Tender, spicy, and low carb. These grilled shrimp skewers are perfect with the sweet and smoky roasted tomato relish. The creole seasoning adds a bit of spicy kick that perfectly compliments the sweetness of the shrimp. This easy twist on a classic Shrimp Creole recipe is quick, easy, and low in both calories and carbs. Give this sweet and spicy shrimp recipe a try and I think you’ll agree that it’s the perfect summer meal!
For this recipe you’ll need: large shrimp, heirloom cherry tomatoes (red, yellow, orange), poblano pepper, yellow Bell pepper, red Bell pepper, celery, onions, garlic, cayenne, Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning, sugar-free sweetener, Herbes de Provence, olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, parsley, limes, and wooden skewers
Table of Contents
What is sweet and sour shrimp made of?
I do love my old cookbooks with classic recipes that you just don’t hear about anymore. Honestly, my hobby is taking those classic recipes and updating them to be low carb. This sweet and spicy grilled shrimp recipe was the result of a rainy afternoon, a cup of coffee, and a cookbook from the early 1900s. When I saw the Shrimp Creole recipe I was hooked.
Except that the shrimp was simmered in a tomato sauce thickened with flour and seasoned with more sugar that most people put in their cupcakes! That’s only a slight exaggeration. I knew that wasn’t going to work.
So I decided to grill the shrimp and to roast a classic Creole blend of tomatoes, peppers, and onion. Roasting brings out the sweetness in vegetables and I figured that it would be just about right. I left the vegetables chunky for a more rustic, fresh feel to the tomato relish.
Oh my gosh y’all. It came out amazing.
Tips for grilling shrimp
It’s actually one of the best ways to cook them as far as I’m concerned. It takes this updated Creole Shrimp recipe from average to amazing. The best tip I can offer is to try Argentine red shrimp. They are big and sweet. They almost taste like little baby lobsters. You can find them in bags in the frozen food section. I learned a lesson a while ago, that the “previously frozen” seafood in the glass counter is the same stuff that comes from the freezer. But they charge more because they defrosted things and now they are sitting in the case. Huh, who knew that buying frozen was cheaper than buying what I thought was fresh, but it was just defrosted.
How to make shrimp plump and juicy?
I was always envious of how plump and juicy shrimp are in a restaurant. They are almost pop with juice and flavor when you bite into them. So how do they do that? Well, it’s a simple process called brining. After you defrost your frozen shrimp, add a teaspoon of kosher salt (not as salty as sea salt) and a 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to the ziplock bag your raw shrimp are in. Massage in the salt and baking soda and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. After you’ve prepared the rest of the ingredients, rinse the shrimp a few times and then pat dry. That’s it, crazy simply huh?
How do you make shrimp on a grill?
- Brush shrimp lightly with olive oil – I like an infused olive oil to add a little extra flavor. Or you can add some minced garlic into your oil oil that you brush on, so good.
- Season with salt, pepper, even some red pepper flakes. Or whatever seasonings you’re using.
- Place on a preheated grill until done.
How long do you cook shrimp on the grill?
Overcooked shrimp is rubbery and yucky. You want shrimp to be just cooked. Cook shrimp about 3 to 5 minutes total, turning once depending on the size. You’ll see them go from translucent to opaque and then they are done. It they get solid white, they’ll be a bit overdone and become rubbery.
Can you grill peeled shrimp?
Shrimp can be peeled or unpeeled for grilling. Unpeeled shrimp tend to stay a little juicier and don’t overcook as easily. On the other hand peeled, deveined shrimp are much easier to work with. I use peeled shrimp in the following recipe.
How do you grill shrimp on skewers?
Prepare wooden skewers by soaking them in water for at least 30 minutes. This is a good place to get extra flavor into your shrimp by flavoring the water with citrus, herbs, or whatever you like. Be careful about using alcohol, though. It’s very flammable and will cause the grill to erupt like Vesuvius.
Once your skewers are ready gently push the raw shrimp onto the skewer so that it forms a “C” shape. Don’t crowd the shrimp, make sure there is space between them.
What can you serve with spicy shrimp?
While the creole seasoning adds a bit of spice, my kids are crazy and asked for some sriracha sauce to dip them in. I thought they were nuts but it was surprisingly good. I don’t know about you but sometimes I have a tough time putting it all together. Here are some Lowcarb-ology.com recipes that would go well with Grilled Shrimp.
- Easy Drop Biscuits
- Southwestern Broccoli Salad
- Low Carb Cheese “Grits”
- Low Carb “Potato Salad”
- Cucumbers in Sour Cream
- “Macaroni” Salad
- Skinny Watermelon Margarita
Grilled Shrimp with Roasted Tomato Relish Recipe
Grilled Shrimp with Roasted Tomato Relish is almost embarrassingly quick and easy. It looks like a long list of ingredients and steps but you’ll be surprised at how it just all falls into place. Honestly, the most difficult thing is getting the shrimp cooked exactly right.
If you’d like to make this for a party and need more servings just adjust the number of servings and the recipe will adjust the measurements to match. Love this recipe? Please give it 5 stars! Thanks!
Navigation tip
This recipe is made to make 2 cooked shrimp skewers which is enough for one person. You can want to make enough for the whole family if you’d like. If you put your cursor (or finger) over the number “2” next to the “Servings” heading in the recipe below, a slider will appear. You can move the slider to the number of servings you want to make. Remember that one serving is 1 skewer. The recipe will change automatically change the amount of each ingredient for you. If this keto shrimp dish makes your taste buds happy, please consider giving it 5 stars. Thank you so much for your support !
Grilled Sweet & Spicy Shrimp with Roasted Tomatoes and Peppers
Ingredients
Skewers
- 2 wooden skewers
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Shrimp
- 8 shrimp , large or jumbo
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoons Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning , or to taste
Roasted Tomato Relish
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes heirloom mixed colors
- 1 tablespoon poblano pepper large dice
- 1/8 cup onion large dice
- 1/8 cup yellow Bell pepper large dice
- 1/8 cup red Bell pepper large dice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoons herbes de provence
- 1/8 cup celery sliced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s seasoning , more as desired
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar free sweetener ,if needed
Instructions
Skewers
- Put the water, lime juice, and cayenne in a casserole dish and add skewers.
- Set aside.
Roasted Tomato Relish
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Add the tomatoes, peppers, and onion to a large bowl.
- Add the olive oil and herbes de Provence – mix well so that all the vegetables are coated.
- Place the vegetables on a heavy baking sheet without overcrowding.
- Put into the oven until the vegetables are tender and charred areas appear on the skins. About 10 to 20 minutes. Watch carefully!
- Meanwhile add the remaining olive oil to a heavy skillet with 1 tablespoon of butter.
- Heat it up and add the garlic and celery.
- Saute until soft.
- Add the roasted vegetables.
- Gently stir in salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with a little Tony Chachere’s
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Add sweetener if needed. Set aside in a warm spot.
Shrimp
- Heat up the grill.
- Peel and devein shrimp. Remove skewers from water.
- Add about 4 shrimp to each skewer, making sure there is space between each.
- Brush both sides with olive oil.
- Sprinkle with Tony Chachere’s seasoning – more if you like spicy and less if you like it less spicy.
- Grill about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
- To Serve
- Serve the skewers over the roasted Creole sauce.
Nutrition
What’s a Summer Party without Keto Cocktails?
Click on the image to see the recipe. From left to right (all low carb): Bourbon Milk Punch, Vanilla Old Fashioned, Dirty Shirley.
Yum yum yum.