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These juicy, spicy and delicious Piri Piri Grilled Shrimp are super easy to make and will be a huge hit at your next cookout. The Piri Piri marinade doubles as a dipping sauce and can be used for a wide variety of other recipes, like the Piri Piri Chicken in my cookbook. It also happens to be Paleo and Whole30 friendly. I love to serve the shrimp with some roast Parisienne potatoes and a Garlicky Swiss Chard, but they also go great with a wide variety of sides.
What You Need for Grilled Piri Piri Shrimp
- Shrimp: I decided to use extra colossal tiger shrimp for this recipe (6/8 per pound) because they were on special at my local store. Devein them but keep the shell on. Grilling the shrimp in the shell not only adds flavour, but it also helps prevent the flesh from charring and getting tough.
If you can’t find extra colossal shrimp, you can substitute colossal or jumbo shrimp (13/15 or 16/20). I personally don’t recommend using anything smaller because they have a tendency to get overcooked on the grill. Smaller shrimp (anything less than 16/20 per pound) may also need to be skewered to prevent them from falling through the grill grates. - Piri Piri Sauce: You can purchase store bought Piri Piri sauce but it’s actually very easy to make from scratch with just a few readily available ingredients. The recipe I share below doubles as a marinade and dipping sauce. Store it in a sealed mason jar for up to 5 days in your fridge. It’s also incredible with chicken or pork chops.
- Swiss Chard: Wilted, garlicky greens are one of my favourite parings with shrimp. I used beautiful, green Swiss chard this time but you can substitute Tuscan kale, regular kale, spinach, broccolini or even rapini for a bitter bite.
- Parisienne Potatoes: If you weren’t aware, Parisienne potatoes are just peeled, little potato balls that have been scooped out from larger potatoes. You can prep them at home by peeling yellow potatoes and scooping the flesh with a melon baller. Or save the hassle and purchase them from the grocery store. They get incredibly tender when roasted and go great with the grilled piri piri shrimp.
Piri Piri Grilled Shrimp with Roast Potatoes and Garlicky Swiss Chard
Ingredients
For the Potatoes:
- 1.5 pounds Parisienne potatoes
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
For the Swiss Chard:
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 large bunch green Swiss chard, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon dried red chile flakes, substitute Aleppo pepper, optional
- Juice ½ lemon
For the Shrimp:
- 1 small yellow onion
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- Juice of ½ lemon, plus extra wedges for serving
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 fresh red finger chiles, substitute Anaheim chiles
- 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more if desired
- 1 pound 6/8 tiger shrimp, deveined and shell-on, substitute 13/15 or 16/20 shrimp
Instructions
For the Potatoes:
- Preheat your Traeger Grill to 450F. If using an oven, preheat to 450F.
- In a roasting tray, combine the potatoes, olive oil, paprika, salt and oregano. Toss to coat.
- Transfer to the grill and roast, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and fork-tender, around 35 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the grill or oven and wrap with foil to keep warm until ready to serve.
For the Swiss Chard:
- Fill a large sauté pan with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Season the water with 2 teaspoons salt and add the chard. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chard is slightly tender and vibrant green in colour, around 2 minutes.
- Drain the water and transfer the chard to a large bowl of ice water for 5 minutes to set the colour and stop the cooking process. Drain the chard completely and pat it dry with a clean kitchen towel. You can also drain the chard in a salad spinner if you have one.
- To the same pan, add the garlic and olive oil and return it to a medium-low heat. Gently cook the garlic until golden and fragrant, around 2 minutes. Add the chile flakes and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the drained chard and season with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the chard is warmed through, around 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and toss to coat. Remove from heat and cover with foil until ready to serve.
For the Shrimp:
- Preheat your Traeger grill to 500F.
- In a blender, combine the onion, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, chiles, ginger, salt, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, oregano, and cayenne. Blend on high speed until completely smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt or vinegar as desired. Transfer to a mason jar and refrigerate up to 5 days.
- Add the shrimp to a bowl and pour in half of the Piri Piri sauce. Toss the shrimp to coat and let marinade 10 minutes.
- Transfer the shrimp to the hot grill and cook until the shells are slightly charred, around 4 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until the shells are slightly charred and the flesh is pink and opaque, around 4 more minutes. If cooking smaller shrimp (16/20), grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Spoon some of the reserved Piri Piri sauce onto a serving platter. Arrange the grilled shrimp over top and garnish with lemon wedges for squeezing. Serve with the roast potatoes and Swiss chard.
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About the Author
Hi, i’m Ronny! In 2013, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight and body issues, I rehabilitated my relationship with food, lost over 40 pounds and completely changed my life.