This shrimp kabobs recipe makes 4 delicious servings of grilled shrimp and veg skewers, served with cooked potatoes and ketchup. Instead of firing up the grill, we got our grill pan out; the result was just as satisfying and the cooking more convenient.
Are Shrimp Kabobs Healthy?
Yes, they are. These skewers will provide you with plenty of protein from the shrimp and with such an abundance of ingredients, there’s no shortage of micronutrients. We also serve them with cooked potatoes, a healthy complex carb that we should all include in our diet.
Still, a healthy dish’s nutritional profile must comply with the USDA’s dietary guidelines. For one that’s traditionally heavily seasoned with no clear portion size like shrimp kabobs, large amounts of calories and sodium is often the case.
Hence, we had to reduce the portion size and use only moderate amounts of salt. With these adjustments, each serving contained just 483 calories and 577 mg sodium. These are the kind of healthy amounts we aim for when forging a main dish recipe.
To learn more, have a look at our dietary guidelines.
Ingredients for Shrimp Kabobs
To ensure a sound nutritional profile, this shrimp kabobs recipe requires strict measurement. We measured our ingredients using a scale, measuring cups and spoons, and we highly recommend that you do the same.
1. Shrimp
For convenience, we suggest that you look for frozen shrimp that are already peeled and deveined. We like to keep the tail on for presentation purposes, so we purchased whole shrimp and spent about 15 minutes peeling as a result. It was unnecessarily time-consuming.
However, if you do decide to go for fresh shrimp, they’re worth the effort.
For skewers, medium to large shrimp are more suitable than small or jumbo ones. About 2 to 3 shrimp per skewer is a perfect amount.
2. Marinade for Shrimp Kabobs
Once peeled and deveined, the shrimp are to be marinated with:
- Lime juice, to neutralize the fishy odor.
- Italian seasonings and thyme, for a complementing fragrance.
- Red pepper flakes, paprika, and cayenne to give both a kick and an appetizing red color.
- Salt and pepper, for reasons you already know.
To this mix, you can add either some cumin or some cajun seasoning if you prefer.
3. Vegetables
On the skewers are some crunchy veg like zucchini, onion, and bell peppers that we tossed with oregano and olive oil before grilling. We thought the mix would taste even better with some sweet pineapples, but seeing the hate Hawaiian pizzas get, we decided to go without.
When making kabobs, it’s important to cut the vegetables into chunks of the same size. Here’s how we did it:
- Red onion: slice it in half, face each half flat-side down and cut them in three, both diagonally and horizontally. Each chunk should have different layers — separate to keep about 2 layers per chunk.
- Red bell peppers: cut away the bottom and the top. Discard the top as well as the core, and keep the bottom. Cut the bell pepper open and slice away the white part. Cut them into chunks similar in size to the red onion.
- Zucchinis: cut them into two pieces, the thin neck and the bigger body. Cut the neck into slices as thick as the bell peppers. Slice the bigger body in half lengthwise and do the same as the neck.
We also cut some potatoes into bite-sized chunks and cooked them in the microwave. They are to be served on the side, adding some healthy complex carbs to the meal.
How to Make Shrimp Kabobs
Here’s what you need to do:
- Cook the potatoes in the microwave.
- Marinate the shrimp.
- Season the vegetables.
- Make the skewers.
- Grill them on the grill pan.
- Enjoy with potatoes and ketchup.
For more details and precise measurements, refer to our shrimp kabobs recipe card at the bottom of this article.
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Shrimp Kabobs
You have two options: refrigerate or freeze the leftovers. They will last for only 4 days in the fridge, but up to 3 months in the freezer.
Still, since the crunchy vegetables will lose their texture once frozen and reheated, we highly recommend that you only refrigerate the leftovers for the best result. Place them in air-tight containers, Ziploc bags, or biodegradable bags, and they’re good to go.
To reheat, grill them on the pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes per side.
What to Serve With Shrimp Kabobs
Besides potatoes, we decided to add some extra greens by serving these skewers with a Greek salad. It’s fresh, tangy, and light - a classic pairing for heavy dishes.
To balance out all those strong flavors, we served our skewers with our pineapple ginger juice. Its sweetness and hint of warmth from the ginger makes it the perfect finisher for shrimp kabobs.
Shrimp Kabobs Recipe
Our shrimp kabobs recipe is a fun way to eat grilled shrimp and vegetables.
- cook TIME 43 mins
- prep TIME 7 mins
- total TIME 50 mins
- COURSE Main Course
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 483 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 20 ozpotato (about 3 medium, cut into chunks)
- 14 ozpeeled shrimp (from 28 oz whole shrimp)
- 2 tbsplime juice (from about 2-3 limes)
- 1 tbspItalian seasonings
- 1 tspgarlic (about 1-2 cloves, minced)
- 0.5 tspfresh thyme
- 0.5 tspred pepper flakes
- 0.5 tsppaprika
- 0.5 tspcayenne
- 0.5 tspground black pepper
- 0.3 tspsalt
- 3 tbspolive oil (divided)
- 1 tspfresh oregano
- 6 ozgreen zucchini (cut into chunks)
- 6 ozyellow zucchini (cut into chunks)
- 6 ozred bell pepper (about 1 1/2 medium, cut into chunks)
- 4 ozgreen bell pepper (about a medium, cut into chunks)
- 4 ozred onion (about a medium, cut into chunks)
- 2 tbspunsalted butter (about 1 oz)
- 2 tbspparsley (chopped)
- 4 tbspHeinz ketchup
INSTRUCTIONS
Place 20 oz potatoes into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on medium for 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, coat 14 oz peeled shrimp with 2 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp Italian seasonings, 1 tsp garlic, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, toss 6 oz green zucchini, 6 oz yellow zucchini, 6 oz red bell pepper, 4 oz green bell pepper, and 4 oz red onion with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp oregano.
Thread skewers with the shrimp and veggies. You should make about 16 kabobs in total (4 per serving), each having about 2-3 shrimp in between the veggies.
Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Use 2 tbsp butter and the remaining oil (2 tbsp) to grill the kabobs, 5 minutes per side. We did it in 3 batches, taking 30 minutes in total.
Sprinkle 2 tbsp parsley on top and serve with cooked potatoes and 4 tbsp ketchup.
NUTRITION
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Emily Rogers, MPH, RDN
Nutrition Reviewer