Seasoned with Old Bay, a little garlic, and some charred lemons, these grilled shrimp channel classic East Coast fish shack vibes. We highly encourage you eat them with the shells on—the crunchy texture and smoky flavor they pick up from the grill are all part of the pleasure. But if you’d rather not, go ahead and peel ’em before serving. Also, they’re just as delicious chilled as they are hot off the grill, so enjoy them whichever way you like.
Ingredients
4 servings
½
1
3
1½
¾
1
2
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Lightly oil grate. Using kitchen shears, snip down back of each shrimp shell along the vein, stopping at the tails. You may end up cutting a little but of the flesh, but the aim here is to make it easy to peel the shell later (if you choose!) without compromising the shrimp’s tenderness. The shells are a protective barrier, so keep them on when grilling.
Step 2
Transfer shrimp to a medium bowl. Add 1 Tbsp. oil, two-thirds of garlic, 1½ tsp. Old Bay, and ¾ tsp. salt and toss to combine. Let sit 10–15 minutes while you prepare the aioli.
Step 3
Whisk egg yolk and remaining garlic in a medium bowl. Finely grate 1 tsp. lemon zest into egg mixture. Whisking constantly, gradually stream in remaining ½ cup oil until thick and pale yellow. Stir in juice of one lemon half. Season well with salt—it should taste really vibrant.
Step 4
Cut remaining lemon in half. Grill shrimp and 3 lemon halves (cut sides down) until shells are golden brown and charred in some spots and flesh is opaque and cut sides of lemons are deeply caramelized, 1–2 minutes.
Step 5
Spread aioli on a platter. Arrange shrimp and charred lemons over. Season lightly with more Old Bay.
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Reviews (29)
Back to TopSo good and quick to make!
Anonymous
UT
6/14/2023
This was delicious and will make again! BUT, do yourself and your guests a favor and a.) shell your shrimp and b.) put the dressing in a dipping bowl and not under the shrimp. Think about peeling shrimp that has sauce all over it. A mess.
Anonymous
ct
7/3/2022
OMG! I made this dish for guests and we were all “ooing “ and “ahing”. Served with an array of grilled veggies and garlic bread. Perfect dinner. I will make again in an heartbeat.
Czarina827
Tucson
6/11/2022
No outside grill so I do all. my stuff on a cast iron grill pan. Using the broiler and a sheet pan ro spread tboth shrimp and lemon slices was a wonderful idea! (Thank you, Brock Toon) Also had some lemon aoli in the fridge, Added a kick of Old Bay (always a can of it in the cupboard.) PS: Eating them with the shells ON? Another new idea! Thanks, Molly!
Loretta Heuer
7/28/2021
I trust Bon Appetit's superb digital content and it has served me well in the past, so I googled the words: 'Bon Appetit,' 'shrimp,' and 'Old Bay,' Per usual, this one was a hit. I made a few adjustments after botching the aioli the first time and using my oven instead of a grill to cook the shrimp. Firstly, start with less oil and add it in as you mix. If you have a power handheld mixer, that will be an advantage over hand whisking. Someone recommended cayenne pepper a few comments below so I added some red pepper flakes last minute which added a nice kick. I broiled the shrimp with the oven rack about 5-6 inches away from the broiler for about 2.5 - 3 minutes and it was perfectly cooked. I know I will be making this again in the near future because it was outrageously good.
Brock Toon
Detroit
12/25/2020
This was really great! Some people below said to cut the canola oil in the aioli to 1/4 cup, but I found a full 1/2 canola oil worked fine when I added it very slowly. I added a pinch of cayenne pepper to the shrimp as well, which turned out really good! Great recipe.
Anonymous
Toronto, Canada
9/19/2020
This was A. MAZE. ING. I braved a thunderstorm to grill these and it was worth it. I used olive oil rather than canola oil and served it with some grilled sourdough bread and it was delicious. WINNER!
Anonymous
Pennsylvania
6/20/2020
Made this recently and it was delicious. The aioli was the perfect complement to the shrimp, and my entire family loved it. The charred lemon slices are so underrated in terms of what they add — don't skip that step, and squeeze some lemon on every bite you take! The perfect summer dinner.
Anonymous
Berkeley, CA
8/19/2019
ugh... 1/2 cup of canola to 1 egg yolk? BA's best aioli is 1 egg yolk to 1/4 cup olive oil... my first attempt Molly's aoloi was a mess... cut it back to 1/4 cup but the canola still doesn't thicken like olive oil does .... her recipes are honestly hit or miss and this one is a miss with lots of adjustments
Anonymous
new jersey
8/17/2019
Made this tonight! A total hit!
Rob F
Atlanta
8/13/2019
Made this for family this weekend. Was a total hit!!! It will definitely become another BA go-to recipe!!!!
SueChen25
Toronto, Canada
8/12/2019
what sides would be served? And best adult beverage?
katsons
Glen Mills, PA
8/9/2019
i wish that the " print" version would not include a large box of advertisement that prints out as well!
mbgraves323456
new jersey shore
8/9/2019
Great recipe and eating with the charred shells on is the way to go.
Captain Paradise
Santa Barbara, CA
8/8/2019
This is a killer recipe. No modifications; absolutely perfect the way it is.
Anonymous
Boston, MA
8/8/2019