Grilled Shrimp with Cilantro Pesto

5 from 6 votes

Grilled Shrimp with Cilantro Pesto

Grilled Shrimp with Cilantro Pesto and toasted grilled bread is the ultimate summer recipe. Bright, herby, and smoky, ready in just 30 minutes on the grill.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Marinating Time10

Total Time30

Course: Main Course, Dinner

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings: servings

Author: Gaby Dalkin

Ingredients

For the Cilantro Sauce

1 shallot roughly chopped
2 cups fresh cilantro leaves tightly packed, stems removed (about 4 ounces)
1 clove garlic
½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Grilled Shrimp and Bread

2 lbs medium shrimp peeled and deveined
wooden skewers soaked in water or metal
1 lemon juiced
1 teaspoons red pepper flakes
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 loaf of bread sliced into 1 ½ inch pieces on a bias
olive oil for drizzling
3 lemons halved and grilled

Instructions

For the Cilantro Sauce

Combine all the pesto ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend for about 60 seconds until very smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Set aside. This can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated.

For the Grilled Shrimp

Thread about 6 shrimp onto each soaked skewer and arrange on a large plate or cutting board. Drizzle about one third of the cilantro pesto over the skewered shrimp along with the lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Toss lightly and let marinate for 10 to 20 minutes while you prepare the grill.
Meanwhile, arrange the bread slices on a large platter and drizzle liberally with olive oil on both sides.
Prepare a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat. Place the bread on the grill and cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side until golden with grill marks on both sides. Remove and set aside. Place the lemon halves cut-side down on the grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until caramelized and slightly charred. Remove and set aside.
Place the shrimp skewers on the grill over medium-high heat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until the shrimp are pink, opaque, and just cooked through. Remove from the grill immediately.
Serve the grilled shrimp and bread together with the remaining cilantro pesto for dipping and the grilled lemon halves for squeezing.

Notes

Soak wooden skewers for at least 30 minutes before grilling. Dry wood ignites quickly over high heat and will burn before your shrimp are done. A good long soak keeps the skewers intact through the entire cook time.
Thread shrimp so they lay flat and snug on the skewer. Shrimp curls as it cooks, so threading through both the tail and the body keeps each piece flat against the grates. This gives you even contact with the heat and better grill marks.
Do not marinate the shrimp for longer than 20 minutes. The red wine vinegar in the cilantro sauce is acidic enough to start breaking down the proteins in the shrimp. Over-marinating will give you a mushy, mealy texture before the shrimp ever hits the grill.
Pat shrimp dry before skewering if they are very wet from the bag. Excess moisture creates steam on the grill instead of a sear. A quick pat with paper towels helps the marinade adhere and promotes charring rather than steaming.
Pull shrimp off the grill the moment they turn pink and opaque. Shrimp cook in 2 to 3 minutes per side over medium-high heat, and carry-over cooking continues after they leave the grill. Even 60 extra seconds will push them into rubbery territory.
Blend the cilantro pesto for a full 60 seconds without stopping. Cilantro leaves need sustained blending to fully break down and emulsify with the olive oil. A short pulse leaves the sauce grainy and the oil separated rather than smooth and cohesive.
Use the full half cup of olive oil in the pesto without cutting it back. The olive oil is what gives the pesto its silky, drizzleable consistency and helps it cling to the shrimp and bread. Reducing it makes the sauce too thick and the flavor too sharp from the vinegar.
Drizzle the bread with olive oil before it goes on the grill, not after. Oil applied before grilling penetrates the bread as it heats and creates a crisp, golden crust with deep grill marks. Oil added after just sits on the surface and makes the bread greasy.
Grill the lemon halves, cut-side down, over direct heat until charred. Heat caramelizes the natural sugars in the lemon and mellows the sharp acidity. Squeezing a grilled lemon over the finished shrimp adds a sweeter, more complex citrus note than raw lemon juice alone.
Reserve at least half of the cilantro pesto for serving rather than using it all as a marinade. Heat dulls bright herby flavors, so the pesto that goes on raw shrimp will taste muted after grilling. Finishing the dish with fresh, uncooked pesto is where all the vibrant flavor payoff comes from.
Make the cilantro pesto up to 5 days ahead and store it in the fridge. The olive oil and vinegar act as preservatives, and the flavors actually deepen as it sits. Having it ready in advance makes this a genuinely fast weeknight meal on grill night.
Use an indoor grill pan over medium-high heat if you do not have an outdoor grill. A cast-iron grill pan gets hot enough to char the bread and cook the shrimp through with proper grill marks. Keep the heat consistent and do not move the skewers around so you get a real sear instead of a steam.

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