The Secret To Getting More Flavor From Your Shrimp Marinade On The Grill

Shrimp were made to be grilled. The shellfish are incredibly fast-cooking, making them ideal for high-heat searing. Plus, the grill's smoky flavor and kiss of char work wonders on their flavor and texture. Shrimp have a mild oceanic sweetness that functions as a marvelous blank canvas, so you'll want to use a potent marinade, like simple, lemony salmoriglio (which is also great with steak), to bring some pizzazz to the dish. To help you get the most from your marination, Chowhound asked Jonathan Bautista, executive chef of Ember & Rye restaurant at the Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad, California, for his advice on grilling shrimp.

The most important thing that Chef Bautista emphasizes is giving your shrimp plenty of time to soak up flavor. "Marinades should be added one to two hours prior to cooking," he explains. "Marinating shrimp for at least an hour helps the flavors penetrate properly." Letting the marinade fully infuse is essential, as it will help to eliminate the fishy taste in shrimp and bring your desired flavors to the forefront. Getting this step done early also makes the rest of the cooking process far less hurried, as you can address other tasks while the marinade works its magic. However, starting a few hours in advance isn't all you can do, and Chef Bautista, for his part, encourages doubling down on the flavor.

Applying a marinade in advance of cooking is fairly standard practice, but chef Jonathan Bautista takes it one step further by applying a second helping when the shrimp hits the grill. "I usually use a basting brush and keep an extra side of marinade or sauce nearby," he reveals. "I brush it onto the shrimp during the cooking process to ensure the most delicious end product". Shrimp are ready in just a few minutes, so you'll want to have your side of marinade ready to go with a brush as soon as you start grilling and brush the shrimp on both sides. You can use fresh marinade that you've set aside in advance, or boil your shrimp-infused marinade before basting to rid it of potentially harmful bacteria, according to the USDA.

When you grill shrimp, you'll have to decide whether to use peeled or unpeeled shrimp. Unpeeled shrimp still have the shell, which acts as a barrier to protect the shrimp from sticking to the grill or burning, but you'll have to make a cut through the back of the shell prior to marinating if you want the flavors to really sink in. Peeled shrimp are easier to prep, but if you go this route, you'll need skewers for grilled shrimp, as they help when it comes to flipping the little crustaceans on the grill.