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This shrimp marinade recipe is easy to make and full of bold, savory flavor! It works with any cooking method: sautéed, grilled and more.
Looking for a way to add big flavor to shrimp? Try this go-to Shrimp Marinade recipe! The flavors are bold, savory, and penetrate the tender, juicy flesh in a way that a simple seasoning can’t.
Even better, it’s versatile and works with any cooking method: grilled, sautéed, baked and more. You can also make these easy shrimp skewers in the broiler in just 5 minutes! We whipped them up for our family and couldn’t stop sneaking bites.
Ingredients in this shrimp marinade recipe
This shrimp marinade recipe is designed to be simple, using ingredients you might already have on hand. Even better, it requires no chopping at all! You’ll need to grate a clove of garlic, but other than that it’s simply dump and stir. Stir these ingredients together into a bowl, throw it in the refrigerator and it’s marinating time:
- Protein: Medium shrimp, deveined and tail-on. Avoid using shell-on shrimp for this recipe, since the marinade can’t penetrate through the shell.
- Pantry ingredients: Olive oil, soy sauce or tamari, rice vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper
- Fresh ingredients: Garlic
How long to marinate shrimp?
How long does it take for shrimp marinade to permeate the shellfish? Marinate raw shrimp for at least 1 hour, and no more than 2 hours. Avoid marinating shrimp overnight, because the flesh of this fish is so delicate it could become tough. In a rush? You can get by with 30 minutes or marinating time, though the flavor is best with 1 hour.
Shrimp cooking methods
The great thing about this shrimp marinade recipe? It’s so versatile and can be used with any method for cooking shrimp! This marinade works beautifully whether you plan to make grilled shrimp, baked, sautéed or broiled. Here are a few notes:
- Broiled on skewers: It’s so simple and quick! Thread the shrimp on skewers, then broil about 2 minutes per side. Go to the full recipe.
- Grilled shrimp: Throw them on the grill if it’s the season! It adds just the right smoky undertone to grilled shrimp or grilled shrimp skewers.
- Sautéed: Use the marinade for this sauteed shrimp.
- Baked: Or, make simple baked shrimp.
Use the extra shrimp marinade
There’s a lot of extra shrimp marinade once you remove the shrimp from the bowl: and guess what? You can use that too! But don’t use it straight because the raw fish has been soaking in this liquid. Instead, place it in a small saucepan and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to neutralize the contact with the raw fish. The temperature it should reach is 165°F.
Once marinade is heated through, use it to brush onto the shrimp as a final flavoring. Keep in mind that the texture is liquid, not thick like a sauce. (You could add a cornstarch slurry to thicken it if you’d like.)
More shrimp recipes
And that’s it! We hope you love this shrimp marinade recipe as much as our family does. Here are a few more go-to shrimp recipes:
- Try elegant shrimp scampi, jumbo shrimp, garlic shrimp pasta, shrimp primavera, or shrimp risotto.
- Go for simple sauteed shrimp.
- Make shrimp nachos, shrimp fajitas, or a shrimp burger.
- Opt for honey garlic shrimp or steamed shrimp.
Dietary notes
This shrimp marinade recipe is gluten free and pescatarian.
Best Shrimp Marinade
- Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This shrimp marinade recipe is easy to make and full of bold, savory flavor! It works with any cooking method: sautéed, grilled and more.
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw shrimp, tail on (thawed if frozen*)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix the olive oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, grated garlic, kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Stir until the garlic is fully incorporated.
- Place shrimp in the bowl and toss to combine. Place it in the refrigerator and marinade for 1 hour**.
- Cook the shrimp: Thread the shrimp on wooden skewers in alternating directions. Broil for 2 minutes per side until opaque (you may need to cut a shrimp to assess whether it is cooked through). Or, use one of the following methods to cook the shrimp: Grilled Shrimp, Grilled Shrimp Skewers, Baked Shrimp, or Sauteed Shrimp.
- If desired, place the remaining marinade in a small saucepan, bring it to a simmer, and a simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. When the shrimp are cooked, brush or drizzle them with remaining marinade.
Notes
*Avoid using shell on shrimp: the marinade can’t penetrate through the shell.
**If you’re in a rush, you can get by with 30 minutes of marinating. One hour yields the best flavor; if desired, the shrimp can marinade up to 2 hours before cooking.
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Marinated
- Cuisine: Seafood
- Diet: Gluten Free
This is the best marinade ever!!! (The only adjustment is some cayenne pepper.) We use it on pork & beef also. Everyone we’ve shared it with thinks the same. Thank you!
You’re welcome! So glad you love it.
This marinade and baking the shrimp has been very well received. Five star yummy. Thank you for it.
Yasou,
Penelope
we added some hot sesame oil to the marinade and it really sparked it up. Great recipe!
Let us know if you have any questions!