Super Quick Video Tips: The Best Way to Grill Shrimp

Life's too short for sad, overcooked shrimp.

Watch more Super Quick Video Tips at

America's Test Kitchen is a real 2,500 square foot test kitchen located just outside of Boston that is home to more than three dozen full-time cooks and product testers. Our mission is simple: to develop the absolute best recipes for all of your favorite foods. To do this, we test each recipe 30, 40, sometimes as many as 70 times, until we arrive at the combination of ingredients, technique, temperature, cooking time, and equipment that yields the best, most-foolproof recipe.

Each week, the cast of America's Test Kitchen brings the recipes, testings, and tastings from Cook's Illustrated magazine to life on our public television series. With more than 2 million viewers per episode, we are the most-watched cooking show on public television.

More than 1.3 million home cooks rely on Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines to provide trusted recipes that work, honest ratings of equipment and supermarket ingredients, and kitchen tips.

[NinezeroPlayer]

why do i watch these videos on empty stomach, empty fridge and late at night.

[BansheeFifteen]

In less than a 1 1/2 minutes, I have all the information I need to cook shrimp. This is amazing. Thank-You!

[WilliamDye-willdye]

Is there a flavor advantage to cooking shrimp with the tails still attached? As far as I can tell, the tail is only left on as a decoration, or perhaps as a handle. Personally, I dislike the tails, even on the larger shrimp.

[BISlover]

I think the implication was to char the sugar side first, and then finish cooking the shrimp on the other side.

[turbot]

I tried to make shrimp shishkabobs over Memorial Day weekend... the carne was hella soft and good and so was the chicken but I left the shrimp on there too long... straight overcooked....it was like rubber... fml... ay para la otra... I’ll get it right

[nelson]

In the video he says that the sugar is to help with the browning process. He also says that you should brown one side them flip and move to the cooler side of the grill. I'm going to guess that you should start with the sugar side down over hot coals.

[joeminghia]

The tails hold a lot of flavor. Now in terms of adding flavor to the shrimp meat when grilling, not so much. But it's great to actually save the tails/carcasses to make a seafood stock out of.

[auntlynnie]

Some folks enjoy eating the tails (they're very shrimpy and crunchy), and I understand that they actually supply a decent amount of calcium. An added benefit is that they protect the narrower portion of the shrimp's tail from the direct heat while the head portion finishes cooking, along with being a handy handle.

[willdrew]

I like to use a little Pitzmans mustard on my grilled shrimp! And by little, I mean A LOT!

[alraizuli]

Particularly with grilled shrimp, I eat the tails. They're nice and crunchy, and have good flavor.

[sweatersformen]

I'd like to sugar his shrimp if you know what I mean.

[erocicTheGreat]

Should you start sugar side up, does it matter?

[zoemeow]

nah probably go somewhere else with that

[ylitches]

Easier to eat usually. You usually don't grab it by the flesh because your hands might be dirty.