop of Summer flavor with these Grilled Blackened Shrimp. Then, 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.

🍤 What makes this recipe special?

A few elements of this recipe make it as special as it is—first, the brine. 

Our brine helps moisten the shrimp and gives the best possible flavor. Bringing is a great way to level up a shrimp grilling experience. 

Also, the blackening seasoning in this recipe adds a flavorful, wonderful, slightly spicy crust to the shrimp. This unique blackening seasoning is easy and tasty. 

Finally, the Cilantro Lime Sauce uniquely contrasts the grilled shrimp skewers. Easy to throw together and a taste bud teaser. 

If seafood on the grill is your thing, you can also check out this Grilled Bacon Wrapped Shrimp recipe or Foil Packet Salmon recipe. This Blackened Shrimp Recipe would be perfect with a side of this Watermelon Feta Salad. No matter what you make, make sure to treat yourself!

🔥 Ingredients

Shrimp is the star, but there is more going on! Here is what you will need for this Shrimp recipe:

• Salt
• Sugar
• Water
• Shrimp
• Pepper
• Paprika
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Dried Oregano
• Cumin
• Cayenne pepper
• Crushed red pepper
• Sour cream
• Cilantro
• Lime juice

See the recipe card for quantities.

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. 

If you have a different size of shrimp that you want to use, go ahead. You will, however, want to adjust your cooking time to ensure everything is to safe temps.

🍲 Instructions

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 it in the refrigerator. If using wood skewers, now is the time to soak them, too. 

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

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

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 the grill

We preheat a lightly oiled grill to 350° Fahrenheit and grill each side for 3 minutes and thirty seconds. Use your best judgment 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. Even just some lemon juice would be great. Use what you have, but this sauce is great for this recipe.

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.

🤷 Substitutions and variations

There are a few ways that this can be changed up.

• Seasonings – We use several seasonings in the rub and sauce. If you don’t like something, omit it. If you love something, you can try adding more! Anything that is similar to a cajun seasoning or belongs in that type of rub would work well.
• Brining – The brining is optional but makes for a better final dish.

📦 Storage

The cooked shrimp skewers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container. However, it is recommended to store the cilantro lime sauce separately in a covered container for up to 5-7 days to maintain its freshness and flavor.

You can freeze the cooked shrimp in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2-3 months. To reheat, simply thaw the shrimp in the refrigerator overnight and then heat them up in a pan or in the oven until warmed through.

Eating these fresh, however, is ideal. 

❓ FAQ

😋 Did you make this recipe?

That is awesome, and thank you so much for giving this Grilled Blackened Shrimp with Cilantro Lime Sauce recipe a try. If you could leave a rating in the comment area below, it would be greatly appreciated. This lets me know how I am doing and also helps others decide if they want to make this recipe. Most of all, thanks for visiting Ramshackle Pantry.