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Grilled Spicy Lime Shrimp with Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce has a simple but full of flavor and spice marinade. The creamy avocado cilantro sauce is the perfect cool and creamy dipping sauce.

The lime flavor on this shrimp is out of this world good.ย  Really, I love to add lime to many recipes.ย  Grilled coconut lime pineapple, Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad, and Crazy Good Honey Lime Shrimp are a few of my favorites.

Grilled Spicy Lime Shrimp with Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce on skewers on a white plate with fresh limes on the side.

Grilled Spicy Lime Shrimp with Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce

Do you ever get through a week and are just so happy that you survived? That was last week for me. I barely made it. It was the last week of school plusย we are in the moving process. On top of it all my little girl turned two! We were able to pull it all together and managed to have an amazing Finding Nemo Birthday Party. If you follow me on instagram you will see her amazing cake! My little girl is obsessed with “Meno” and loved every minute of it. We may have given her her presents to her in Amazon boxes but we totally pulled it together! It was a huge success.

We are loving the warmer weather here and since we have been so busy lately we are loving to grill. My husband LOVES shrimp and asks me to cook it all of the time. I decided to make an easy marinade for these shrimp that really packed a punch. It had such a delicious blend of spices and the result was amazing.ย It is such a quick and easy recipe that is absolutely delicious, especially if you love shrimp! This should go on your list of things to grill. You are going to love it!

Grilled Lime Shrimp Ingredients:

  • Shrimp: Use peeled and deveined
  • Lime juice: One large lime should be plenty.
  • Olive oil: For marinade.
  • Garlic: 2 cloves minced.
  • Chili powder: A bit of spice.
  • Cumin: Distinctive earthy, nutty flavor.
  • Paprika: Adds color and mild flavor.
  • Salt and Pepper: To taste
  • Red pepper flakes: Adds texture and spice.

How to Grill Shrimp:

The great thing about shrimp is that they are so easy to cook! They grill up in just a matter of minutes. The marinade on these shrimp is out of this world! It has such a great blend of spices and flavor.

  1. Prepare Marinade: In a small bowl whisk together lime juice, olive oil, garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. Pour into a resealable bag and add shrimp.
  2. Prep: Toss to coat and marinate for 30 minutes.Preheat the grill to medium heat.
  3. Grill Shrimp: Put the shrimp on skewers and place on the grill. Grill on each side for about two minutes or until no longer pink.
  4. Make Sauce: To make the creamy avocado cilantro sauce add the avocado, greek yogurt, garlic, lime and cilantro. Pulse in a food processor until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with shrimp.

Grilled Spicy Lime Shrimp on a grill.

Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce:

My favorite part was theย Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce. It was so cool and creamy on these spicy lime shrimp. We are a family of dippers so most everything involves a dip. And this dip was the perfect compliment to help cool down the spice in the shrimp.

  • Avocado: split and pitted
  • Greek yogurt: Lowfat
  • Garlic: One clove minced works great for me but adjust to your preference.
  • Lime juice: About one lime
  • Cilantro: Chopped for garnish
  • Salt and pepper: To taste

 

Grilled Spicy Lime Shrimp on a white plater.

The Best Way to Grill Shrimp:

  • How do I keep shrimp from drying out? Make extra marinade to keep separate and use to brush over shrimp while they are cooking, so they won’t dry out.
  • How hot should my grill be? Grill temperature should be about 350-450ยฐF.ย  Cook the shrimp over the direct medium heat.
  • Avoid burning? Occasionally, turn the shrimp while cooking.
  • How do I know when they are done?ย  The shrimp are fully cooked when the outside of the shrimp turn a nice pink color.ย  Also, the meat inside should be white and opaque.
  • Can I cook shrimp from frozen: Good news! Even if you forgot to thaw the shrimp for dinner, you can grab them straight from your freezer and put it on the grill.ย  Marinating the shrimp is best.ย  However, you can use the marinate to brush the shrimp as you cook.ย  It’s not ideal, but it will work in a pinch.
  • What’s the best way to thaw my shrimp?ย  Move them from the freezer into the refrigerator a day or two before cooking.ย  Or, thaw them with cold water by putting the entire package of shrimp into the bowl of water.

 

Grilled Spicy Lime Shrimp with Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce in a white bowl. More Spicy Shrimp Recipes

 

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Grilled Spicy Lime Shrimp with Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce

5 from 6 votes
By: Alyssa Rivers
Grilled Spicy Lime Shrimp with Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce has a simple but full of flavor and spice marinade. The creamy avocado cilantro sauce is the perfect cool and creamy dipping sauce.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 8 Skewers

Ingredients 

Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce:

Instructions 

  • In a small bowl whisk together lime juice, olive oil, garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. Pour into a resealable bag and add shrimp. Toss to coat and marinate for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the grill to medium heat. Put the shrimp on skewers and place on the grill. Grill on each side for about two minutes or until no longer pink.

Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce:

  • To make the creamy avocado cilantro sauce add the avocado, greek yogurt, garlic, lime and cilantro. Pulse in a food processor until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with shrimp.

Video

Notes

Updated on May 22, 2020
Originally Posted on: June 6, 2016

Nutrition

Calories: 81kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 215mgPotassium: 13mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 283IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

Grilled Spicy Lime Shrimp with Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce on a table.

 

About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

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64 Comments

  1. I cannot wait to try this recipe, but with a ,trio bell peppers, tomatoes,and avacado,all wrapped up in tortilla shell & a few more spices like turmeric powder besides garlic for inflammation bc of health issues other than that I think not too spicy and we’re on to something, Mrs. Alyssa thks sweetie ?

  2. I made this recipe and it is awesome, amazing flavor like when you go out to eat. I marinade then grilled on skewers….solid dish for whole 30 without the avacado sauce. really good.

  3. We love this recipe. I’ve added a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of chipotle pepper for a little extra kick. ๐Ÿ˜€ YUM!!

    1. That sounds delicious! So glad you loved it! Thanks for your comment :)!

      The Recipe Critic,
      Alyssa

  4. Made this recipe tonight. I used 2 lbs of 21-25 shrimp and doubled the measurements in the recipe while omitting the pepper flakes (other people eating them don’t like spicy food). I wonder if doubling the cumin was too much as well as the yogurt. The shrimp had a very strong cumin flavor, more than anything else. The yogurt gave a sour taste to the dipping sauce. I added some honey, the juice of a orange and another avocado to balance out the sauce more. I used 4 18 inch wooden skewers (soaked in water for 2 hours) and was able to get all 60ish shrimp on them. I only skewered thru the thick end of the shrimp and was able to get alot more shrimp on it this way. Even tho they were packed in more closely, they cooked perfectly in the 2+2 cooking time listed.

    Even tho the shrimp had a strong cumin flavor, it paired very well with the dipping sauce. I also grilled some canned potatoes (marinated in Italian dressing and Mrs. Dash), whole mushrooms and zucchini slices (with garlic powder, black pepper and smoked paprika) to go along with the shrimp. I didn’t taste any garlic in the shrimp or the sauce and noticed a lot of the garlic remained in the bag after skewering the shrimp.

    I think these shrimp would go well with a seasoned rice instead of potatoes or garlic bread. As another person mentioned, I also thought while eating these that they would go good in a fluffy pita bread with the sauce and some shredded lettuce and tomatoes. These shrimp could be chilled and would go great on a salad.

    The shrimp and sauce were a huge hit. It will be used again, thanks for the yummy recipe!

    1. I used a light sour cream instead of the Greek yogurt because I donโ€™t like Greek yogurt. This was a hit w my family, especially my picky eaters/kids. It was delicious!

    2. I was thinking of putting the shrimp in a salad with Romain lettuce, red onion, cucumbers, tomatoes and using the dipping sauce as the dressing.

  5. This was absolutely delicious and so simple!! I served it with grilled asparagus and homemade mac & cheese. It was a hit!

  6. This recipe sounds delicious! I bet these shrimp would be great in a shrimp taco with the dip spread on the tortilla. Yum…yum!

  7. This was easy and FANTASTIC. Great flavor- not overwheming! The marinade is great on its own, but when you add the sauce it takes it to a new level.

  8. Is the result hot, medium, mild of just flavorful ?????? What size shrimp do you buy for this recipe ???

    1. I agree with Jim’s question….what size shrimp. I am seeing 7 to a skewer, so maybe the fish market could direct you to a correct size. I am thinking it is spicy (the marinade) and the dipping sauce tones it done as needed. Great recipes, can’t wait to try.