Szechuan-Style Grilled Shrimp and Vegetable Skewers

Succulent shrimp, colorful bell peppers, and red onion are infused with a boldly flavored, pleasantly spiced Szechuan sauce. Grilling time takes just minutes, making this a perfect weeknight dinner.

Aug 29, 2023

As the end of summer draws near, I’m taking every opportunity I can to fire up the outdoor grill. Let me rephrase that – my husband is firing up the grill and I’m doing the food prep. On today’s menu — grilled shrimp and vegetable skewers with a Szechuan spin. I love serving these skewers with marinated cucumbers. The cool, crisp, cucumbers compliment the mild heat of the Szechuan marinade.

Packed with protein and relatively low in calories, shrimp provides an excellent source of iodine (needed to make thyroid hormones), phosphorus (helps build and protect bones and teeth), selenium (supports a healthy immune system), and vitamin B12 (needed to make red blood cells and maintain a healthy nervous system). It’s also a good source of copper, an essential mineral which helps keep bones, blood vessels, nerves, and the immune system healthy.

I used frozen shrimp for today’s recipe. One thing you’ll likely notice on the front of a package of frozen shrimp are two numbers such as 31 – 40. This number range refers to the shrimp count, or the number of shrimp found in one pound. For example, “31 – 40 count” means there will be 31 to 40 shrimp in a pound. While terms like “jumbo” and “extra large” are not standardized and mean little when buying shrimp, here are some common shrimp counts and names often associated with those counts.

61 – 70 count = tiny shrimp
51 – 60 count = small shrimp
41 – 50 count = medium shrimp
31 – 40 count = large shrimp
26 – 30 count = extra large shrimp
21 – 25 count = jumbo shrimp
16 – 20 count = extra jumbo shrimp
15 or less count = colossal shrimp

So, bottom line when it comes to the size of shrimp is the lower the number, the bigger shrimp. Smaller shrimp are nice in soups and pasta salads. Larger shrimp are great for sauteing, stir-frying, and grilling. The one-pound bag of frozen shrimp I purchased contained 30 shrimp; the exact amount needed for this recipe.

The shrimp and vegetable marinade for this recipe starts with bottled Szechuan sauce. I added rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and fresh gingerroot to the bottled sauce, elevating the flavor and giving it a homemade feel.

While marinating shrimp adds incredible flavor, don’t let it sit too long. Acidic ingredients (vinegar or citrus juice) in marinades begin to break down the proteins, which help to tenderize the shrimp. However, when left to marinate too long, the texture of the shrimp can become mushy. Marinating the shrimp for one hour worked perfectly for today’s recipe. For maximum flavor, don’t forget to set aside 3 tablespoons of the Szechuan marinade. This reserved sauce will be brushed on the shrimp and vegetables skewers after they’re cooked. For food safety, this reserved brushing sauce should never come in contact with raw shrimp.

For maximum flavor, brush reserved Szechuan marinade over cooked shrimp and vegetable skewers.

I mentioned earlier that I like serving these skewers with marinated cucumbers. The recipe is included and is so easy to prepare. Just add sliced cucumbers to a vinegar and sugar solution and allow them to soak for several hours. When ready to serve, drain the cucumbers, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with sliced green onion and chopped peanuts. Super simple, super delicious.

To your health,

Darlene

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SZECHUAN-STYLE GRILLED SHRIMP and VEGETABLE SKEWERS

Yield: 5 servings

Serving Size: 2 shrimp and vegetable skewers

Prep: 20 minutes

Ready: 1 hour and 30 minutes (includes marinating time)

INGREDIENTS

Marinade ingredients

1/4 cup bottled Szechuan sauce (such as House of Tsang Stir Fry Szechuan Spicy Sauce)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon neutral oil such as canola
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh gingerroot

Skewer ingredients

1 pound raw, thawed shrimp (peeled, deveined and tails removed)
1 medium red onion cut into 3/4-inch cubes (to yield 30 cubed onion pieces)
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (to yield 15 cubed pepper pieces)
1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (to yield 15 cubed pepper pieces)

Remaining ingredients

10 metal or wooden skewers
2 teaspoons neutral oil such as canola
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
3 tablespoons chopped dry roasted peanuts

DIRECTIONS

To prepare marinade, in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine Szechuan sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, oil (1 tablespoon), garlic, and gingerroot. Shake until combined and refrigerate until ready to use.
To marinate shrimp and vegetables, pat thawed shrimp dry with paper towel and place in a zip-top sealable plastic bag. Add cubed red onion, red pepper, and yellow pepper to bag. Reserve 3 tablespoons of Szechuan marinade to be brushed onto cooked shrimp skewers (for food safety, this reserved sauce should never come in contact with raw shrimp). Add remaining marinade to plastic bag, seal, and toss ingredients to coat shrimp and vegetables. Refrigerate and allow to marinate 1 hour (marinating longer than 1 hour can result in mushy shrimp). If using wooden (bamboo) skewers, fully submerge them in water while the shrimp and vegetables marinate. Soaking wooden skewers in water lessens the chance they will catch on fire during grilling.
To prepare skewers, remove shrimp and vegetables from plastic bag and discard marinade. Thread 10 skewers with bell pepper cubes, onion cubes, and shrimp (I used a pattern of bell pepper, onion, and shrimp, repeated three times per skewer).
To grill skewers, clean grill grate and rub with 2 teaspoons oil to prevent sticking. Over medium-high heat, grill shrimp and vegetable skewers for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until shrimp is cooked (shrimp is pink and opaque when done). Remove cooked skewers from grill and place on a serving platter. Brush shrimp and vegetable skewers with reserved marinade, garnish with green onion and peanuts, and serve.

Nutrition Information per Serving

189 Calories, 8 g Total fat, 1 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 138 mg Cholesterol, 430 mg Sodium, 11 g Total carbohydrate, 2 g Dietary fiber, 8 g Total sugars, 5 g Added sugars, 19 g Protein, 0 mcg (0%) Vitamin D, 68 mg (6%) Calcium, 2 mg (10%) Iron, 348 mg (8%) Potassium

SIMPLE MARINATED CUCUMBERS

Yield: 5 servings

Serving Size: about 1/2 cup

Prep: 15 minutes

Ready: 4 hours and 15 minutes (includes marinating time)

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon water
3 1/2 cups sliced English (seedless) cucumbers (about 1 1/2 cucumbers)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons sliced green onion
2 tablespoons chopped dry roasted peanuts

DIRECTIONS

In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together vinegar, sugar, and water until sugar dissolves. Place cucumbers in a large bowl, add vinegar mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 8 hours.
Drain cucumbers and place in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to cucumbers and stir to combine. When ready to serve, garnish with green onion and peanuts.

Nutrition Information per Serving

41 Calories, 2 g Total fat, 0 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 204 mg Sodium, 4 g Total carbohydrate, 1 g Dietary fiber, 3 g Total sugars, 2 g Added sugars, 2 g Protein, 0 mcg (0%) Vitamin D, 23 mg (2%) Calcium, 0 mg (0%) Iron, 161 mg (4%) Potassium