Tequila is a perfect cocktail base as well as a marinade ingredient! Plump, juicy shrimp are covered in lots of tequila, lime, garlic, and cilantro for a mouthwatering marinade before skewering and grilling to perfection. These marinated shrimp skewers are the perfect protein to grill on a hot day and serve with cilantro lime sauce or pico on the side.

Cooking with alcohol is sometimes underrated. Chefs often use wine to deglaze their pans or beer to braise sausages, but sometimes you want to cook with your favorite liquor. My favorite underrated cooking alcohol is tequila.

Tequila is the most underused alcohol when cooking. You rarely hear about it outside of a bar setting, so don’t discount this delicious liquor. It works well in marinades, for deglazing a pan, and for soups or stews.

In contrast to that, my favorite protein for quick-marinade is shrimp. These little crustaceans soak up almost any marinade you toss them with, especially if there is citrus involved. Shrimp acts like a sponge when citrus is introduced, which you can taste in the final dish. (Use code TRAILTOHEALTH for $15 off Wild Alaskan Seafood)

Lime juice, fresh lime zest, garlic powder, onion powder , and tequila come together for a scrumptious tart, yet smooth marinade. The lime flavor permeates the shrimp due to the zest, which has more flavor than the juice. Topping with a creamy and light cilantro lime sauce makes for the perfect summer meal.

Grilling shrimp is so flavorful and easy, especially when skewered. The hot grill creates gorgeous grill marks and highlights the marinated shrimp beautifully. You could even throw a few tortillas on the grill with the shrimp and have grilled shrimp tacos!

Read on to find out exactly how to make these delectable Tequila Marinated Shrimp Skewers.

Elements for the Perfect Marinade

The point of a marinade is to make it extremely flavorful so that the liquid is absorbed into the meat itself. There are quite a few ingredients that are great in a marinade, but each recipe needs to have four elements to have a well-rounded flavor. The four elements for a perfect marinade are:

Acid - Marinades call for an acid, which helps break down meat tissue and allows for the best marinade absorption. Acids may include lemon juice, lime juice, or any type of vinegar.
Fat - Typically in the form of oil, the fat offers a richness to the meat marinade. These include olive oil, butter, or yogurt.
Salt - Almost every recipe needs salt. Salt is a flavor enhancer and is usually the “missing ingredient” in most under-seasoned meals. Soy sauce can also add saltiness to marinades without adding salt.
Seasonings - More seasonings equal more flavor! Common seasonings are dried or fresh herbs and dried or fresh spices. You could even add sweetness in the form of sugar, honey, or maple syrup.

Ingredients in Tequila Marinated Shrimp Skewers

Just a few simple pantry staples allow you to make this amazing summer shrimp recipe. All seafood recipes need to start with great-quality seafood. Here is everything needed to make Tequila Marinated Shrimp Skewers.

High-Quality Shrimp - Medium-sized peeled and deveined shrimp work best here. They are easy to skewer and eat. Be sure to use my code TRAILTOHEALTH for $15 off Wild Alaskan Seafood or code 1TRAILTOHEALTH5 for 5% off your 1st order of Vital Choice!
Tequila - Nice quality tequila has an unmistakable smoothness, so use a tequila that you would also drink for the best results.
Lime - This little citrus fruit is used for both its juice and zest. The zest has tons of flavor that get into the shrimp.
Garlic powder - Garlic seems to enhance everything it touches. Garlic belongs in everything!
Onion powder - Onion powder has a sweetness to it that plays so well with shrimp.
Salt - Although shrimp is from the salty sea, it still requires salt for seasoning.
Chopped cilantro - Fresh herbs add an entirely new element to your cooking, so don’t skimp on the cilantro.

How to Make Tequila Marinated Shrimp Skewers

Grilling shrimp is my favorite way of cooking this protein because of the extra flavor from the grill. This makes it the perfect outdoor summer BBQ meal.

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the shrimp and whisk together.
Add the shrimp and coat them in the marinade. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes, but no longer. The acid will begin to cook the shrimp if it sits longer than 1 hour.
Place the shrimp onto skewer sticks and heat your grill to medium heat. Once the grill is hot, place the skewers on the grill until the shrimp is opaque, or about 3-5 minutes per side.
Remove from the grill. Place the shrimp in grain-free tortillas and top with cilantro lime sauce and simple pico. Enjoy with avocado or jicama on the side.

What to Serve with Tequila Marinated Shrimp Skewers

These juicy shrimp skewers go well with so many side dishes. It’s perfect to pair with your favorite summer salads or some simple rice. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve this shrimp dish:

Tacos - Make tacos out of these little shrimps! Once you remove the shrimp from the grill, carefully remove them from their skewers and place them over warm, grilled grain-free tortillas.
Cilantro Lime Sauce - Whether you make tacos or not, this sauce is fabulous with the shrimp. The sauce does not compete with the marinade flavor, but rather enhances it. Find this recipe in my book, Wandering Palate.
Slaw - Your favorite crunchy coleslaw recipe will work wonders on top of a shrimp taco or aside plump shrimp.
Pico de Gallo - Either fresh or homemade, this salsa takes this shrimp to the next level. Be sure to make it on the spicy side!

More Fabulous Summer Dishes

These are some of my favorite dishes alongside my summer BBQ staples.

Servings: 2
Prep Time: 30-60 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (Use code TRAILTOHEALTH for $15 off Wild Alaskan Seafood or code 1TRAILTOHEALTH5 for 5% your 1st order of Vital Choice)
¼ cup tequila
¼ cup lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
¼ cup olive oil Use code TRAILTOHEALTH for 10% off
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Skewer sticks

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the shrimp and whisk together.

2. Add the shrimp and coat them in the marinade and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

3 Place the shrimp onto skewer sticks and heat your grill to medium heat. Once the grill is hot, place the skewers on the grill is opaque, about 3-5 minutes per side.

4. Place shrimp in grain-free tortillas and top with cilantro lime sauce and simple pico. Find these sauce recipes in my book, Wandering Palate. Enjoy with avocado or jicama on the side.