Juicy, tender, and flavourful grilled cajun shrimp skewers are my new favourite summer meal. These prawn skewers are garlicky, lemony, beautifully charred and packed with flavour from the cajun seasoning in the marinade and the olive oil parsley mixture that we brush on top. The best part of all? It takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and make, and this includes the time it takes to marinate.
Ingredients in Cajun Shrimp Marinade
Cajun shrimp skewers are all about the marinade. To make this, you will the following ingredients:
- tiger prawns - or jumbo shrimp. You will need one pound, which is roughly 24 prawns. To prepare them, use scissors to cut through the shell along the back of the prawns, and remove the shells and tails. Rinse to remove the veins and pat dry with paper towel.
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- garlic
- cajun spice - or Old Bay spice.
- Italian seasoning
- paprika
- parsley - fresh parsley to add on top when grilling.
- lemon wedges - for serving.
You will also need skewers, tongs for grilling, and an indoor grill pan (if you are not using an outdoor grill).
How to Make the Best Grilled Cajun Shrimp Skewers
First marinate the prawns. Add the peeled and deveined prawns into a large bowl and add in a tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, cajun spice, Italian seasoning, and paprika. Toss to combine and fully coat the prawns with the marinade. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, up to 30 minutes.
Then, thread the marinated prawns onto skewers. Add 4 prawns on each skewer.
Lightly brush some olive oil over the grill pan. Preheat the grill over medium high heat for 3 minutes until the oil starts sizzling and shimmering. In a small bowl, combine remaining olive oil with finely chopped parsley. Set aside until ready to grill.
Place the skewers spaced evenly apart on the grill pan and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side or until the prawns turn completely orange. Brush the olive oil parsley mixture over the prawns during grilling.
Transfer to a plate and serve warm with some lemon wedges on the side. Sprinkle extra chopped parsley on top.
How to Cook Cajun Shrimp in the Air Fryer
To cook cajun shrimp skewers in the air fryer, do not thread them and place about 10 prawns in the air fryer basket at a time. Cook at 350 F for 8 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
How to Serve Cajun Shrimp Skewers
- Serve cajun shrimp on it's own as a snack or appetizer
- Serve it with a side of coconut rice or plain white rice. It is also really nice served on top of creamy mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash.
- Serve it in a salad. Try it with a Mediterranean orzo pasta salad or a summer corn salad.
- Serve it in shrimp tacos with lime crema slaw.
Tips for Making Shrimp Skewers
- Marinate the prawns. I recommend marinating the prawns for just 15 minutes and up to a maximum of 30 minutes. This is because of the acidic lemon juice in the marinade, which will actually start to "cook" the prawns. The same idea that makes ceviche work.
- Double up the recipe. This recipe that makes about 6 skewers. You can easily double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd (or if you just want to make sure you have leftovers for lunch the next day). Leftovers are amazing in a salad, and you don't even need to warm it up.
- How to store. Unthread the prawns from the skewers and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
More Shrimp Recipes
- Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo (coming soon)
- 10-Minute Seafood Fried Rice
- Stir-fried Rice Cakes with Shrimp
- Shrimp Tacos with Lima Crema Slaw
- Easy Grilled Shrimp Boil
- Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles
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Recipe
Grilled Cajun Shrimp Skewers
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 6 skewers
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Juicy and tender grilled cajun shrimp skewers are garlicky, lemony, and packed with flavour by the cajun marinade. Ready in under 30 minutes including prep.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. tiger prawns (or jumbo shrimp), peeled, deveined, and tails removed (about 24 prawns)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon cajun spice (or Old Bay spice)
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
- 2 lemon wedges
Instructions
- Use scissors to cut through the shell along the back of the prawns, and remove the shells. Rinse to remove the veins and pat dry with paper towel.
- Add the prawns into a large bowl and add in a tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, cajun spice, Italian seasoning, and paprika. Shrimp are naturally quite flavourful on their own, so you do not need to over season them.
- Toss to combine and fully coat the prawns with the marinade. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, up to 30 minutes.
- Thread the marinated prawns onto skewers. Add 4 prawns on each skewer.
- Lightly brush some olive oil over the grill pan. Preheat the grill over medium high heat for 3 minutes until the oil starts sizzling and shimmering. In a small bowl, combine remaining olive oil with finely chopped parsley. Set aside until ready to grill.
- Place the skewers spaced evenly apart on the grill pan and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side or until the prawns turn completely orange. Brush the olive oil parsley mixture over the prawns during grilling.
- Transfer to a plate and serve warm with some lemon wedges on the side. Sprinkle extra chopped parsley on top.
Notes
Equipment used: skewers, tongs for grilling, an indoor grill pan, and a digital meat thermometer.
How to serve cajun shrimp: Serve cajun shrimp on it's own as a snack or appetizer. You can also serve it with a side of coconut rice or plain white rice. It is also really nice served on top of creamy mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash. Some other ways to serve it are on a salad (try it with a Mediterranean orzo pasta salad or a summer corn salad) or in shrimp tacos with lime crema slaw.
How to marinate prawns: I recommend marinating the prawns for just 15 minutes and up to a maximum of 30 minutes. This is because of the acidic lemon juice in the marinade, which will actually start to "cook" the prawns. The same idea that makes ceviche work.
Double up the recipe: This recipe that makes about 6 skewers. You can easily double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd (or if you just want to make sure you have leftovers for lunch the next day). Leftovers are amazing in a salad, and you don't even need to warm it up.
How to make cajun shrimp in the air fryer: To cook in the air fryer, place about 10 prawns (not threaded in skewers) in the air fryer basket at a time. Cook at 350 F for 8 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
How to store: Unthread the prawns from the skewers and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes (+15 minutes time to marinate)
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Seafood
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Hanna says
Sami, you did it again. Such a great recipe! My husband loved these!
Lisalia says
I love shrimp and always order it at a restaurant. This recipe was so easy to make at home and had great flavor! I'm loving that I can make a restaurant-quality dish in my own kitchen. LOVE your recipes Sam. Looking forward to making this again.
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much Lisalia! So happy you liked the recipe!