Chipotle Lime Shrimp Skewers (Kabobs)

If you love shrimp, this is a must-have recipe in your kitchen arsenal. These Chipotle Lime Shrimp Kabobs are easy to make, easy to grill and taste great every time thanks to fresh flavors like chipotle peppers, paprika, honey and fresh squeezed lime.

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Every just seems to love kabobs. Whether it's chicken, beef, pork or shrimp, kabobs are easy to make and fun to eat. This Chipotle Lime Shrimp Kabob recipe is one of our go-to recipe for seafood on a stick! The ingredients are simple, the marinade time is short and the results are always amazing.

Chipotle Lime Shrimp Kabobs are great as an appetizer or you can serve them as your main course. They work perfect in tacos or over pasta for a Mexican-style shrimp scampi. We love our grilled shrimp over rice with some black beans, corn, salsa and cheese to make a delicious burrito bowl.

Whatever you choose, this Chipotle Lime Shrimp recipe is sure to hit the spot. When we lived in Southeast Texas, fresh shrimp were easy to get. But now that we're back home in Utah, they're a bit harder to come by. So most of the time we buy frozen shrimp from the grocery store. (Which still turn out great.)

If we're cooking for just the two of us, a 1 lb bag of large frozen shrimp works perfectly. Large shrimp are typically defined as having 21-30 shrimp per pound. Also, we prefer our shrimp to be peeled and deveined, just to save time.

You'll want to thaw the shrimp first. The easiest way to do this is to simply cut the top off the bag and fill it with cold water. PRO TIP: Never thaw your shrimp in hot or warm water. There are two reasons. 1) Hot water can actually cook the shrimp, resulting in a rubbery or chewy texture. 2) Hot water can also encourage bacteria growth on the shrimp that could make you sick.

When your shrimp are thawed, make sure to give them a good rinse and pat them dry. Then you can move on to the marinade.

Our marinade is very simple and uses basic ingredients. It consists of extra virgin olive oil, fresh squeezed lime juice, lime zest, honey and chipotle peppers. We like the diced chipotle peppers that come in a resealable jar, so you can use the rest for other recipes, but you can use the canned variety as well. For the dry ingredients, we use smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.

We like to use a large bowl for our marinade. We add the ingredients one at a time, then mix. When your marinade is thoroughly mixed, pour half of it into a large Ziploc bag and reserve the other half for serving.

Add your shrimp to the Ziploc bag containing the marinade and 'knead' the shrimp to coat them completely. Roll the bag up tightly, releasing any trapped air and place in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes. Don't go over that time as the citric acid in the lime juice will begin to cook the shrimp, resulting in a rubbery texture.

While your shrimp marinade, preheat your barbecue grill to medium heat and lightly oil the cooking surface. You can use a cooking spray like PAM or simply brush the grate with olive oil to prevent your skewers from sticking.

When your marinade time is up, remove the shrimp from the refrigerator and thread onto the skewers. We have a set of 15-inch metal skewers that are awesome for kabobs. But, wooden skewers will work too. Just make sure to soak them for 30 minutes or so before adding the shrimp to avoid burning.

Carefully thread the shrimp onto the skewers, piercing each shrimp twice if possible. Next, place each kabob on the grill. These kabobs cook quickly, so you'll want to keep an eye on them. 3-4 minutes per side on medium heat is perfect. An easy way to tell when they're done is the shrimp will no longer be translucent, but more of a pink color.

Now simply remove the skewers from the grill with tongs or oven gloves and place on a serving platter. Drizzle with the remaining marinade and serve hot! You can garnish with chopped cilantro, fresh lime wedges or even fresh parsley sprigs.

What we like about this Cilantro Lime Shrimp Kabob Recipe!

Chipotle Lime Shrimp Kabob Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. (21-30) large fresh or frozen shrimp

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (2 limes)

• 1 tbsp lime zest

• 1 tsp chipotle chili pepper

• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tbsp honey (preferably local)

• Salt and black pepper, to taste

How to make Chipotle Lime Shrimp

1. Whisk marinade ingredients together in large bowl.

2. Pour one-half of marinade mixture into 1 gallon Ziploc bag and reserve the other half in the bowl for serving.

3. Add shrimp to the Ziploc bag and 'knead' to coat. Marinate at least 15 minutes but not longer than 30 minutes.

4. Thread the shrimp onto skewers, 5-6 per skewer.

5. Preheat grill over medium heat. Lightly oil grill grate.

6. Cook shrimp until no longer translucent, 3-4 minutes per side. Watch carefully as shrimp cook very quickly and will become rubbery if overcooked.

7. Remove from grill and place onto a serving platter. Drizzle lightly with reserved marinade.

8. Serve immediately garnished with fresh parsley sprigs and lime slices or as desired. Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

• If using frozen shrimp, thaw in cold water. Thawing in hot water could result in both rubbery shrimp and bacteria growth.

• We use metal skewers, but if you're using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before adding the shrimp.

• A 1 lb. bag of large frozen shrimp typically contains 21-30 shrimp, which is perfect for 2 people.

• Before you preheat your grill, make sure to clean the grate, then add cooking spray or brush with olive oil to prevent the kabobs from sticking.

• Don't marinade for longer than 30 minutes as the citric acid in the lime juice will begin cooking the shrimp, making them rubbery and chewy.

FAQs

• What are chipotle peppers? Believe it or not, chipotle peppers are simply dried jalapenos...basically. It's a bit more complicated than that, so if you want to learn more, our friends at Vera Mexicana have put together a great article explaining the finer points of Chipotle peppers.

• What can you serve with Chipotle Lime Shrimp? The options here are only limited by your imagination. Some suggestions are tacos, Mexican-style scampi, burritos, burrito bowls virtually anywhere else your appetite takes you.

• What garnish should I use for my Chipotle Lime Shrimp Kabobs? Again, the options here are virtually endless. Some popular options are cilantro, lime wedges, parsley sprigs, salsa, sour cream and cheese.

• How long should I grill these Shrimp Kabobs? Preheat your grill to medium and cook the skewers for 3-4 minutes per side or until the shrimp are no longer translucent.

• How long should I marinade the shrimp? For this recipe, 15-30 minutes is the sweet spot. Any less and you won't get the full flavor. Any more and you'll end up with rubbery shrimp.