Shrimp is the fastest main you can put on a lot grill. Jumbo ones take 5 or 6 minutes, so they come off while everyone is still standing around the tent. Jerk seasoning comes out of Jamaica, built on scallion, thyme, allspice and Scotch bonnet peppers, and this marinade sticks to those. Blend it at home, set a half cup aside for the dipping sauce before any shrimp touches it, and keep the rest in a jar. The shrimp only need 30 minutes to an hour in it, so they go into the bag in the cooler at the lot, not the night before. Scotch bonnets are hot. Wear gloves when you cut them.
At the lot: Marinate in the cooler for 30 to 60 minutes, grill over high direct heat and pile them on a platter with the lime and sauce. Cook ahead: Grill or broil at home, chill them, and serve them cold out of the cooler with the same sauce. Homegating: Broil them on a sheet pan and serve straight from the kitchen.
145°F
Opaque all the way through
60 MIN
Most time in the marinade
HIGH
Direct heat, lid open
6
Serves
Ingredients
Jerk marinade
- 6 scallions, roughly chopped
- 2 Scotch bonnet peppers, stemmed (seeded for less heat)
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; 1¼ tsp if Morton)
Dipping sauce
- ½ cup of the marinade, set aside first
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
Shrimp
- 3 lb jumbo shell-on shrimp (16 to 20 per pound, or larger)
- Vegetable oil for the grates
To serve
- 3 limes, cut into wedges
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Steps
At home
- Put on gloves to stem the Scotch bonnets, and keep your hands away from your eyes. Seed them for less heat. Wash the board and knife right after.
- Blend all the marinade ingredients until smooth. Let it settle a minute before you lift the lid; the fumes sting.
- Before any shrimp is near it, pour ½ cup of the marinade into a small saucepan with the water and brown sugar. Simmer it 5 minutes, stir in the lime juice, cool it and jar it. Jar the rest of the marinade separately. Refrigerate both.
- With kitchen scissors, cut each shrimp shell down the back to the tail, cutting a little into the meat. Pull out the dark vein and leave the shell and tail on. Rinse, pat dry and seal them in a gallon zip-top bag.
- The shrimp ride double-bagged at the bottom of the cooler at 40°F or below, below the dipping sauce, limes, cilantro and anything else ready to eat. The marinade jar rides next to them.
At the lot
- About an hour before you want to eat, pour the marinade into the shrimp bag and work it under the shells. Seal it and put it back at the bottom of the cooler for 30 to 60 minutes, no longer; the lime starts to soften the shrimp.
- Heat the grill to high and oil the grates. Lift the shrimp out and let the extra drip off. Throw out the bag and the marinade; don't baste with it.
- Lay the shrimp across the grates so they can't fall through. Grill them, lid open, 2 to 3 minutes a side, until the shells are charred in spots and the meat is opaque all the way through. Check the thickest one: 145°F. Pull them as soon as they get there.
- Pile them on a platter, scatter the cilantro, and set out the lime wedges and the dipping sauce. Cooked shrimp sit out no more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F.
Cook ahead
- Marinate in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes, then grill as in step 8, or broil them on a foil-lined sheet pan about 4 inches under a hot broiler, 2 to 3 minutes a side, until opaque and 145°F. Cool them and refrigerate within 2 hours.
- Carry them in a lidded container in the cooler at 40°F or below and serve them cold with the lime and dipping sauce. Take them out of the cooler no more than 2 hours before they're gone.
Pack for the lot
What is jerk shrimp?
Shrimp in jerk seasoning, the spice paste that comes out of Jamaica, built on scallion, thyme, allspice and Scotch bonnet peppers. This version is shell-on shrimp marinated briefly and grilled over high heat.
How long should you marinate jerk shrimp?
30 minutes to an hour. The lime juice in the marinade starts to make shrimp soft and mealy if they sit much longer.
How spicy is jerk shrimp?
Hot with two Scotch bonnets and their seeds. Seed them, or use one, for a milder batch. Habaneros are the closest swap.
Should you grill shrimp with the shell on?
You can go either way. The shell protects the meat from the high heat, and splitting it down the back lets the marinade in and makes the shrimp easy to peel at the table.
How do you know when shrimp are done?
The meat turns opaque all the way through, with no gray translucent center, and reads 145°F in the thickest one. They go from done to tough fast, so pull them right away.
Can you make jerk shrimp in the oven?
Yes. Broil them on a foil-lined sheet pan about 4 inches under the heat, 2 to 3 minutes a side, until opaque and 145°F.
More off the grill: huli huli chicken and grilled shrimp and grits. More shrimp: clambake foil packets. Pour big-batch margaritas or sweet tea lemonade, and set out Texas caviar.
