Grilled Pineapple Honey Shrimp

You might not know it, but a lot of the shrimp you buy in the supermarket or at some seafood restaurants wasn’t caught in American waters. In fact, a lot of it didn’t come from the ocean at all. Instead, it came from a pond in a foreign country, sometimes with very loose or zero regulations on food safety and cleanliness.

Catch them yourself or buy them from reputable shrimpers, wild caught shrimp are the way to go. Images by author

Whenever you buy shrimp, always insist that it be wild caught from American waters. Wild caught shrimp are better tasting, cleaner, free from hormones and antibiotics often found in imported farm raised shrimp. Top that with supporting hard-working fishing families along coastal waters and you have a win/win. Whenever I’m hanging out along the east or Gulf coast, I like to find the local docks where the shrimp boats come in and out. Often, you can buy fresh shrimp straight from the boat. If this isn’t an option, find a good local seafood market that buys directly from the shrimpers. Don’t worry if it is frozen when you get it. Many of the larger shrimp boats now flash freeze the shrimp as soon as they come out of the nets. This results in fresher flavor and allows the boats to stay out longer on trips until they fill their holds.

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Even better than buying shrimp is catching your own. If you live or vacation somewhere along the coast, give shrimping a try. Use a long-handled dip net or a cast net, then head down to the dock or water’s edge at night. Chum the area with commercial shrimp chum, dogfood or even livestock food pellets. After a bit, shrimp will come in from deeper water to feed. Shine a strong light on the water’s surface to see the feeding shrimp, then dip them up with a net or toss your cast net over the feeding school. Check regulations where you are, as many states and localities have specific laws about what license and permits you need to catch shrimp and there may be open and closed seasons.

No matter how you got it, once you have your shrimp, give this tasty grilled recipe a try. The shrimp get marinated in a sweet and tangy tropical mixture with a pineapple juice base, then drizzled with additional marinade as they grill. I like to cook and serve them on wooden skewers to make them easy to turn on the grill and serve at the table.

This sweet and tangy tropical marinade is the perfect flavor for shrimp.

Start by peeling and deveining the shrimp. A Toadfish Brand Shrimp Cleaner is the best tool I’ve ever used for this task and makes it quick and easy.

Peel and devein the shrimp under running water.

Once your shrimp are cleaned, mix the marinade. To a bowl or measuring cup, add 1 cup pineapple juice, ½ cup soy sauce, ½ cup honey, two cloves minced garlic, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, and three to four thin slices of fresh ginger. Mix well.

Place the cleaned shrimp in a zip top bag and pour in half the marinade.

Pour half the marinade over the shrimp and refrigerate.

Reserve the remaining marinade for cooking. Refrigerate the shrimp for 30 minutes to one hour. Don’t go much longer than an hour or the acid in the pineapple juice will “cook” the shrimp, making it soft.

Once the shrimp have marinated, thread them onto wooden skewers.

Thread the marinated shrimp onto skewers.

Grill over medium heat, turning often and basting with reserved marinade as they cook.

Baste with reserved marinade while the shrimp grill.

Cooking time will depend on size, but for medium/large, about 10 minutes should do. Don’t overcook your shrimp or they will be tough and chewy.

Grill just until cooked through. Overcooking will make the shrimp rubbery.

Serve over rice for a main course or just serve the skewers as an appetizer.

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