A Tequila And Lime Grilled Shrimp Recipe like this one is an easy way to get dinner on the table fast, especially during the hotter months.
Personally, I think any time of year is the perfect time to grill, especially in the southern states, but when in doubt, cook it OUT.
Shrimp takes a marinade super fast and grills to a perfect pink in moments! That is why we are excited to share this lime and tequila grilled shrimp recipe.
When it comes to grilling shrimp you generally have two choices. You can either grill the shrimp in a grill basket or you can use skewers.
If you just placed them on the grates, they would most likely fall through.

✅ Most wished-for BBQ Grill Accessories Set
Let’s Talk Skewers
It is clear that people have serious feelings about which type of skewers are the best.
There are fair arguments to be made for both.
We have used both types of skewers over the years and tested various options.
If I had to choose a favorite, I would personally lean towards metal skewers.
Wooden Skewers
- Pros : Wooden skewers are clearly a natural product. They will break down in landfills. They are cheap to buy in bulk.
- Cons : Wooden skewers are not as sturdy and may not hold as much food. In my experience, they can also catch on fire if they aren’t soaked in water long enough. They may also lose their shape or bend during the cooking process. They could be considered wasteful, since they are single-use disposables.
Important Note: If you are going to use wooden skewers, you will want to soak them in water for a full hour before you get them hot.
Metal Skewers
- Pros : Metal skewers are going to be stable during the grilling process. Generally, metal skewers have some type of handle and therefore they are easier to rotate.
- Also, metal skewers may make a far more attractive presentation on the plate since they don’t char and blacken. They are reusable and easily cleaned.
- Cons : Metal skewers are tiny swords and should be treated as such. You need to be very careful when serving people and remind them that there is a sharp point on the end.
- They need hot pads to remove them from the grill, since the metal will be hot.
- This sharp point can also make them hazardous to other items in drawers or hazardous to fingers when storing them.

🔥 Metal Skewers with protective end caps
How To Make Tequila Lime Shrimp Marinade
Tips On The Ingredients
Lime juice – We keep a bottle of lime juice in the fridge at all times but in this instance freeze squeezed lime is going to taste much better.
However, juicing limes does take some serious time so we aren’t gonna judge you for using that lime juice from the fridge.
When we are in a hurry it is what we do.
Minced garlic – Garlic press is your friend if you are using fresh garlic.
Fresh garlic tastes better. However, once again we tend to keep a jar of minced garlic in our fridge.
We tend to lean towards using this versus peeling fresh garlic. It just saves time.
Chopped shallots – We like to use fresh shallots.
These are the secret weapon in our kitchen.
They are small and a bit tricky to handle but are well worth it.
You can substitute onion but you will be missing out on the mild taste of shallots.
Cumin – We use ground cumin in this recipe. If you are out of cumin we have some substitution suggestions for you.
Tequila – Don’t use your best tequila for cooking. Keep the good stuff for sipping and margaritas.
Salt and pepper
Here’s how to make grilled tequila & lime shrimp:
For this recipe you want to use a non reactive bowl.
We recommend a glass bowl for preparing your marinade.
Prepare your ingredients – Juice the lime. Mince the garlic. Peel and chop the shallots.
Add all of the ingredients to the glass bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat.
Chill the marinade for about half an hour to an hour, covered in the refrigerator.
Use tongs to turn once or twice.

Insanely Yummy Tequila & Lime Grilled Shrimp Recipe
A Tequila And Lime Grilled Shrimp Recipe like this one is an easy way to get dinner on the table fast, especially during the hotter months.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs of extra large raw shrimp, preferably deveined and peeled
- 2 medium shallots, finely chopped
- 2 medium cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 c. olive oil (vegetable oil will work too)
- 1/2 c. tequila (you choose the brand)
- 1/4 c. lime juice
- 2 t. ground cumin
- 1 t. refined sugar or honey
- ½ t. salt
- ¼ t. pepper
Instructions
Create marinade
- In a large glass bowl mix the lime juice, minced garlic, chopped shallots, cumin, tequila. Add salt and pepper.
- Slowly add in olive oil and sugar or honey and whisk together.
- If making in advance, add to airtight container or cover and put in refrigerator.
Marinade shrimp
- Add shrimp to the glass bowl with marinade.
- Mix and coat shrimp generously.
- Cover the glass bowl with lid or plastic wrap.
- Place entire bowl in the fridge to marinate for 3-4 hours.
(Note: Glass is the preferred container for such a high-acid marinade.)
Grill Shrimp
- If using skewers, spear the shrimp, preferably lengthwise so each shrimp is “woven” onto the skewer. Leave a small bit of space between each shrimp for heat to access all sides. If using a grill basket, spray the basket bottom with nonstick grilling spray (outside and not where the spray can get on your floor, causing it to become slick) and add shrimp to the basket.
- Grill raw extra-large shrimp for 3 minutes per side. Cooked shrimp only need reheated, about 1 minute total. Raw and Cooked shrimp with peel on may take an additional minute of heating.
- Use a pastry brush to add mop shrimp with extra marinade in the first minute of cooking.
- Serve shrimp while warm.
Preheat grill to 375F or medium-high.
Notes
When it comes to picking out shrimp you have plenty of options. Our favorite kind of shrimp is the frozen bags of peeled and deveined shrimp. However, if you are buying fresh, raw shrimp, you can always pick up a shrimp deveiner tool and make your life much easier.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
How Long To Grill Shrimp
Grill large shrimp for about 2 minutes per side.
How long you should grill shrimp will depend upon the grill temperature and the size of the shrimp but it shouldn’t take more than 6 minutes total to grill shrimp.
They will also continue cooking once off the grill.
Our tip is to stick by the shrimp while it is grilling. It cooks so quickly on the grill that walking away can lead to burnt or rubbery and dry shrimp.
How To Know When Grilled Shrimp Is Done
Grilled shrimp is done when the outside has turned a deep pink.
Pull a shrimp off of the grill and cut it in half. The inside of the shrimp should be white and no longer gray opaque.
Also, cooked shrimp will curl into a tighter C shape.
Uncooked shrimp usually appears opaque and floppy.
Can You Grill Pre-cooked Shrimp?
Yes, you can grill shrimp that has already been cooked, but it’s for the purpose of reheating your shrimp only, so it shouldn’t stay on the heat very long.
Pre-cooked shrimp will be ready on the shrimp much more quickly.
Grill the pre-cooked shrimp for about 1 or two minutes total.
Use a baste on pre-cooked shrimp, since a marinade won’t work as well on pre-cooked shrimp.
Keep a close on the shrimp because you don’t want to overheat it.
The bottom line
Grilling shrimp can be a super simple dinner recipe.
Mix together the marinade before work in the morning.
Then when you get home at night, add the shrimp to the container of marinade, prep the skewers, pop on the grill and in six minutes or less you have your main dish.
If you want to keep the meal light and simple, just add this shrimp to a spring salad and you are set.
Delights like grilled peaches and pineapple, red pepper chunks, steaks, slathered chicken and ribs, and even seafood, all grill up perfectly.