12 Top Seasonings to Elevate Grilled Shrimp

Shrimp is a popular type of seafood for so many reasons. It’s juicy, delicious, tender, yet firm, and feels light on one’s digestion, especially compared to fattier or heavier proteins. Another thing people love about shrimp is how incredibly versatile it is. You can fry it, steam it, throw it in a soup, curry, or stew, or even mince it up and stuff dumplings with it. You can also get your grill on and make some delicious grilled shrimp. Whether for a family gathering or just for you, grilling is a super quick way to cook seafood, and it imparts a delightful smokiness into the shrimp that adds so much to your final meal. 

The versatility of shrimp doesn’t end with how you cook it, but also with how you flavor it. Shrimp meat lends itself to all types of flavors, and there is a way to enhance its sweet, seafood flavor with many types of seasonings. As a food writer and recipe developer, I’ve made grilled shrimp using flavors from all over the world. Whether inspired by East Asia, South Asia, East Africa, Southern Europe, or the Middle East, the flavor possibilities are truly endless. I’ve also found that you don’t need too much when it comes to shrimp, and using some basic but flavorful seasonings is all it takes to make a tasty shrimp dish. Whether you love spicy, salty, umami, or fresher flavors, these are some of the best seasonings to spice up your grilled shrimp.

Growing up in Southern Africa, cooking shrimp was never without some piri-piri (also called peri-peri or pili-pili). This spicy, zesty condiment was the favorite way to marinate or season shrimp for many people, and it was always a crowd-pleaser. Originating from Mozambique, and made popular by fast food chain Nando’s, piri-piri is a unique sauce made up of a mixture of fresh chiles, onion, garlic, oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and perhaps some other ingredients, depending on the cook’s preferences. It ranges from mild heat to super hot, depending on the chiles used, so almost anyone can enjoy it. The lemon or vinegar adds a hit of acid that brightens the shrimp beautifully, while the garlic, chiles, and onions give them a complex and deep flavor.

The best thing about piri-piri is just how easy it is to make. You can blend or pound all the ingredients together to form a chunky sauce that you can slather on anything you like. With shrimp, you can use piri-piri as either a marinade or a finishing sauce while your shrimp is grilling. If you’d prefer to buy some rather than make it, you can usually find some good ready-made versions like Nando’s Peri-Peri Sauce.

There’s nothing quite like paprika to turn any meal from bland to exciting. It’s the ultimate savory spice for all kinds of food, from chicken to steak, fish, roast potatoes, dips, eggs, and more. I throw paprika on almost anything, and I especially love it on shrimp. It gives shrimp a subtle sweetness that complements it really well. Paprika is especially great for people who don’t tolerate chile heat, as it gives a peppery taste without the kick. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that it adds a little orangey-red color that makes your food look enticing and well-seasoned. You can use it in tandem with other spices, and it works great on its own, alongside your salt and pepper.

Something to take note of when using paprika is that it tends to burn easily. I’ve had many mishaps when grilling with it, especially if I’ve added it in too early in the cooking. To be safe, add a sprinkle of paprika near the end of, or even after, grilling — it’s not a spice that needs to be cooked so it will taste just as good uncooked.

It’s rare to find people who don’t like garlic, and unless you are part of a religion where it’s not meant to be consumed or you have a health problem related to garlic, it’s a no-brainer that garlic goes amazingly with shrimp. Garlic lovers will add it to everything anyway, so there’s no need to convince them. However, if you do need some convincing, garlic goes really well with seafood of all kinds and no less with shrimp. Its pungency helps to remove any strong “fishy” aromas that your shrimp might have while giving it an elevated taste.

While fresh garlic is usually favored, I actually prefer to use garlic powder for a number of reasons. Fresh garlic can burn easily and leave a bitter taste in your food, which can happen pretty easily when you’re grilling at high heat. This doesn’t happen with garlic powder. Garlic powder also gives you enough garlic flavor without overpowering the shrimp’s natural taste.

The other benefit of using garlic powder is it’s super easy! As opposed to fresh garlic, powdered garlic doesn’t need to be peeled and chopped. It also won’t leave you with the smell of garlic on your hands that can stay with you for hours, no matter how many times you wash them. Garlic powder just needs to be spooned or shaken onto your shrimp, and they’re ready to be grilled.

Sumac may be new to some people, especially if you’re not as familiar with Middle Eastern or Iranian cuisine. This crimson-colored spice adds a pleasant tartness to your food, so it can even be used as a substitute for lemon on your shrimp. Made from dried and ground sumac berry, it’s slightly fruity, but still surprisingly savory.

I grew up eating sumac so it’s pretty normal to me to sprinkle it on anything, but it’s particularly good with grilled meat and fish dishes because of its lemony quality. If you’re intimidated about sprinkling sumac straight onto your shrimp, there are many ways you can incorporate it. You can use it on its own, or with other spices you like — it plays well with other flavors in my experience. Plus, it’s just as good as a finishing spice or cooked with the shrimp. You can also add it to a salad or even a yogurt sauce to serve with your grilled shrimp. 

Gochujang is a Korean fermented chile paste that’s taken the world by storm. While not in any way a new thing in Korean cuisine, the rest of the world is becoming more acquainted with — and falling in love with — this spicy red paste. It’s a flavor bomb and makes anything you’re cooking taste incredible. It’s definitely got a kick to it, but it’s also not overwhelmingly hot, making it a pleasant level of spice, with loads of umami flavor. It also has a mild sweetness that brings out the sweetness in shrimp. You can marinade your shrimp in it, or make a delightful dipping sauce to go with your grilled shrimp. You can also do both, like in this sweet and spicy gochujang shrimp skewer recipe.

These days you can find gochujang in the international food aisle in many large supermarkets. If not, however, visit your nearest Korean or Asian grocery store and you’ll be sure to find these super popular red rubs of goodness. After you try it with your shrimp, it’s likely that you’ll want to use it on all types of dishes, so getting a tub is a worthy investment.

One of my favorite things to order at an Indian restaurant is tandoori shrimp. Often this consists of delicate whole shrimp on a skewer, flavored with warming and aromatic spices that make me want to lick my fingers after each bite. Unfortunately, what most people don’t have at home is a tandoor oven that cooks with a delectable char and smokiness. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t take inspiration from the spices used to recreate the amazing flavors of a professional tandoori shrimp dish. Plus, grilling your shrimp can create a similar effect.

You can make a tangy yogurt marinade for your shrimp with the spices you might already own like ground coriander, turmeric, cumin, garam masala, black pepper, and chile powder. The yogurt helps the spices adhere to the shrimp and creates a satisfying, thick coating. In my experience, you can also add the spices straight to the shrimp without yogurt and it works well. I often mix my spices with some fresh garlic and ginger, oil, and a squeeze of lemon juice to make the ultimate tandoori shrimp. Then, whichever way you use your spices, you can skewer the shrimp so that you turn them over all together while they’re grilling to get a nice even cook through — and a little char doesn’t hurt, either. 

Sometimes it’s nice to try out new flavors and takes on dishes, but you don’t always need to, to make something delicious. There are times when a classic or old faithful seasoning mix is really all you need. That’s why Old Bay does the trick every time. The red, blue, and yellow container is a familiar sight for many, and it’s the taste of childhood memories and family gatherings for good reason. Old Bay is the perfect, all-purpose savory spice for many foods, but it’s especially good with seafood. A sprinkle of Old Bay on your grilled shrimp makes for a delicious seasoning, and the best part is you don’t need much else. As it’s made up of 18 spices, you’re pretty much covered and it works perfectly well on its own.

As someone who wanted to try to recreate this seasoning blend at home, I had a lot of trouble finding out what’s really in Old Bay. It seems to be a trade secret, but some copycat recipes include things like celery salt, mustard powder, black pepper, paprika, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

Jamaican cuisine is one where flavor is emphasized and celebrated. Bold, bright, and spicy, there are satisfying tastes in so many dishes. If you love spicy food, there’s little in this world that can rival some good Jamaican jerk chicken, but it doesn’t need to stop at chicken. You can make jerk shrimp, too! One way to get all the flavors of jerk shrimp, without needing to do all the prep behind making a jerk marinade (which involves using fresh ginger, garlic, scotch bonnet peppers, etc) is to use jerk seasoning. Jerk seasoning is the dried and ground version of all these ingredients, in a spicy and warming spice blend that will knock your socks off.

There’s no way to avoid the kick with jerk seasoning. You’ll be using a dried chile spice of sorts to mimic the super spicy scotch bonnet peppers, so strap in for the ride. You should be able to find some ready-made jerk blends at a grocery store, but making your own is pretty easy, too. Simply combine spices using a jerk marinade recipe, which may include ground ginger, garlic, allspice, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg, among other ingredients. Then, slather them on your shrimp along with some oil. Once you get your shrimp on the grill, prepare for the aromatic and smoky aromas to fill the air. 

You may have seen za’atar pop up everywhere in recent years, and outside of the Middle East, it’s certainly having a moment. Growing up with Middle Eastern heritage, however, za’atar has always been a pantry staple in my house, and I love sprinkling it on so many foods. It goes great with eggs, in salads, in wraps and sandwiches, and even very simply with some olive oil and bread. Another way I love using it is to season seafood dishes. Many za’atar blends include sumac which adds a lovely sourness, and the taste of wild thyme and sesame seeds helps to bring deeper levels of flavor. It’s herby, savory, and tart, and can bring a whole lot of earthy brightness to dishes like grilled shrimp.

You can add it to your shrimp marinade, or even just sprinkle it on your already grilled plate of shrimp for added zing and texture. As za’atar proliferates through the mainstream, not all blends are made equally. In my experience, I can never go wrong with the varieties I find in a Middle Eastern specialty food store. You can always ask the store clerk for advice, as most are really knowledgeable about za’atar and tend to have their favorites.

Simple spices are often underrated. I have a pretty large array of spices in my spice drawer, and while I love the intricate and complex blends in it, the ones I always come back to again and again are the simple, less fancy ones. Often, if a spice is really special, it shines completely on its own, and for me, that’s dried chile flakes. It may not sound exciting, but chile flakes are my go-to to make any dish more exciting. They are a dream with grilled shrimp, especially if you like a subtle kick in your food, but not one that will overpower the flavor in any way. Of course, the dried spice will depend on the type of chiles used, but for the usual dried chile flakes you find in the grocery store, they’re not (in my experience) near the upper limits of heat.

I love the ease with which you can incorporate chile flakes. Just shake them on top while your shrimp is grilling, and these little red specks flavor, season, and even beautify your shrimp. Remember to use some salt, a squeeze of lemon juice, and you’re golden. If you want a little extra richness, throw some chile flakes into some melted butter. The chile flakes will infuse into it and make for a smoky, buttery, basting sauce you can use to coat your shrimp on the grill.

For people looking for a unique way to season their shrimp, there’s nothing quite like togarashi to make things interesting. This Japanese spice blend is made with varying ingredients but often includes nori, dried citrus peels, sesame seeds, Sichuan pepper, and chile. It’s savory, smoky, fruity, sweet, and spicy, making your tongue tingle and sing with each element of flavor. We all know citrus plays well with seafood, and nori brings in even more sea flavors together, so it’s a no-brainer for spicing up some shrimp. With togarashi, you’re not just getting flavor, however — you’re also getting an interesting texture, as the sesame seeds and the coarseness of the blend add a delightful crunch to your food.

Just like with other savory sprinkles like za’atar, togarashi can be sprinkled on your food just before eating or during grilling. Visit a Japanese or Asian food store to find a good togarashi blend, as it’s best left to the professionals to make it properly. Once you’ve tried it on your shrimp, you’re going to want to throw it on your grilled salmon, veggies, or pizza. You can even use it to take your deviled eggs to the next level.

Another classic seasoning blend is cajun seasoning. It’s always reliable in adding a little pzazz to food, and it’s a useful all-purpose spice to keep in your pantry. Including various spices on this list like garlic powder, chile, and paprika, along with other good ones like black pepper, onion powder, thyme, and oregano, there’s really no going wrong with it. Cajun seasoning is delicious on grilled shrimp, and that’s why it’s a common pairing you’ll find in numerous restaurants and family recipes. It brings a balanced savory and spicy edge to shrimp, and it’s pretty much all you need to make a great-tasting dish.

Cajun-spiced grilled shrimp is so easy to achieve, and all you have to do is shake a little cajun spice on your shrimp while on the grill. You can also marinate your shrimp in it with some olive oil. Add some fresh garlic and lemon zest if you really want to make it special. Then, to make a truly comforting dish, you can use your grilled shrimp to make a creamy cajun shrimp pasta or even a cajun shrimp fettuccine alfredo. Since cajun spice is so versatile, there are so many ways you can go with your cajun spiced shrimp. Plus, it’s a spice mix you can use on any other foods you like to grill, like sausages, whole fish, steaks, pork chops, or veggie skewers.