These Prawn and Shishito Skewers are the perfect answer to summer grilling season. Juicy, spiced prawns paired with blistered shishito peppers and finished with a zesty lemon garlic oil? Yes please. They come together quickly and are guaranteed to impress at your next BBQ or weeknight dinner.
Serve these with one of my refreshing Mediterranean Salads or Mediterranean Appetizers. See more pairing and menu ideas below.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Quick and Easy: Minimal prep, short cooking time, and just a few simple ingredients make this an ideal last-minute grilling recipe. Perfect for weeknights.
- Seasonal Favorite: Shishito peppers are at their peak in summer and pair beautifully with seafood. And the flavor they get from the grill is just chef’s kiss. But make sure to use jumbo shrimp or prawns.
- Versatile Pairing: These skewers go well with rice, salads, grilled flatbreads, or even a chilled glass of white wine.
Ingredients
Some frozen or fresh shrimp, fresh shishito peppers and a few pantry and fridge staples are all it takes. Here’s what you will need:
- Shishito peppers: Mild, sweet peppers that blister beautifully on the grill because of their thin walls. You can sub with mini bell peppers if needed, or spicy Spanish Padrón peppers if you have access to them. If you don’t grow your own peppers like I do, that’s okay, as shishito peppers are now available at most grocery stores year-round. Check out my Blistered Shishito Pepper recipe, too.
- Large Prawns or Large Shrimp. The key here is large! I am using 10/12s. This works out to 10-12 prawns per lb. Peeled and deveined if you can find them. Make sure not to use pre-cooked prawns or shrimp. Try my Grilled Shrimp Skewers recipe too if you’re a seafood fan.
- Spices: Smoked paprika, garlic powder, and ground coriander for that smoky, savory kick. Feel free to change this up. Adobo powder, cumin, or even Lebanese 7-Spice would work.
- Acid: I do love lemon! But you can totally use lime juice instead. Feel free to also include the lemon zest (or lime zest) in your sauce. If you don’t have lemons or limes, you can use apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar or even red wine vinegar instead.
- Herbs: I am using fresh parsley in this recipe, but you can totally use fresh cilantro if you prefer it.
Refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make this Prawn and Shishito Skewers Recipe
Step 1. Skewer. Thread prawns and shishito peppers onto metal or soaked bamboo skewers, alternating between each.
Step 2. Dry rub. In a small bowl, combine smoked paprika, garlic powder, ground coriander, salt, and black pepper. Sprinkle generously over both sides of the skewers.
Step 3. Make the lemon garlic oil. Mix olive oil, fresh lemon juice, chopped fresh parsley, minced garlic, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
Step 4. Grill. Lightly oil a grill pan or preheated outdoor grill grates with a neutral oil like vegetable or avocado oil. Place skewers on the hot grill and cook for 3-5 minutes per side on medium-high heat, or until prawns are opaque and peppers are blistered.
Step 5. Garnish. Transfer skewers to a plate and immediately drizzle with lemon garlic oil while still hot.
Pairing and Menu Ideas
These grilled prawn and shishito kebabs are so versatile. When it comes to a base starch, serve them with my Vermicelli Rice, Middle Eastern Vegetable Rice Pilaf, Mediterranean Yellow Rice, Saffron Rice or plain white rice. For a lighter base, try my Corn Zucchini White Bean Side Dish.
A chopped salad like my Traditional Greek Salad (Horiatiki), Jerusalem Salad, Tahini Salad or Fattoush Salad pair nicely. Grilled Corn Peach Salad, Grilled Peach Salad, or Greek Lettuce Feta Salad (Maroulosalata).
I don’t think you necessarily need a dipping sauce here, as the recipe does include the lemon garlic oil. However, if you wanted to include a dip for your guests, try my Mint Pomegranate Chimichurri, Red Chimichurri, or Cilantro Chimichurri.
Expert Tips
- Soak wooden skewers for at least 30 minutes to prevent burning. You don’t need to do this if you’re using an indoor grill. Or just use metal skewers like I do.
- Don’t overcook the prawns. They turn rubbery fast. Look for opaque flesh and pink color.
- Other Additions: Feel free to add other veggies to the skewers like cherry tomatoes or red onion if you want more variety. You can also add brown sugar to the dry rub for a little sweetness.
- Raw garlic in the lemon oil can be strong. Use more or less to taste, or omit it entirely if you prefer a milder flavor.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can prep the skewers and lemon oil a few hours in advance. Keep everything chilled until ready to grill.
Store cooked skewers in an airtight sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a pan or microwave.
Other Mains
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Prawn and Shishito Skewers (With Lemon Garlic Oil Dressing)
Equipment
- Grill pan or outdoor grill
Ingredients
- 1 lb Shishito peppers
- 1 lb Jumbo shrimp or Jumbo prawns – deveined, shell off, tail on
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon Chopped fresh parsley
- 1-2 Garlic cloves (minced)
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
Instructions
- Skewer. Thread 1 lb Shishito peppers and 1 lb Jumbo shrimp or Jumbo prawns onto metal or soaked bamboo skewers, alternating between each.
- Dry rub. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Ground coriander, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon Black pepper. Sprinkle generously over both sides of the skewers.
- Make the lemon garlic oil. Mix 2 tablespoon Olive oil, 2 tablespoon Lemon juice, 2 tablespoon Chopped fresh parsley, 1-2 Garlic cloves (minced), and ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Grill. Lightly oil a grill pan or preheated outdoor grill grates with a neutral oil like vegetable or avocado oil. Place skewers on the hot grill and cook for 3-5 minutes per side on medium-high heat, or until prawns are opaque and peppers are blistered.
- Garnish. Transfer skewers to a plate and immediately drizzle with lemon garlic oil while still hot.
Notes
- Shishito peppers: Mild, sweet peppers that blister beautifully on the grill because of their thin walls. You can sub with mini bell peppers if needed, or spicy Spanish Padrón peppers if you have access to them. Shishito peppers are now available at most grocery stores year-round.
- Large Prawns or Large Shrimp. The key here is large! I am using 10/12s. This works out to 10-12 prawns per lb. Peeled and deveined if you can find them. Make sure not to use pre-cooked prawns or shrimp.
- Spices: Smoked paprika, garlic powder, and ground coriander for that smoky, savory kick. Feel free to change this up. Adobo powder, cumin, even Lebanese 7-Spice would work.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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