Honey Glazed Grilled Shrimp

Why This Honey Glazed Grilled Shrimp Works

During the marinade, the shrimp sit in the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and oil, and the liquid soaks into the surface. The soy sauce seasons the shrimp all the way around, and the honey clings to them in a sticky layer. Garlic and pepper stay on the outside, so they stick to the shrimp instead of falling off on the grill.

Once the shrimp hit the hot grill, the honey on the outside starts to brown fast. That browning makes a thin, shiny glaze that grabs onto the shrimp and keeps them from drying out. At the same time, the high heat cooks the shrimp quickly, so they stay juicy inside instead of turning rubbery. Leaving a little space between each shrimp on the skewers lets the heat move around them, so they cook evenly and get light char marks. Right at the end, the lime squeezed over the hot shrimp cuts through the sticky glaze and keeps the whole thing from tasting too heavy.

Mistakes To Avoid

Letting the shrimp sit in the honey marinade for hours can backfire. The sugar in the honey starts to cure the surface, so the shrimp tighten up and turn tough and bouncy once they hit the grill instead of staying juicy.

Putting the grill on very high heat makes the honey burn before the shrimp cook through. The outside goes dark and bitter in spots while the inside can stay a bit soft and underdone, so the texture ends up uneven.

Crowding the shrimp tightly on the skewers or laying the skewers too close together on the grill keeps the heat from circulating. The shrimp then steam instead of grill, so they don’t get those light charred edges and can turn a little rubbery.

Skipping the step of patting excess marinade off the shrimp right before grilling causes flare-ups. The extra liquid and honey drip into the flames, creating sudden bursts of fire that scorch parts of the shrimp while leaving other parts pale.