Description
Easy and delicious grilled pesto shrimp skewers loaded with basil pesto sauce and fresh lemon juice.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1–1 1/2 pounds large fresh (raw) or fully cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails optionally removed)
- 1/2 lemon, juice squeezed
- 1/2 cup fresh (or jar) basil pesto
- Wooden or metal skewers for grilling
homemade basil pesto
- 3 cups basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the pesto
- Combine all pesto ingredients except for the olive oil in a food processor or blender. Blend until mixed and smooth. With the motor running, add olive oil in a slow stream until combined. Pesto should not be too soupy or fine.
For the shrimp
- Soak the wooden skewers, fully submerged in cool water for 20 minutes so they do not burn when grilling.
- Pat shrimp dry with paper towel to remove excess moisture. In a large bowl, combine shrimp, pesto, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Toss the shrimp until completely covered in pesto sauce and let marinate in the fridge for 20-30 minutes for best results. Give the shrimp a final stir and add 4-5 shrimp per skewer.
- Preheat the grill with the cover down for 10 minutes on medium-high heat. Clean the grates well. Place skewers flat on the grill. Put the cover down and cook for 2 minutes, flip and cook for two more minutes. Shrimp should no longer be translucent and turn white/orange.
- Serve immediately with additional pesto if wanted.
Notes
I’ve made this recipe with every type of shrimp. Fresh, frozen, and fully cooked. If you’re really looking for quick and easy, buy pre-cooked, peeled, and deveined cooked shrimp. Fresh shrimp is usually juicier and taste fresher, mainly because they aren’t being cooked twice. Whatever you do, make sure frozen shrimp are completely thawed, and patted dry before marinating in pesto.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 skewers
- Calories: 206
- Sugar: 8.2g
- Sodium: 334mg
- Fat: 5.8g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 8.9g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 26.7g
- Cholesterol: 118mg
Keywords: pesto shrimp skewers, shrimp skewers