Jerk Pineapple Shrimp Skewers
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safeway. All opinions are 100% mine.
Your taste buds will travel to the Caribbean with these Jerk Pineapple Shrimp Skewers marinated in a flavorful Jamaican jerk marinade! They’re sweet, smoky and they cook up in under 10 minutes!
In the summer, it’s all about grilling. It keeps the house cooler, there are less dishes to wash, and you can’t beat the smoky flavor of grilled food.
I make grilled burgers and grilled BBQ chicken often, so I decided to liven up my dinner routine with grilled seafood. It’s always fresh and light, and is a quick, healthy dinner solution.
These Jerk Pineapple Shrimp Skewers have become a fast favorite with everyone in the house. They’re bursting with flavor, and eating off of sticks is always more fun. 🙂
I used Open Nature® Wild Caught Raw Shrimp for this recipe, because it’s important to me that seafood is sustainably sourced with no preservatives.
Open Nature® seafood bares Albertson’s Responsible Choice label, which shows customers that the products have been raised or caught in ways that help safeguard future supplies, which helps keep ocean ecosystems thriving.
I feel good about serving Open Nature® seafood to my family. I’ve been using it for years, and it’s a quality product that I trust.
I shopped at Safeway, but you can also find Open Nature® Wild Caught Raw Shrimp at the Albertson’s Companies family of stores, including Albertson’s, ACME Markets, Jewel-OSCO, Vons, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market and Tom Thumb.
Safeway also offers Grocery Delivery and Drive Up & Go™ for convenient ways to shop!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- These shrimp kebobs with pineapple are packed with flavor! The jerk seasoning provides the flavor of warm spices with a big of sweetness and just the right level of heat. The marinade brightens the flavors in the seasoning and pairs perfectly with the ingredients.
- The cook up in under 10 minutes!
- This is a fresh, healthy meal that the entire family will love.
- They’re gluten and dairy free, and are also low carb.
- This is a versatile dish that pairs well with coconut rice, quinoa, or may be served in lettuce wraps or tortillas with guacamole.
Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Shrimp. I used Open Nature® Wild Caught Raw Shrimp, which is frozen, peeled and deveined. It made prep extremely easy — I simply followed the thawing instructions on the package and the shrimp was ready to marinate.
- Jerk seasoning. I love making homemade spice blends, so I used my Homemade Jerk Seasoning in this recipe. You can substitute that with your favorite store bought variety to save time.
- Pineapple. Fresh pineapple is best for this recipe, but you can use canned if that’s all you have on hand. Fresh peaches and mango would also be a great replacement!
- Cilantro. Not a fan of cilantro? Simply omit it and garnish with freshly chopped parsley instead.
How to make this recipe
These shrimp kebobs are extremely easy to make, and they cook up in under 10 minutes!
- Thaw the shrimp. Thaw according to package instructions. This may be done by placing the shrimp in a colander set over a bowl overnight, or by rinsing the shrimp in cold running water for several minutes until thawed.
- Marinate the shrimp. Place the olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, jerk seasoning and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Add the shrimp and toss well to coat, and marinate for 30 minutes. If using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water while the shrimp marinates.
- Skewer and grill the shrimp. Preheat the grill to medium high. Skewer the shrimp, pineapple and vegetables onto the skewers, then season with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of jerk seasoning. Cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes until well charred, then flip and cook another 3 minutes or until the shrimp is opaque.
- Serve the shrimp. Serve with lime wedges and cilantro leaves.
FAQs
How long does shrimp take to grill?
On average, shrimp takes 6-7 minutes to cook on a grill heated to medium high heat.
How to tell when shrimp is done
Shrimp cooks very quickly, which makes it easy to overcook. It typically takes 2-3 minutes per side to cook, depending on the size of the shrimp and the cooking temperature.
Shrimp is fully cooked when it is white or opaque, and it curls so that the tail meets the head.
Why does my shrimp taste rubbery?
Shrimp is rubbery or chewy when it’s overcooked.
What is jerk seasoning?
Jerk is a style of cooking that originated in Jamaica, and consists of meat that is dry-rubbed or marinated with a spicy seasoning.
Jerk seasoning is a blend of warm spices with the heat of cayenne pepper and a bit of sweetness from brown sugar. The ingredients are allspice, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, onion and garlic powders, brown sugar, ginger, nutmeg and thyme.
It’s truly a unique flavor combination, and is a great way to change things up!
What to serve with this recipe
- Cauliflower rice by Minimalist Baker
- Cilantro lime rice
- Coconut rice
- Instant pot black beans
- Quinoa by Love and Lemons
- Tortillas or lettuce wraps with homemade guacamole
Recipe notes
- If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes while the shrimp marinates.
- Do not marinate the shrimp longer than 30 minutes or the acid from the citrus will begin to cook the shrimp.
- I recommend using fresh pineapple for this recipe, but canned may be used if that’s all that you have on hand. You can also substitute the pineapple with fresh peach or mango chunks!
- The bell pepper and red onion may be substituted with your favorite veggies or omitted altogether.
More shrimp recipes you’ll love:
- Blackened shrimp
- Grilled shrimp
- Shrimp ceviche
- Shrimp scampi by Cafe Delites
If you make this or any other recipe on this site, please leave a rating or comment below. I love hearing from you!
Jerk Pineapple Shrimp Skewers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb Open Nature Wild Caught Shrimp, 31-40 count
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 limes juiced
- 1/2 orange juiced
- 1.5 tbsp jerk seasoning
- 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 pineapple cut into 1" chunks
- 1 medium red bell pepper cut into 1" chunks
- 1/2 small red onion cut into 1" chunks
- Additional lime and cilantro, for serving optional
Instructions
- Thaw shrimp according to package instructions.
- Place the olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, 1 tablespoon jerk seasoning and brown sugar in a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Add the shrimp and toss well to coat, then cover with plastic wrap and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the grill to medium high. Skewer the shrimp, pineapple, bell pepper and red onion onto the skewers, and sprinkle the shrimp with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon jerk seasoning on both sides. Grill for 3 minutes until charred, then flip and grill 2-3 minutes longer, or until shrimp is opaque and the tail curls to meet the head.
- Serve the shrimp with additional lime wedges and cilantro if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes while the shrimp marinates.
- Do not marinate the shrimp longer than 30 minutes or the acid from the citrus will begin to cook the shrimp.
- Serve pineapple shrimp skewers with coconut rice, quinoa, in tortillas or lettuce wraps with homemade guacamole!
- I recommend using fresh pineapple for this recipe, but canned pineapple may be used if that’s all you have on hand. The pineapple may also be substituted with fresh peach or mango chunks.
- The bell pepper and red onion may be substituted with your favorite veggies.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
4 Comments on “Jerk Pineapple Shrimp Skewers”
Oh my goodness – summer grill perfection, Marcie! I love the addition of pineapple on these skewers – that touch of sweeteness is the key to my heart. Thank you for sharing, and happy summer grilling!
Thank you Katerina! You sound like you love sweet and savor flavors as much as I do! 🙂
So delicious, Marcie! I have always loved pineapple and seafood, and these skewers are superb!
Thank you so much Alex! These flavors are so fun.