Garlicky Shrimp Marinade (for Grilling & More)
The BEST shrimp marinade – made sweet and savory with soy sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and a kick from red pepper flakes. You’ll get succulent, flavor-packed shrimp in just 30 minutes including marinade time! A super-fast high protein meal, this marinated shrimp is perfect for grilling or making on the stovetop.
5 star review
“Delicious! Shrimp is one of my favorite proteins and I am always looking for a new way to cook it. This marinade was so good and I will definitely be cooking this one again.”
– Darlene
Welcome to My Kitchen! Let’s Make an Easy Shrimp Marinade
The Perfect Shrimp Marinade for Grilling, Pasta & More!
Let’s be real, most of us don’t have tons of time to prepare elaborate meals every night. But that doesn’t mean we have to resort to basic, boring food night after night. As a healthy habits expert, I’m here to encourage you that you can absolutely have fresh, drool-worthy meals every night of the week without a ton of effort or time, thanks to quick and easy marinades that can be made ahead and totally elevate any protein.
And if you’re extra crunched for time, seafood marinades are the best last minute dinner ideas since seafood only needs a short marinade time (hello sticky glazed salmon marinade). That’s where this simple, mouth-watering garlic marinated shrimp comes into play! I almost always have a pound of frozen shrimp and simple marinade ingredients on hand, so easy dinners like this one can come together in a matter of minutes.
This 5-ingredient marinade infuses raw shrimp with garlicky, sweet, umami flavors in just 15 minutes, and brown sugar gives it an addicting caramelization when grilled or sautéed. Then, to take the shrimp to the next level, we’re tossing the cooked shrimp with reserved marinade, fresh herbs, and a pat of butter for a delicious mouthfeel without adding too much fat (is your mouth watering yet?). Serve alongside some rice or crusty bread to soak up all the scrumptious juices, and you’ll have an effortless, occasion-worthy meal in no time!
Key Ingredient Notes
- Soy Sauce: Substitute tamari for gluten free.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar gives a glaze once the shrimp is cooked and balances all the savory and salty flavors without being too sweet. Honey or white sugar can be substituted.
- Lemon Juice: I tested this recipe with red wine vinegar and it can be substituted.
- Fresh Garlic: Since there are so few ingredients, I highly recommend using fresh garlic.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Not a fan of spice? Feel free to leave the red pepper flakes out or substitute with black pepper. If you want more spice, add more red pepper flakes.
- Fresh Herbs: Fresh herbs are not essential, but they definitely elevate the dish. Use your favorite soft herb or a mix of a few.
How to Make Ahead
I love marinating shrimp because it only needs to marinate for 15 minutes, but no longer than 3 hours. Longer than 2 hours and the shrimp will turn tough and chewy due to the acid from the lemon juice. However, you can get ahead and save yourself time by making the marinade ahead of time! The marinade will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days, so when it’s time to cook the shrimp you just need to add the shrimp, let it marinate, and then either grill or saute.
This Recipe Is…
Garlicky Shrimp Marinade (for Grilling & More)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, defrosted if previously frozen)
To Add at the End
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
Make the Marinade
- Whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl until smooth.
Marinate the Shrimp
- Pat the shrimp dry. Set aside 2 tablespoons marinade. Add the remaining marinade along with the shrimp to a 1-gallon zip-top bag or baking dish.
- Toss the shrimp to coat, then press as much air out of the bag (if using) as possible, or cover with plastic wrap (if using a baking dish). Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or up to 3 hours, tossing occasionally.
Grill the Shrimp
- Heat a grill or grill pan to medium high heat. Remove the shrimp from the marinade and shake to remove any excess. Discard the marinade. Grill the shrimp 2-3 minutes per side, or until opaque and just cooked through.
- Toss with butter and reserved 2 tablespoons marinade, top with herbs, and serve.
Saute the Shrimp
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Remove the shrimp from the marinade and shake to remove any excess. Discard the marinade. Add 2 teaspoons of oil to the skillet, then saute 4-6 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque and just cooked through, flipping once.
- Toss with butter and reserved 2 tablespoons marinade, top with herbs, and serve.
Notes
- Optional: serve with chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, or green onion.
- For gluten free: use gluten-free tamari.
- For dairy free: Use plant-based butter.
- For marinated shrimp with pasta: double the marinade and use half to toss with cooked pasta of choice.
Delicious! Shrimp is one of my favorite proteins and I am always looking for a new way to cook it. This marinade was so good and I will definitely be cooking this one again.
Darlene, so happy to hear you enjoyed this marinade recipe–I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts!
Made this for an outdoor Shakespeare event, and it was perfect! Great flavor balance, easy to make, easy to take, enjoyed by all!
Mary, an outdoor Shakespeare event sounds so fun! Glad to hear the shrimp were delicious and packed well to boot. Thanks so much for leaving a reivew!
Made this with about 1 tsp pepper flakes and saved extra marinade. Served over angel hair pasta and it was a game changer!
Larry, what a great idea to serve the marinade and shrimp with pasta. Thanks for sharing that tip and for leaving a review!
Delicious! My husband said just the right amount of spice and declared he loved the recipe. Grilled some veggies to go along with the shrimp and served it all with rice. So glad you put this in your weekly email.
Darlene, yay, so happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed this recipe and that you discovered it through my weekly meal plan. Those are so fun to put together and I’m glad to hear they are providing some dinner inspiration for you. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review!
Ha-Ha! I looked back at the other comments and realized I left a previous comment. We must really like this one!
Darlene, ha, you are amazing, thank you so much for taking the time to leave reviews, I really do appreciate it!