14 of Our Best Grilled Shrimp and Shellfish Recipes

Shrimp and shellfish deserve a place at your next cookout

By SAVEUR Editors | Published Jun 5, 2018 7:00 PM

Food

Chiles, lime, and cilantro flavor these grilled lobsters. Get the recipe for Grilled Lobster with Cilantro-Chile Butter ». Penny De Los Santos

Meats like steak and chicken might be the go-tos when it comes to grilling (we totally get that), but we’re also crazy about grilling our seafood. Take shrimp, for instance. It’ll get wonderfully smoky after some time on the grill. For a flavorful lettuce wrap, marinate shrimp with oil, chiles, lemongrass, and ginger and grill on a plancha or cast-iron grill pan. Or try gambas al ajillo, shrimp cooked in olive oil with chiles and garlic. And we’ll never, ever say no to some grilled lobster. When you split a lobster in half, you can grill it using a two-step process—starting it shell-up gives it a nice char, while flipping it over onto the shell lets you finish the cooking gently. Spreading on a compound butter between the steps lets the butter melt down into the lobster, infusing it with flavor. Try it with compound butter made with either cilantro and chiles or garlic and parsley.

Find these dishes and more in our collection of our favorite grilled shrimp and shellfish recipes.

Langouste à la vanille is traditionally made with local rock lobster, though any kind of lobster will do for this dish, as will langoustines, shrimp, or even scallops. Get the recipe for Grilled Lobsters With Vanilla Cream Sauce (Langouste Á La Vannile) »

Get the recipe for Grilled Watermelon, Avocado, and Shrimp Salad »

This substantial summer salad is a tribute to the “everything tastes better grilled” philosophy of cooking, one with which I am currently obsessed. Here, watermelons get even sweeter from the flames, shrimp gets crisp and plump, and avocado turns deliciously smoky. Get the recipe for Grilled Watermelon, Avocado, and Shrimp Salad »

Grilled Shrimp Summer Rolls

Grilled Oysters on a Bed of Salt

“You can grill any oyster you’d eat raw,” says John Finger of California’s Hog Island Oyster Co., “but bigger is better, since the longer they cook, the more they shrink.” Rules of thumb: Opt for Pacific over Eastern, and look for 4–5-inch shell size. Have your fishmonger shuck one before you buy; the meat should almost fill the shell.

Besides salt, you can use seaweed or sand to form a bed for any shellfish on the half shell. For a rustic, low-country feel, pile your fish into a multi-tiered galvanized metal server like this one by Benzara. Get the recipe for Grilled Seafood Tower »

Chile-Garlic Shrimp (Gambas Al Ajillo)

These shrimp are cooked in a hot cast iron pan with tons of garlic and red Thai chiles.

Grilled Shrimp Lettuce Cups

Iceberg lettuce leaves make great vessels for eating marinated grilled shrimp as a hand-held appetizer. For added kick, drizzle with sweet chile sauce.

Grilled Lobster with Cilantro-Chile Butter

Chiles, lime, and cilantro flavor these grilled lobsters. Get the recipe for Grilled Lobster with Cilantro-Chile Butter »

Clam Risotto with Grilled Shrimp

Clam juice amplifies this creamy risotto adapted from a dish at Newport, Oregon’s Ocean Bleu @ Gino’s.

Grilled Lobster with Garlic-Parsley Butter

Grilled Spot Prawns with Finger Lime and Basil

Spot prawns are so sweet and tasty on their own that they only need a simple sauce, making this finger lime dressing a delightful accompaniment. Guests will be licking the shells and their fingers to get more citrusy crunch and pop from the “lime caviar,” and that’s what you want.