Chicken Free Basil-Lemon Shrimp Skewers

Total time50 min

Prep time20 min

Cook time10 min

4.9

(4)

Bright, garlicky, and finished with a hit of fresh lemon, these shrimp skewers are the kind of dish that disappears fast at any cookout or weeknight dinner. The homemade pesto is blended with basil, garlic, lemon juice, zest, turmeric, and a touch of ginger, giving it a vibrant color and a flavor that's way more interesting than anything from a jar. Shrimp pick up the marinade beautifully in just a few minutes, and a quick turn on the grill gets them perfectly pink and opaque with just the right amount of char. Because the whole recipe is built around seafood, there's no need to swap or substitute anything to keep it completely free of poultry — it's naturally there already. The reserved pesto spooned over the top at the end is the move that ties everything together, adding a fresh, herby punch right before serving. A squeeze of lemon wedge on the side keeps things bright and clean. Whether you're feeding a crowd or just yourself, this one is fast, flavorful, and genuinely hard to mess up.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the pesto

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
½ tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp ground turmeric
⅛ tsp ground ginger

For the skewers

1 ½ lb large shrimp (21–25 count), peeled and deveined, tails on
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ tsp fine sea salt

For serving

lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
fresh basil leaves, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1
If using wooden skewers, submerge them in water for at least 20 minutes so they don't char on the grill.
2
Combine the basil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, turmeric, and ginger in a blender or food processor. Pulse several times until the herbs are roughly broken down. With the motor running, stream in the 1/2 cup olive oil and blend until the pesto is smooth and bright green, about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust salt if needed.

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